Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” And they could not answer Him regarding these things. (Luke 14:1-6)

Silent Before Jesus

The Pharisees constantly sought the opportunity to trap Jesus in His teachings but never denied His miracles. Their hypocrisy was heightened by how they watched Him closely to see if He would perform a miracle on the Sabbath. How incredible that they could not deny the power of God through the miracles and yet were so blind; they watched Jesus closely to entrap Him. How do you accuse a man who performs a miracle in front of your eyes? The lawyers and Pharisees watched Jesus and kept silent.

A man with dropsy was a guest at the house of the Pharisee, where Jesus came to have a meal. Dropsy is a cardiac or renal disease causing the arms and legs to swell. One form of dropsy was liver disease after a bout with malaria. He was able to attend the meal at the invitation of the ruler. Jesus knew the hearts of his detractors and asked them whether it was lawful to heal a man on the Sabbath. The question is simple, direct, and easy to answer. Either healing on the Sabbath was against the Law of Moses, or it was accepted. Faced with the dilemma of answering an obvious question, the lawyers and Pharisees remained silent.

Jesus took the man with dropsy, healed him, and sent him away. The lawyers and Pharisees watched Jesus perform the miracle, saying nothing. Their eyes saw the miracle, but their hearts denied the power. For the man with dropsy, he knew the power of God as he felt the Holy Spirit cleanse his body of his disease. He felt immediate relief. When he walked away, there was no swelling or pain. No doubt he returned home to share with his family what great things the man from Nazareth had done for him. The lawyers and Pharisees did not believe.

Challenging their hard hearts, Jesus asked the leaders how to interpret the law. God had forbidden any work to be done on the Sabbath. There were strict laws governing how a man conducted himself on the seventh day of the week. During the wilderness wanderings of Israel, a man was found picking up sticks on the Sabbath. After consulting with God, the congregation stoned the man to death. There was a clear lesson learned. Jesus asks the lawyers and Pharisees if one of their animals fell into a pit, if, because it was the Sabbath, they would leave the animal to die. It was a rhetorical question with apparent consequences to how they answered. They remained silent.

Anyone would immediately rescue their donkey or ox that had fallen into a pit. They would not be judged guilty according to Sabbath law. There was a certain expectation that understanding the law would allow such matters without breaking the spirit of the law. If a man was found wounded on the side of the road on the Sabbath, God expected that all things needed to restore the man’s life be done. This would include caring for his wounds, putting him on a donkey, and taking him to an inn to care for him. None of this violated the Sabbath.

The point Jesus made is how hard-hearted the Jewish leaders had become. They remained silent because they stood accused – and they knew that. By their silence, they testified to the work of God. The man with dropsy was healed. God was glorified. The law was not broken because the Son of God had pity on a man and healed him. They needed to remain silent lest they open their mouths and show what fools they were. The silence of the men proves the power of God.

Critics of the Bible try in vain to dispel the authority of scripture. The truth does not change. It matters not how loud or silent they are whether the Bible is God’s word or not because it is and always will be. Jesus proved that God is true and all men liars. Those gathered that day in the house of a ruling Pharisee saw a great miracle. It was the Sabbath. God was praised. The man was healed. Jesus proved He was the Son of God. May the eyes of the blind be opened by the word of the Lord to see His great power and majesty. Jesus Christ is King.