Get All You Can? [1-11-26]

January 11, 2026

Luke 14:1-11

“Get All You Can?”

We now arrive at the third and final time Jesus will be in the home of a Pharisee. You need look no further for evidence of God’s grace and mercy than in the time Jesus spent in homes of the Pharisees.

Let’s remember together who the Pharisees were:

The Pharisees were a prominent Jewish religious movement and social group in ancient Judea, known for their strict adherence to Jewish law (Torah) but also for interpreting it through oral tradition, applying it to everyday life beyond the Temple, and believing in resurrection and an afterlife. They were influential laymen and scholars who focused on personal piety, prayer, study, and synagogue worship, eventually forming the foundation for modern Rabbinic Judaism after the Temple's destruction.

Summarized from GotQuestions?

The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee.

Let’s now look at today’s passage:

One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully. And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy. And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?” But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away. 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?” And they could not reply to these things.

Now he told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

In this last personal encounter with Pharisees, Jesus tries to redirect their perspective. Here, Jesus has moved beyond tolerating their warped worldview. Even though he is most likely an invited guest of the host, it doesn’t prevent him from laying it on the line. Can you imagine the break with protocol? Can you imagine the letter to Miss Manners? A guest violating good behavior expectations. Knowing what’s in their hearts, and well-aware of their watchful gaze, Jesus gets right at it. Verse four makes the point. “Then {Jesus} took him and healed him.” Jesus wastes no time for no one. He doesn’t miss a beat. Jesus heals the man.

Now, a couple of questions arise out of these first few, short verses.

First one relates to what is and is not permissible to do on the Sabbath.

You can intervene in any way, shape, or form in order to save a life. So it’s

okay to act, work, or heal if not doing so could lead to death. Are you with me on that?

Next question is, what is dropsy?

First thing is, it doesn’t present a life or death situation. Jesus can wait until the next day before he heals the man. But do you think that matters to Jesus? Not one bit. That, alone, teaches us a thing or two about letting what others think determine the things we think, say, or do. In other words, this is strong evidence against being people pleasers. We are answerable to God and God alone.

Jesus cares more about doing the right thing than he does about doing things right. That is a huge moment. Jesus heals the man because the time is as good as any to act. Who cares what the Pharisees think?

Certainly the man with dropsy doesn’t. He’s healed. He goes on his way to living a much improved life. All because of Jesus.

His life is made much better after his encounter with Jesus. That is what happens to everyone who has a come-to-Jesus moment. When you accept that Jesus is Lord of your life, everything changes. Nothing is the same. You see everything in a different light.

For our man in question, he no longer has dropsy.

And what, pray tell, is dropsy? It is more commonly known today as edema:

Edema, or fluid retention, is the build-up of fluid in the body's tissue. Most commonly, the legs or arms are affected. Symptoms may include skin that feels tight, the area feeling heavy, and joint stiffness.

At it’s most severe, as is the case of the man in Luke 14, it is unsightly and quite painful. More often than not, edema is symptomatic of a more severe, underlying problem. While not immediately life-threatening to the man, it was a horrible way to live.

How much does Jesus care about the man with dropsy? So much that

Jesus doesn’t care about initiating conflict with the Pharisees or anybody else at the dinner. Remember, it’s all about the cross. Jesus is moving, sometimes not a straight line, but he is moving from town and village throughout the region until he arrives in Jerusalem and the cross. Nothing will get in the way of the trajectory of our salvation history. Nothing gets in the way.

Here's why I think Jesus specifically grabs hold of the man with dropsy to heal him. I think the point runs deeper than a physical healing. Think about it this way. Remember, there is no immediacy to the healing. But dropsy carries with it one powerful symptom…unquenchable thirst in a body already bloated. Yet drinking only makes the victim thirstier, which in turn worsens the bloating. Horrible, right?

Making it worse is the stigma attached. In a world that didn’t understand most diseases and their causes, it was believed dropsy was caused by gluttony. Now, stay with me on this. Dropsy was often used as a metaphor for greed and lust. A Greek philosopher compared money-lovers to people with dropsy. The more they have, the more they want.

What were the Pharisees? Greedy for position, power, authority, and material gain. They wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything who would interfere with that. Get all you can and hold on to what you have. And let’s be honest. That worldview maintains its mighty grip on so many people and institutions.

Here's something you might want to write down:

JESUS CAME TO HEAL US FROM OUR UNQUENCHABLE SELFISH WANTS AND DESIRES.

Make no mistake. Without Jesus Christ, people will always want more of what the world offers. They think things of this world will fill their cavernous emptiness. Why do you think Paul says, in Galatians 5, that followers of Jesus Christ will exhibit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Because these things come out of a life filled with the presence of Jesus. There is not an emotional or spiritual void. We are satisfied in Christ. So much so that our lives reflect Jesus working in us. Amen?

The life without Jesus lives by the motto, “Get all you can, can all you get, and sit on your can.” Jesus turns that on its head.

Here’s the last thing you might want to write down:

JESUS OFFERS RELEASE FROM THE DEADLY CRAVINGS THAT DESTROY LIFE.

In other words, don’t define your life by the lies of this world. Define your life by the truth of Christ. And that truth is on full display here at dinner with the Pharisees.

Jesus ends his parable with a saying many of us are familiar with. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” From healing the man with dropsy to the way he wraps things up with this verse, Jesus turns everything on its head. Jesus is overturning conventional wisdom. Jesus is exposing selfishness. Jesus is saying life isn’t solely about reciprocation. You don’t just do good for the people who can pay you back. You don’t go looking for the place of honor. You don’t only rub elbows with those who can elevate you. Jesus shows us a better way.

Jesus has talked about the better way throughout Luke. The door is narrow. The ways of the world are like water to an already overly saturated person. Bloating. How can a bloated person get through a narrow door? How can a person carrying the baggage of self-satisfaction get through the narrow door? How can a person filled with pride over their status or achievements get through the narrow door?

Jesus offers grace and mercy to all who are sick-and-tired of the way the world operates. Jesus wants you to sit at the table with him. There, you draw near to him. There, you resist the devil. There, your sin is cleansed. There, your heart is purified. There, your weeping and mourning will be turned into laughter and joy. Jesus breaks the old, oppressive narrative to give us a new way of life. Amen?

In these verses, Jesus is saying to us that the way into the Kingdom of God is through the narrow door of humility…of humbling yourself as a wretched sinner before God.

Let’s close with an observation from actress Patricia Heaton. Last month, in

talking about a Christmas movie she was in, Heaton said:

“Today, we need stories that remind us to show kindness, to value family, and to live with gratitude, especially at Christmas.”

And together, the grateful people of Covenant Church said:

SOLI DEO GLORIA…

To the Glory of God Alone