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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
9 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.
As they were silent from ill will, Christ refutes their unrelenting shamelessness by the convincing arguments that he uses. "Whose son of you," he says, "or whose ox shall fall into a pit, and he will not immediately draw him out on the sabbath day?" If the law forbids showing mercy on the sabbath, why do you take compassion on that which has fallen into the pit?… The God of all does not cease to be kind. He is good and loving to people.
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.
And responding to them, he said: "Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull it out on the Sabbath day?" Thus he convicts the observing Pharisees, so that he also condemns them for avarice. He said, "If you on the Sabbath hasten to rescue a donkey or an ox or any other animal that has fallen into a pit, not for the sake of the animal, but consulting your avarice, how much more ought I to free a man, who is much better than an animal?" Accordingly, he compared the dropsical man to an animal that had fallen into a pit, for he was oppressed by fluid. Just as he had compared the woman who had been bound for eighteen years and was freed from that bondage to an animal that is loosed to be led to water. And fittingly in both cases he placed the ox and the donkey, because whether we perceive them to signify the wise or the dull, or as it is said above, both peoples, so that he whose neck the yoke of the law has chafed, and him whom any deceiver has found, like a brute animal retaining no reason, has led astray with error wherever he wished, the Savior, coming, found all bound in the chains of Satan, all sunk in the deep pit of desire. For there is no distinction. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. III).
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
In Luke 14:5, Jesus masterfully employs a rhetorical question to challenge the legalistic interpretations of the Sabbath held by the religious leaders, exposing their hypocrisy and prioritizing the principle of compassion and human welfare over rigid adherence to external rules. This verse serves as a pivotal moment in the narrative, revealing Jesus' consistent emphasis on the spirit of the law over its letter, particularly when it concerns acts of mercy and the alleviation of suffering.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is situated within a broader narrative in Luke 14, where Jesus is dining at the house of a prominent Pharisee on the Sabbath. The atmosphere is one of scrutiny, as the religious leaders are closely observing Jesus, particularly regarding His actions on the Sabbath. Immediately preceding this verse, Jesus had healed a man suffering from dropsy, an act that directly challenged their Sabbath regulations (Luke 14:2-4). When Jesus asked if it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath and they remained silent, He proceeded to heal the man. His question in Luke 14:5 is a direct, incisive counter-argument, designed to expose the inconsistency of their own practices and the flawed logic of their legalistic interpretations. It underscores His authority and wisdom in navigating contentious issues.
Historical & Cultural Context
The Sabbath, a cornerstone of Jewish law, was originally given as a day of rest and worship, commemorating God's rest after creation and Israel's deliverance from slavery (Exodus 20:8-11). Over centuries, particularly during the Second Temple period, elaborate oral traditions and interpretations (Halakha) developed around the Sabbath, defining what constituted "work" and thus was forbidden. These interpretations, often meticulously detailed by the Pharisees, sometimes overshadowed the original intent of the law—to be a blessing and a day of humanitarian concern. Rescuing an animal from a pit was a recognized exception to Sabbath work, often justified by economic necessity (to prevent loss of valuable livestock) or immediate danger to the animal's life. Jesus leverages this commonly accepted practice to highlight their double standard: if an animal's well-being justified "work" on the Sabbath, how much more a human being's?
Key Themes
The passage in Luke 14 powerfully contributes to several major theological and narrative themes in Luke's Gospel and Jesus' ministry. Firstly, it emphasizes Mercy Over Ritual, demonstrating Jesus' consistent prioritization of compassion and human need above rigid adherence to ceremonial law. He reveals that the Sabbath was intended for humanity's benefit, not as a burdensome restriction (Mark 2:27). Secondly, Jesus' question directly engages in Challenging Legalism, confronting the Pharisees' tendency to elevate human traditions to the level of divine law, thereby missing the heart of God's commands. Their focus was on external compliance rather than internal righteousness and genuine love. Thirdly, the verse powerfully illustrates the Exposure of Hypocrisy. By posing a relatable scenario that revealed their own pragmatic actions concerning their possessions, Jesus unmasks the inconsistency of their condemnation of His healing acts. This theme of exposing the hypocrisy of religious leaders is recurrent throughout the Gospels, particularly in Jesus' interactions with the Pharisees (Matthew 23:23-28).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
Refers to a donkey, a common beast of burden in ancient Israel, valuable for agricultural work and transportation. The inclusion of the ass alongside the ox highlights that the scenario applies to any significant livestock, underscoring the economic value and practical necessity that would compel owners to act quickly.
An ox, a large bovine animal, also crucial for farming (plowing, threshing) and as a source of food. Like the ass, its value meant that its loss would be a significant financial blow to a household, providing a strong motivation for immediate rescue, even on the Sabbath.
This verb means "to take up or extricate." It implies a swift, decisive action to remove something from a difficult or dangerous situation. Coupled with "straightway" (G2112, euthéōs), it emphasizes the urgency and lack of hesitation that would characterize such a rescue, directly contrasting with the Pharisees' condemnation of Jesus' immediate act of healing.
Verse Breakdown
"And answered them, saying,"
This phrase indicates Jesus' direct and authoritative response to the silent, critical gaze of the religious leaders. It signifies a moment of teaching and confrontation, where Jesus takes the initiative to address their unspoken accusations.
"Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit,"
Jesus poses a hypothetical, yet highly relatable and common, scenario. Pits were a real danger in ancient Palestine, used for water storage or as traps, and animals frequently fell into them. By asking "Which of you," Jesus directly appeals to their personal experience and common sense, implying that their own actions would contradict their condemnation of Him.
"and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?"
This is the core of Jesus' rhetorical question. It highlights the universal human inclination to act decisively in an emergency, especially when valuable property is at stake. The phrase "straightway pull him out" emphasizes the immediate, non-negotiable nature of the rescue. Jesus points out the inconsistency: if they would perform "work" to save an animal on the Sabbath, why would they condemn Him for saving a human life?
Literary Devices
Jesus' statement in Luke 14:5 is rich with literary devices. The primary device is a Rhetorical Question, which Jesus uses not to elicit information, but to make a forceful point and expose the illogical nature of His opponents' position. By asking a question to which the answer is self-evident (no one would leave their valuable animal in a pit), He compels them to acknowledge their own inconsistency. This rhetorical question also functions as an A Fortiori Argument (from the stronger), implying: "If you would do this (rescue an animal), how much more should you do that (heal a human being), which is a greater good?" There is also clear Irony present, as the very people who claim to uphold God's law are shown to be violating its spirit through their rigid interpretations and lack of compassion. Finally, the verse employs Contrast between the value placed on an animal (economic) and the value placed on a human life (spiritual and compassionate), highlighting the Pharisees' misplaced priorities.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Luke 14:5 profoundly illustrates Jesus' consistent teaching that divine law, particularly the Sabbath, is intended for human flourishing and the demonstration of God's mercy, rather than as a rigid set of prohibitions that stifle compassion. Jesus challenges a legalistic mindset that elevates human tradition and external observance above the intrinsic value of human life and the call to act charitably. His argument reveals that true righteousness is not found in meticulous adherence to rules for their own sake, but in a heart that reflects God's own character of love and mercy. This passage underscores the principle that acts of compassion and necessity always take precedence over ceremonial regulations, especially when a life is at stake.
Reflection and Application
Luke 14:5 serves as a powerful and timeless challenge for believers to examine their own hearts and priorities, ensuring that their faith is rooted in genuine compassion and love, rather than becoming entangled in rigid legalism or superficial religiosity. Jesus' question compels us to consider whether our adherence to rules or traditions ever hinders our ability to show mercy, alleviate suffering, or act decisively for the good of others. It calls us to prioritize human well-being and the spirit of God's law over the letter, recognizing that true worship involves actively caring for those in need, even when it might be inconvenient or challenge established norms. This verse encourages a proactive, compassionate faith that is quick to respond to distress, just as one would instinctively rescue a valuable animal from a pit.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was rescuing an animal on the Sabbath a point of contention, and how did Jesus use it?
While the Sabbath prohibited "work," Jewish oral tradition (Halakha) often made exceptions for situations involving danger or significant economic loss. Rescuing an animal like an ass or an ox that had fallen into a pit was generally considered permissible, often justified by the animal's value and the urgency of the situation. Jesus used this widely accepted practice as a rhetorical device to expose the hypocrisy of His critics. He highlighted that they would readily perform "work" to save their valuable livestock, driven by self-interest or common sense, but would condemn Him for performing an act of pure compassion and healing a human being on the same day. By appealing to their own actions, Jesus underscored that if an animal's life or economic value justified action, a human life, made in God's image, held infinitely greater value and certainly warranted an act of mercy on the Sabbath (Luke 14:4).
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Luke 14:5, with its emphasis on compassion overriding legalistic interpretation of the Sabbath, points directly to Jesus as the fulfillment of God's true intent for the law. As the Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus consistently demonstrated that the Sabbath was made for humanity's benefit, not as a burdensome yoke. His healing ministry, often performed on the Sabbath, was a tangible expression of God's restorative power and mercy breaking into a fallen world (Luke 13:10-17). In rescuing the man with dropsy and then challenging His critics with the "ass or ox in a pit" analogy, Jesus reveals His divine authority to interpret and embody the law's deepest meaning: love for God and love for neighbor. He is the ultimate rescuer, who "straightway" pulls humanity out of the pit of sin and death, not merely from physical ailments, but from eternal peril, through His sacrificial work on the cross (John 1:29). His compassion demonstrated in Luke 14:5 foreshadows His greater work of salvation, where He, motivated by infinite love, delivers us from a far more dangerous pit.