September 6, 2010
Creating Good
Luke 14:1-6
Nigel Kelly
Central Truth
God is first and foremost the Creator of good.
Key Verse | Luke 14:3–4
"And Jesus answered and spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?' But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away." (Luke 14:3-4)
Luke 14:1-6
Healing of a Man on the Sabbath
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. 2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. 3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” 4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son 1 14:5 Some manuscripts a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 6 And they could not reply to these things.
Dive Deeper | Luke 14:1-6
The tension in the house was heavy. What would Jesus do? Would He heal or keep the Sabbath? The conflict concerned two opposing views of the character of God. Is God more concerned with not doing bad or with doing good? The Pharisees thought God cared more about avoiding bad. Jesus knew God cared more about providing good. The Pharisees focused on the Law. God in the Law is the God of "Thou shalt not . . . ."
But, before He gave the Law, He was the God who said, "Let there be light . . . and it was good." Before restrictions came creation. Before punishment came provision.
Is God predominantly the Great Punisher or the Great Provider and Protector? Is He more the Great Condemner or the Great Creator?
Jesus' answer is that God is first and foremost the Great Provider and Creator. God seeks the creation of good above all else.
In Mark 2:27 Jesus says that the "Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Part of the curse from the fall was that men would have to toil and work the earth to produce food to survive. The Sabbath was meant to give one day a week in which they could have relief from the curse. It was not meant to keep them from something, but rather it was meant to provide them with rest. In both Exodus 23:12 and Deuteronomy 5:14 the command to observe the Sabbath is followed by the statement so that the people and even their animals "may rest." Even God’s commandments provide good.
I often catch myself gauging my spiritual success by a list of things I should not do. This life is burdensome and frankly boring. The Pharisees were boring. They didn't do much wrong in their own eyes, but they didn’t create much good either. Jesus was compelling. Yes, He avoided evil, but it was not His piety that attracted the crowds. He, like His Father, was the Creator of good.
Discussion Questions
1. Luke 14:1 tells us that the Pharisees "were watching Him closely." Why was Jesus so compelling? As His follower, how can you invite people to know Christ in such a way that they find the invitation compelling?
2. How should you gauge your spiritual success?
3. How does God want to use you to create good?
FAMILY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How did the Pharisees respond when Jesus asked them if He should heal on the Sabbath? Why do you think the Pharisees did not respond?
2. The Pharisees were more concerned with obeying the rules. What is more important to God, your actions or the heart behind what you do?