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Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Luke 14:1–6.
In this passage of story we find,
I.That the Son of man came eating and drinking, conversing familiarly with all sorts of people; not declining the society of publicans, though they were of ill fame, nor of Pharisees, though they bore him ill will, but accepting the friendly invitations both of the one and the other, that, if possible, he might do good to both. Here he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees, a ruler, it may be, and a magistrate in his country, to eat bread on the sabbath day, Luk 14:1. See how favourable God is to us, that he allows us time, even on his own day, for bodily refreshments; and how careful we should be not to abuse that liberty, or turn it into licentiousness. Christ went only to eat bread, to take such refreshment as was necessary on the sabbath day. Our sabbath meals must, with a particular care, be guarded against all manner of excess. On sabbath days we must do as Moses and Jethro did, eat bread before God (Exo 18:12), and, as is said of the primitive Christians, on the Lord's day, must eat and drink as those that must pray again before we go to rest, that we may not be unfit for that.
II.That he went about doing good.
Wherever he came he sought opportunities to do good, and not only improved those that fell in his way. Here was a certain man before him who had the dropsy, Luk 14:2. We do not find that he offered himself, or that his friends offered him to be Christ's patient, but Christ prevented him with the blessings of his goodness, and before he called he answered him. Note, It is a happy thing to be where Christ is, to be present before him, though we be not presented to him. This man had the dropsy, it is probable, in a high degree, and appeared much swoln with it; probably he was some relation of the Pharisee's, that now lodged in his house, which is more likely than that he should be an invited guest at the table.
III.That he endured the contradiction of sinners against himself:
They watched him, Luk 14:1. The Pharisee that invited him, it should seem, did it with a design to pick some quarrel with him; if it were so, Christ knew it, and yet went, for he knew himself a match for the most subtle of them, and knew how to order his steps with an eye to his observers. Those that are watched had need to be wary. It is, as Dr. Hammond observes, contrary to all laws of hospitality to seek advantage against one that you invited to be your guest, for such a one you have taken under your protection. These lawyers and Pharisees, like the fowler that lies in wait to ensnare the birds, held their peace, and acted very silently. When Christ asked them whether they thought it lawful to heal on the sabbath day (and herein he is said to answer them, for it was an answer to their thoughts, and thoughts are words to Jesus Christ), they would say neither yea nor nay, for their design was to inform against him, not to be informed by him. They would not say it was lawful to heal, for then they would preclude themselves from imputing it to him as a crime; and yet the thing was so plain and self-evident that they could not for shame say it was not lawful. Note, Good men have often been persecuted for doing that which even their persecutors, if they would but give their consciences leave to speak out, could not but own to be lawful and good. Many a good work Christ did, for which they cast stones at him and his name.
IV.That Christ would not be hindered from doing good by the opposition and contradiction of sinners.
He took him, and healed him, and let him go, Luk 14:4. Perhaps he took him aside into another room, and healed him there, because he would neither proclaim himself, such was his humility, nor provoke his adversaries, such was his wisdom, his meekness of wisdom. Note, Though we must not be driven off from our duty by the malice of our enemies, yet we should order the circumstances of it so as to make it the least offensive. Or, He took him, that is, he laid hands on him, to cure him; epilabomenos, complexus - he embraced him, took him in his arms, big and unwieldy as he was (for so dropsical people generally are), and reduced him to shape. The cure of a dropsy, as much as any disease, one would think, should be gradual; yet Christ cured even that disease, perfectly cured it, in a moment. He then let him go, lest the Pharisees should fall upon him for being healed, though he was purely passive; for what absurdities would not such men as they were be guilty of?
V.That our Lord Jesus did nothing but what he could justify, to the conviction and confusion of those that quarrelled with him, Luk 14:5, Luk 14:6. He still answered their thoughts, and made them hold their peace for shame who before held their peace for subtlety, by an appeal to their own practice, as he had been used to do upon such occasions, that he might show them how in condemning him they condemned themselves: which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, by accident, and will not pull him out on the sabbath day, and that straightway, not deferring it till the sabbath be over, lest it perish? Observe, It is not so much out of compassion to the poor creature that they do it as a concern for their own interest. It is their own ox, and their own ass, that is worth money, and they will dispense with the law of the sabbath for the saving of. Now this was an evidence of their hypocrisy, and that it was not out of any real regard to the sabbath that they found fault with Christ for healing on the sabbath day (that was only the pretence), but really because they were angry at the miraculous good works which Christ wrought, and the proof he thereby gave of his divine mission, and the interest he thereby gained among the people. Many can easily dispense with that, for their own interest, which they cannot dispense with for God's glory and the good of their brethren. This question silenced them: They could not answer him again to these things, Luk 14:6. Christ will be justified when he speaks, and every mouth must be stopped before him.
Historical interpretation
Seven Centuries of Reception
7 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
First, Christ cures the man with dropsy. The abundant flow of the flesh had oppressed the functions of his soul and had quenched the glow of his spirit. Then, Christ teaches humility. At the feast, Christ gently opposes the longing for a better seat, so that the humanity of persuasion excludes the harshness of coercion, reason promotes the effect of persuasion, and correction chastises pride. He joins humanity to this, as if at the next threshold. The boundaries of the Lord’s saying differentiated this, if it is conferred on the poor and the weak. There is a greedy disposition in those who would be rewarded for hospitality.
(de Quæst. Evan. lib. 2. cap. 29.) Now He has aptly compared the dropsical man to an animal which has fallen into a ditch, (for he is troubled by water,) as He compared that woman, whom He spoke of as bound, and whom He Himself loosed, to a beast which is let loose to be led to water.
(ubi sup.) Or we rightly compare the dropsical man to a covetous rich man. For as the former, the more he increases in unnatural moisture the greater his thirst; so also the other, the more abundant his riches, which he does not employ well, the more ardently he desires them.
A Pharisee, of higher rank than usual, invited Jesus to a banquet. Although he knew their bad intentions, he went with him and ate in their company. He did not submit to this act of condescension to honor his host. He rather instructed his fellow guests by words and miraculous deeds that might lead them to the acknowledgment of the true service, even that taught us by the gospel. He knew that even against their will he would make them eyewitnesses of his power and his suprahuman glory. Perhaps they might believe that he is God and the Son of God, who took on our likeness but was unchanged and did not cease to be what he had been.
Although our Lord knew the malice of the Pharisees, yet He became their guest, that He might benefit by His words and miracles those who were present. Whence it follows, And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him; to see whether He would despise the observance of the law, or do any thing that was forbidden on the sabbath day. When then the man with the dropsy came into the midst of them, He rebukes by a question the insolence of the Pharisees, who wished to detect Him; as it is said, And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering, &c.
Disregarding then the snares of the Jews, He cures the dropsical, who from fear of the Pharisees did not ask to be healed on account of the sabbath, but only stood up, that when Jesus beheld him, He might have compassion on him and heal him. And the Lord knowing this, asked not whether he wished to be made whole, but forthwith healed him. Whence it follows; And he took him, and healed him, and let him go. Wherein our Lord took no thought not to offend the Pharisees, but only that He might benefit him who needed healing. For it becomes us, when a great good is the result, not to care if fools take offence.
But seeing the Pharisees awkwardly silent, Christ baffles their determined impudence by some important considerations. As it follows; And he answered and said unto them, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
(14 Mor. c. 6.) Rightly then is the dropsical man healed in the Pharisees' presence, for by the bodily infirmity of the one, is expressed the mental disease of the other.
When it is said that Jesus answered, there is a reference to the words which went before, And they watched him. For the Lord knew the thoughts of men.
But they who were asked, are rightly silent, for they perceived that whatever they said, would be against themselves. For if it is lawful to heal on the sabbath day, why did they watch the Saviour whether He would heal? If it is not lawful, why do they take care of their cattle on the sabbath? Hence it follows, But they held their peace.
By these words He so refutes His watchers, the Pharisees, as to condemn them also of covetousness, who in the deliverance of animals consult their own desire of wealth. How much more then ought Christ to deliver a man, who is much better than cattle!
By a suitable example then He settles the question, showing that they violate the sabbath by a work of covetousness, who contend that he does so by a work of charity. Hence it follows, And they could not answer him again to these things. Mystically, the dropsical man is compared to him who is weighed down by an overflowing stream of carnal pleasures. For the disease of dropsy derives the name from a watery humour.
In this example also He well refers to the ox and the ass; so as to represent either the wise and the foolish, or both nations; that is, the Jew oppressed by the burden of the law, the Gentile not subject to reason. For the Lord rescues from the pit of concupiscence all who are sunk therein.
But by His question He exposes their folly. For while God blessed the sabbath, (Gen. 2:1.) they forbade to do good on the sabbath; but the day which does not admit the works of the good is accursed.
As though He said, If the law forbids to have mercy on the sabbath-day, have no care of thy son when in danger on the sabbath-day. But why speak I of a son, when thou dost not even neglect an ox if thou seest it in danger?
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Summary
Luke 14:2 swiftly introduces a pivotal character into the narrative: a man afflicted with dropsy, positioned directly before Jesus at a Sabbath meal hosted by a leading Pharisee. This seemingly incidental presence is, in fact, a deliberate narrative device, immediately setting the stage for a profound confrontation between Jesus' compassionate authority and the rigid legalism of the religious establishment concerning Sabbath observance. The verse foreshadows a divine intervention that will not only heal a suffering individual but also expose the spiritual blindness of those who prioritized tradition over human well-being and God's true intent for the Sabbath.
Context
Literary Context
This verse immediately follows Luke 14:1, which establishes the setting: Jesus is invited to eat bread on the Sabbath in the house of "one of the chief Pharisees," and significantly, "they watched him." The sudden appearance of a man with dropsy in Luke 14:2 is not accidental; it serves as the catalyst for the ensuing Sabbath controversy. Luke frequently uses such encounters to highlight Jesus' authority and compassion in direct opposition to the Pharisees' legalistic interpretations of the Law. The presence of the man with dropsy acts as a dramatic tension builder, clearly indicating that a test or challenge for Jesus is imminent, much like other Sabbath encounters in Luke's Gospel, such as the healing of the crippled woman in Luke 13:10-17.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Sabbath was a cornerstone of Jewish life, enshrined in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11). By Jesus' time, rabbinic traditions had accumulated numerous meticulous rules defining what constituted "work" on the Sabbath, often extending far beyond the spirit of the original command. Healing, especially if not life-threatening, was generally considered "work" and thus forbidden. Dropsy (Greek: hydropsikos), a condition characterized by severe edema or fluid retention, was a visible and debilitating illness, often a symptom of serious underlying organ failure. While not immediately life-threatening in the way a hemorrhage might be, it caused significant suffering and would have been widely recognized. The man's presence in a Pharisee's house on the Sabbath, whether by design to trap Jesus or by desperate hope for healing, created an unavoidable dilemma within the prevailing cultural and religious framework.
Key Themes
Luke 14:2 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in Luke's Gospel. Firstly, it underscores Divine Compassion, as Jesus consistently prioritizes human suffering and well-being over rigid adherence to man-made traditions. Secondly, it fuels the ongoing Sabbath Controversy, a recurring motif where Jesus challenges and reinterprets the true meaning of the Sabbath, emphasizing its purpose as a day for good and healing, not merely a day of restrictive abstention (Luke 6:1-11). Thirdly, the scene highlights Jesus' Authority, demonstrating His divine prerogative to interpret God's law correctly and to perform miracles, thereby asserting His unique identity and mission even amidst opposition. This verse sets the stage for Jesus to teach about humility and the true nature of God's kingdom, as seen in the subsequent parables and teachings within Luke 14.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This is an emphatic interjection, a command to "see!" or "look!" Its use here serves to immediately draw the reader's attention to the sudden and striking presence of the man with dropsy. It heightens the dramatic tension, signaling that what follows is significant and demands observation, setting the stage for a crucial encounter.
Derived from words meaning "man-faced" or "human being," this term simply refers to a human individual. In this context, it emphasizes the universal humanity of the afflicted person, making his suffering relatable and underscoring Jesus' concern for all people, regardless of their social standing or condition.
This term literally means "to be dropsical" or "watery," referring to the medical condition of edema, characterized by the abnormal accumulation of fluid in the body's tissues. The KJV's "dropsy" accurately conveys the visible and debilitating nature of this affliction, which would have made the man's suffering evident to all present and highlighted the urgency of his need.
Verse Breakdown
"And, behold,"
This opening phrase, employing the emphatic "behold," immediately arrests the reader's attention, signaling the sudden and significant appearance of a new element in the scene. It creates a sense of immediacy and underscores the dramatic tension that is about to unfold.
"there was a certain man before him"
This clause introduces the individual who will be the focus of Jesus' compassion and the catalyst for the ensuing conflict. The phrase "before him" (referring to Jesus) emphasizes the man's direct proximity to Jesus, implying both his desperate need and the direct challenge his presence poses to Jesus in the eyes of the watching Pharisees.
"which had the dropsy."
This final clause identifies the man's affliction, dropsy (edema), a visibly debilitating condition. Naming the specific illness immediately highlights the man's suffering and sets the stage for Jesus' compassionate response, while simultaneously raising the stakes for a Sabbath healing, which was a contentious issue with the religious leaders.
Literary Devices
Luke 14:2 employs several literary devices to enhance its impact. The most prominent is Foreshadowing, as the sudden appearance of the man with dropsy immediately signals an impending confrontation or miracle, building narrative tension. The use of the interjection "behold" (Greek: idou) functions as a form of Direct Address to the reader, drawing their attention and emphasizing the significance of the man's presence. There is also subtle Irony at play: the man's physical ailment, dropsy, which causes internal fluid accumulation, stands in stark contrast to the spiritual dryness and legalistic rigidity of the Pharisees, who are "watching" Jesus, ready to accuse him. The man's visible suffering also serves as a Symbol of humanity's brokenness and need for divine intervention, setting the stage for Jesus to demonstrate His power and compassion.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Luke 14:2, though brief, is profoundly significant as it immediately establishes a scenario that tests the core values of the Kingdom of God against prevailing religious legalism. The presence of the man with dropsy forces a choice: adhere to human-made interpretations of the Sabbath law that forbid healing, or act with divine compassion to alleviate suffering. Jesus consistently demonstrates that God's law, particularly the Sabbath, was given for the benefit and well-being of humanity, not as an oppressive burden. This encounter highlights Jesus' unwavering commitment to grace and healing, even when it means confronting entrenched traditions and facing the scrutiny of His adversaries. It underscores the theological truth that true righteousness is rooted in love and mercy, not in rigid adherence to external regulations.
Reflection and Application
Luke 14:2 serves as a powerful reminder that genuine faith is not merely about adherence to rules, but about active compassion and responsiveness to human need. In a world often preoccupied with appearances, traditions, or even legalistic interpretations of faith, this verse calls us to examine our own hearts. Are we quick to judge or to prioritize rigid structures over the suffering of others? Jesus' immediate focus on the man with dropsy, despite being under intense scrutiny, exemplifies a divine priority: the well-being and restoration of individuals. For us, this means cultivating a heart that sees and responds to the needs around us, even when it is inconvenient or challenges our comfort zones. It encourages us to embody the spirit of mercy and grace, recognizing that true worship involves caring for the afflicted and challenging systems that hinder human flourishing.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was the man with dropsy present in the Pharisee's house on the Sabbath?
The text does not explicitly state why the man was there, but there are two primary possibilities, both serving the narrative's purpose. He may have been intentionally placed there by the Pharisees to test Jesus, knowing Jesus' pattern of healing on the Sabbath and their desire to find fault with Him. Alternatively, he might have been a guest or a hopeful individual who came seeking healing from Jesus, having heard of His miracles. Regardless of the specific reason, his presence was strategically significant, creating an immediate dilemma for Jesus regarding Sabbath observance and setting the stage for a powerful teaching moment.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Luke 14:2, in its concise introduction of the man with dropsy, profoundly foreshadows the Christ-centered fulfillment of God's redemptive plan. The man's visible affliction represents humanity's pervasive spiritual "dropsy"—the swelling and corruption of sin that permeates every aspect of our being, leading to spiritual death (Romans 6:23). Just as Jesus, the Great Physician, stood before the physically afflicted man, so too did He come into a world spiritually diseased, to confront the very root of our brokenness. His subsequent healing of the man on the Sabbath (Luke 14:4) is a microcosm of His greater mission: to bring true rest and healing to a humanity burdened by the law and enslaved by sin (Matthew 11:28-30). Christ's willingness to challenge the legalistic interpretations of the Sabbath, prioritizing compassion and life, points to His ultimate work on the cross, where He became the perfect sacrifice, fulfilling the law and offering complete liberation from the spiritual bondage of sin and death (Galatians 3:13). He is the one who truly takes away the "dropsy" of sin, offering abundant life and spiritual restoration to all who come to Him (John 10:10).