Luke 14:1-6
Jesus VS Religion
· Who is Luke (why it's important)
o He is a DR and historian (Greek)
o He wrote the book of Luke and acts
o He was hired to write the book by wealth Roman
· Who were the Pharisees
o Opposed Jesus throughout his ministry
o Religious organization (not rabbi)
o In the organization, there were religious lawyers
o They wrote laws that they but equal to God's law
o Very legalistic
o There is no left or right just scriptural truth
· And What did they have against Jesus
o Authority – He did not follow their laws and traditions
o Who He kept in His company – sinners and the like
o Jesus broke all the “Rules”
o And for Religious folks, it's all about the rules!
Scripture!
Luke 14:1–6 (ESV)
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 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.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH RELIGIOUS PEOPLE!! (cliques and the like)
· They are negative, they are defined by what they are against
o They are critical
o Against Jesus on the Sabbath
o Against His friends
o Never find Good in Him
o Or anyone
· They are single-issue voters
o They fight for one issue until you cave
o They just wear you out
o Always fought Jesus on everything
o They should have asked Jesus more important questions
o For them, it was better to win than be right
· They preach without practicing repentance
o Always look for fault
o Never admit fault
o Never wrong
· They prefer tidy answers over messy lives
o All about the rules
o People are messy
§ We must get to know the story
§ Seek wise counsel
§ Seek biblical reference
§ Pray
o Religious people are lazy to human suffering
o Jesus helped hurting people
o We can’t change the bible, there is no changing God's word
o It takes more than a manual to help hurting people. You need the holy spirit, discernment, community, and prayer
· They convert believers not unbelievers
o It’s not a denominational thing, it’s a Jesus Thing
o Our energy is not to go to recruiting the saved, we need to go after the lost
· They Bully people into following them
o They do everything in public
o Always put Jesus in a public setting, never tried to work through it
o Talk about people, not to them
o They go negative
o DON’T LET THEM GET TO YOU
· They confuse principles and methods
o The bible is full of timeless principles
§ Doesn’t set the method
o They think there is only one method
§ Its ok to have your method just don’t impose them
· They want you to keep their agenda
o God has many agendas for His glory
o We have to allow God to work through His people in His time
o It’s not about us
o We have a great opportunity at PTCC to reach lost people, to further God's kingdom! We can’t let religious people sidetrack us from our mission
How Jesus handles Religious People
· (Vs. 1) Jesus loves everyone (even his enemies)
1 One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.
o Jesus is very open-handed
o And Loving
o His enemies are closed fisted
o He ate with them
o He did not shy away from them
o Even when they were plotting against him
· (Vs. 2) The setup
2 And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.
o Dropsy (very painful, you retain water and basically your organs drowned ) your whole body swells
o They were banking on Jesus’s love for people, and servant attitude (how sad)
o Their whole issue is working on the Sabbath
o There was no compassion, they used a person’s suffering for their own selfish gain
· (Vs. 3) Jesus and a teaching moment!!
3 And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”
o He turned it back to them
o There is no tidy answer, just messy lives
o They have no right answer
o It can’t be wrapped up in the methods, or rules
o That’s the problem with religious people
§ They love rules
§ They love to be right
§ They love to point out the bad in everyone
o Do I think God is a righteous and holy judge?
o Do I think that God will one day pour His wrath out on the world
o Absolutely
o I just don’t think it’s my job, he sent Jesus to show me how to live and love people
o I intend on doing just that
· (Vs. 4) (the awkward silence)
4 But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.
o They know Jesus was right
o But they just couldn’t break with their tradition
o So they say nothing!!!
o It’s about their agenda not Jesus or Staying true to God's teachings
o They forget it’s not about them, it’s about God
o (the healing)
§ What a picture of salvation
§ Sent him out to not only be healed but to be free from the bondage of the Pharisees
§ The bondage of the law, he was shown grace what a freeing picture!
· (Vs. 5) (the parable)
5 And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”
o He teaches about love and grace
o The true meaning of God is grace, love, and mercy over law and rules
o He sets an example for them to follow
o But sadly some religious folks never fully understand the grace God has shown them
o I hope I never get numb to that grace, that mercy that was shown to me!
· (Vs. 6)
6 And they could not reply to these things.
o They still didn’t get it
Jesus loved the man with dropsy, and He loved the Pharisees. He ate with them, healed for them, and served them, and taught them. He came with an open hand, they came with a closed fist.
We have to be very careful not to get caught up in the agendas, and plans, and worldly things. We have to keep kingdom-focused, God-fearing, and most of all Jesus loving people! DON’T GET CAUGHT UP IN THE MESS OF RELIGION, STAY CAUGHT UP IN THE LOVE OF JESUS
The Hope for Religion
And I was trying to figure out, “Okay, how am I gonna teach this and not have this be just another negative sermon?” Right? ‘Cause part of it is, it is pretty fun to make fun of religious people and we do it in love because it helps them.
But how do we have this sermon not just be, “We’re good. They’re bad. They’re funny. They don’t know it. We do”? ‘Cause if that happens, we’re just a new kind of religious, right? “We’re holier than you, we’re better than you ‘cause you’re ridiculous and we make fun of you.” The truth is that we all have ways, times, degrees to which we’re religious.
We always need to be reminded of the gospel, reminded of Jesus. I think that’s why Luke keeps working in the story of conflict with the religious people, ‘cause it’s something that’s also a recurring issue in our own life.
Religion is seeking to answer a very important question: How can we who are unholy and unrighteous be declared holy and acceptable in the sight of a holy and righteous God?
Theologically, this is the doctrine of justification. How can a sinner be declared righteous in the sight of God?
2 Cor 5:21
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
· The wrong answer is through works, through rules and laws!!
· The right answer: JESUS, He took my place!!!!
Is there hope for the religious? Yes. What the religious really want is what Jesus alone truly gives, forgiveness of sin and righteousness.
So let me summarize with this. It’s not about me, it’s about Jesus.
· It’s not about my performance, it’s about His perfection.
· It’s not about my religion, it’s about His redemption.
It’s not about what I do for God, it’s about what God does for me out of love. And it’s not a work I achieve, it’s a gift I receive. Amen.
