To read the texts click on the texts: Rom 9:1-5; Lk 14:1-5
The scene described in the Gospel text
is the third scene describing a healing on the Sabbath (see 6,6-11; 13,10-17).
However, in this scene the setting is a meal rather than in the synagogue. The
issue, however, is the same namely whether a person’s needs takes precedence
over rules and regulations.
The man in the story suffers from dropsy
or edema, which is the abnormal accumulation of fluids in the body. It is a
symptom of serious physical problems. Unlike in the previous Sabbath healings,
here there is no dialogue with the man (as there was with the woman in 13,12)
or questioning by the Pharisees (as there was in 6,8; 13,14). Instead Jesus
poses the question of whether one is allowed to heal on the Sabbath. The
healing is narrated simply, and hence the focus is removed from it and placed
on the second question of Jesus, which is connected with the first. Since there
is the mention of “son/child” who has fallen into well, the point seems to be
the urgency of the situation and not as in the case of the question asked in
13,15 where the argument is from the lesser to the greater. The silence of
Jesus’ opponents to both questions concedes to him the victory. The point has
been made; human need even if not urgent takes precedence over rules and
regulations.
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