Daily Manna, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 LESSONS ON EXPEDIENCY

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017

LESSONS ON EXPEDIENCY

-LUKE 14:1-11

KEY VERSE:

"And answered them, saying, 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?" (Luke 14:5).

The teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Jews of His time were very unconventional and these often baffled them. In a number of ways, they punctured the man-made spiritualities instituted by the Scribes, Pharisees and the Sadducees. Their teachings were predominantly based on ordinances framed around some aspects of the Mosaic Law. They were mechanical and difficult observances that had little or no respect for human existence. In our text, Christ establishes two lessons. The first lesson on expediency is based on a question Jesus asked some lawyers and Pharisees on whether it was "lawful to heal on the Sabbath day" (Luke 14:3) or not. He was referring to the instruction in Exodus 20:8, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy", upon encountering a man who had the dropsy. His question was whether all forms of work, including those that could glorify God or challenge the works of darkness, should be avoided on the Sabbath day. Just like the good Samaritan who did the expedient by saving a dying soul when religious men that passed by fixed their attention on the duty of ritual observances, Jesus healed the man with the dropsy. He therefore teaches us, as the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), that it is more praiseworthy before God to do a saving work than to merely work on keeping safe on the Lord’s day. He emphasises loving the Lord with all our being and loving our neighbours as ourselves. The second lesson on expediency concerns humility. Jesus observed the way certain guests at a wedding feast "chose out the chief rooms" (Luke 14:7) for their own selfish advantage (which was a social practice), and counselled on a more honourable and spiritual alternative. By humbling ourselves, we attract heaven’s honour. Indeed, this was the path the Saviour Himself took to earn the honour of "a name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:9).

Thought for the day:Unpretentious humility is the antecedent of great elevations.

Bible Reading in one Year: PSALM 105-106