Suddenly...A Man | Miracles 11

In which John and David explore an encounter between Jesus, a man and once again it's a healing on the sabbath. How do we think about sabbath? Is it just a religious day, or is there much more going on there?

• Click Here to read the text from Luke 14:1-14. 
• Click Here to buy John Andrew's "First Day" book about Sabbath
• Click Here to read Irving Greenberg's "Guide to Sabbath"
• Click Here to learn about Abraham Joshua Heschel's "Sabbath"

Episode Outline

• 1:44 Luke 14
• 9:28 Diving into Sabbath
• 19:06 Sabbath and Time
• 24:49 Sabbath and Slavery in Egypt
• 30:17 Unable to Answer
• 35:20 The Grace Narrative
• 40:36 And They were Silent

Episode 28 of the Two Texts Podcast | Meaning of Miracles Series 11

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Music by Woodford Music (c) 2021

Chapters

• 1:44 Luke 14
• 9:28 Diving into Sabbath
• 19:06 Sabbath and Time
• 24:49 Sabbath and Slavery in Egypt
• 30:17 Unable to Answer
• 35:20 The Grace Narrative
• 40:36 And They were Silent

Transcript

 [00:00:00] Hi there. I'm David Harvey and I'm here with John Andrews. And this. Is the two texts podcast. And this podcast with two friends in two different countries here every two weeks. Talking about two different texts from the Bible.  

[00:00:18] Before we jump into this episode, I want to tell you about something we're doing over on our YouTube channel. This week, we're going to post an unedited video podcast of us recording today's episode. So if you want to hear us talk for a little longer and see us laughing from our own offices. Then head over to two texts on YouTube.  

[00:00:39] Let us know what you think of the format in the comments. But now. On with the podcast. This is episode 11 from our second season on the miracles of Jesus. This episode is called suddenly. Oh man.  

[00:00:56] David: Well, John, we are back and still in your Homeland of the Bible, I'm going to call it Luke's Luke's gospel. I'm hoping that when I suggest to you that we do a Galatians series, you remember all this time of spent in there in Luke,  

[00:01:15] John: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yes. Very,  

[00:01:17] David: but  
 

[00:01:18] we mentioned a couple of times that there's. For miracle stories in Luke's gospel that are not in the other gospels. And we talked about two of them in our, in our last run of episodes. And there, we're going to just look at the other two in this episode and the next episode. 

[00:01:36] So we're in Luke chapter 14 and and we're going to read, there's a miracle story and then a little bit of a follow-up conversation from Jesus. So shall we just jump straight in .  

[00:01:48] John: Yeah, no problem. So it's Luke 14. We're jumping in at verse one and it says this one Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched there in front of him, was a monster. From abnormal swelling of his body, or some translations may have dropped. 

[00:02:10] See, Jesus asked the Pharisees and the experts in the law. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? But they remained silent. So taking hold of the mug, he healed him and sent him on his way. Then he asked them if one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day. What do you not immediately pull it out? 

[00:02:36] And they had nothing to say what he noticed, how the guests pick the places of honor at the table. He told them this parable, when someone invites you to a wedding feast to not take the place of honor for a person more distinguished in, you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, give this person. 

[00:03:00] Then humiliated, you will have to take the least important place, but when you are invited tick Louis place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you friend, move up to a better place. Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled. 

[00:03:19] And those who humble themselves will be exalted. Then Jesus said to his hosts, when you give a luncheon or. Do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters or relatives, or your rich neighbors. If you do, they may invite you back on. So you will be repaired. But when you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, although they cannot repay you. 

[00:03:49] You built, you will be repaid at the resurrection. Oh, The righteous. Wow, beautiful. We'll leave it there. Some of our loyal listeners will know that we of course have leaned into the the parable immediately following the end of our reading. There are we've, we've already touched on the grip banquet, which we will probably have to reflect on a little bit again in the context of this miracle, but we'll w we're we're leaving the reading there because with sort of covered that ground before. 

[00:04:17] So a  
 

[00:04:18] David: Yeah. That's episode 13 episode 13 of the parable series. You can go and,  

[00:04:23] John: See you, you just know this stuff. I just know we've done that. The number dividends, what makes you just remarkable and amazing. You are the detailed mom. Thank you. Number 13, folks. If you want to catch up 

[00:04:35] David: Absolutely. And the great thing about that is if you've not had enough of banquets by the end of episode 13, you can then actually jump over to the next episode, which is Matthew's story of the great banquet. I'm just going to say this right at the start, John, because I love I love Jesus he's way. 

[00:04:51] But there are moments where people say, I wonder why Jesus. You know, Enemies, and then you see, you read a story like this, and, Jesus is at a banquet where somebody has invited all of their friends and Jesus decides to say, oh, Hey, by the way, when you're having a banquet, don't invite all your friends.  

[00:05:12] John: Yes 
 

[00:05:13] David: cause they'll just invite you back. And I wonder if the people sat around the table are thinking they're not inviting you back.  

[00:05:20] John: for sure. For sure. Of course. It's really, it is really interesting that this, that little story introduces a sort of two little trilogies for us in a sense. This story is the third and final Sabbath healing. In the gospel of Luke. That's I think there's a little bit of a nuance worth leaning into there. 

[00:05:43] And of course it's the third time Jesus has dinner at the house of a Pharisee that the gospel of Luke he's already been there in chapter seven, very controversially with Simon and that woman who annoyance Jesus and then chapter 11. So there's a gorgeous little collision taking place. We'll have two sets of three, this sort of third Sabbath miracle which I think does have nuance and also the third Pharisaic meal. 

[00:06:12] And you're absolutely right in saying, I think. Wanted to write a burger of how to win friends and influence people. Then, then this may not be part of that book, but, but in saying that, of course there is a beautiful subtext to Luke in that I genuinely think that in and the fact that we have three meals of Jesus with Pharisees shows his willingness to meet with the Pharisees. 

[00:06:38] And in fact if you look at chapter 11, Jesus pronounces some of the woes on the viruses it's within the context of a male, which, which tends to soften it in the sense of, it's probably a much more conversational style moment rather than Jesus standing on a soap box, sort of attacking the religious community. 

[00:06:59] So there is a sense of which we see them eating a lot with centers and we've reflected on this one in our previous episodes. The fact that this is the third time we're seeing them in the house for pharmacy, even though it does get a bit edgy and a bit caustic in the context of the conversation shows that Jesus wants to be there. 

[00:07:17] And he actually wants to hang out with these guys because I think he's desperately trying to win them to his way of thinking. As of course, they are with him so fast and in Atlanta, 

[00:07:29] David: And it's interesting that, like I noticed that as a, as I was reading this, this passage, the very kind of opening a verse one, I find myself, Jesus is. He's gone to the house of the leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath day. And then there's that, that closing clause to the sentence. 

[00:07:47] And they were watching him closely the, the, the, the Greek word there, almost like if you, if you had to sort of try and clunkily translate that word, literally it's like, they were standing by the. And w and looking, is and keeping guard almost over, over what's happening. And it just made me think about the tension that Jesus' ministry is happening. 

[00:08:11] Under it, this is this is actually quite a tense situation. I have been involved in interview processes before. I think you have as well. And I've, I've gone to a church and the churches sort of thought, oh, do we want to employ this guy as our pastor? And, and everybody does these things where it's like, come and preach for us. 

[00:08:32] And then it's like, and coming home, Come and have dinner and you go to someone's house for dinner and half of your interview panel are there and you realize that. Well, this dinner has a purpose.  

[00:08:43] John: Indeed indeed. You, you are  

[00:08:45] David: want to make  

[00:08:46] John: wanted. 

[00:08:47] David: yes. Yeah, Yeah. 

[00:08:50] This is not, we just want to make sure you're not hungry. 

[00:08:53] This is, when you're relaxed over food, will you say something that will get you in trouble and, and, and that's in a positive and friendly environment I've been in. They've always been lovely experiences, but Jesus is in a situation where he's at a D. And everybody's waiting for him to make a mistake because they're one thing, the mistake they actually, that they want to have things go badly For them. 

[00:09:16] So, so there's tensions very, very difficult, really. And then it made me think about how much of Jesus his ministry is happening under that exact tension. There's this constant analysis going on.  

[00:09:28] John: for sure. And it does, if you, if you run the lane of the three Sabbath miracles there is a we pattern there. So the first Sabbath miracle in Luke is Luke chapter six, the man who has the shriveled hand he's already in the, in the synagogue, Jesus was in an essential. He lives in bot what, there's a lovely connector there in Luke six, six, it says the Pharisees and the teachers of the law. 

[00:09:53] We're looking for a reason to accuse Jesus. So they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. Now what's really interesting is that if you read Luke six, that the implication is the mom's already in the synagogue, but you do get the impression. That he may have been strategically positioned in the synagogue just to see what Jesus would do. 

[00:10:17] So it's really interesting that, and of course we  

[00:10:21] David: same word as well. John, same word there that, that, that, they were stood by watching closely  

[00:10:26] John: Absolutely. So it's, yeah, it's not like perspiring from a distance with, spyware and the corner. It's like, they're, they're really up close and personal here and on. Maybe, when you understand that you realize some of the the, the I don't want to be too strong here, but the aggression of Jesus and some of those moments, he is a bit district. 

[00:10:45] By their behavior. If you follow that sort of trajectory and to Luke 13, which we've already done, so our listeners can go back and listen to that. The one where, behold, the woman in Luke 13 yeah. It's not that they are watching them closely, but there's clearly a massive public reaction from the leader of the synagogue. 

[00:11:03] So if you put Luke six together with Luke 13, I think what you're getting is a pattern. And I think then Luke 14, Is, can I, can I put this carefully is as close to a set up as you're going to get, and it feels a little bit like that. So, if you look at verse two, there was a man in front of him suffering from dropsy. 

[00:11:30] Is that a coincidence? Is that, is that sort of he just happens to be there or, or is it. That actually he's being positioned before him. Now it doesn't really change the story of course. But if you add the trajectory of chapter 14, with six and 13, the two other Sabbath miracles, I think you've potentially got a possible setup here where in the host of the prominent virus, or at least in his court, Where people could listen on or watch on the proceedings. 

[00:12:09] This mom is suddenly positioning. In front of Jesus on, you're almost getting echoes of both the previous stories. If you, if you look at how Jesus responds to questions, he asks the things he says, it's, it's almost like a version of Luke six and Luke 13 put together on it's worth our listeners. Just checking in on that on. 

[00:12:30] And I think that's a reflection of the growing tension between Jesus and the religious community over Shabbat on high ship Archer. Does that make sense in terms of trying to connect those three,  

[00:12:44] David: Yeah, totally. And even like, I'm just leafing back and forward, through my Greek new Testament, as you're saying that, 

[00:12:52] there it's interesting between 13. and with the woman that. 

[00:12:56] we talked about in the last episode and 14 today's episode, Kai do enter POS and behold a man. And in verse 13, Gaia do goonie and behold a woman. 

[00:13:06] This is it's the, It's the same introduction. it sort of, it's like enter stage, right? The, the, the catalyst of the story.  

[00:13:15] John: indeed. In date. So, in 13 we talked about the woman appearing by her own voluntary action. And that's a possibility here. Is the man appearing Basel and violent reaction, or how's it be sort of nudge to the front by some of the people that eases is eating. So it's worth a little consideration that doesn't change the story, but it adds an interesting subtext to the three Sabbath miracles and that's worth considering as a pattern. 

[00:13:42] I'd thought that was fascinating.  

[00:13:44] David: And so, we, we read the story already, so, we can get to some detail of it shortly, but, but hold on that thought of, of the Sabbath. Yeah. In, in his commentary on Luke I was just leafing through recently, John Knowland his he's at this multi-part commentary on Luke and he, he has this phrase race. 

[00:14:01] This individual's touched by Jesus's ministry have now a new experience of Sabbath as a day of the liberation of needs.  

[00:14:12] John: come off  

[00:14:13] David: And  
 

[00:14:13] John: All  
 

[00:14:14] David: love that I knew experience of the Sabbath of as a day of the liberation of needs. And so I, I'm curious, how you react to that. again, I'm hearing your kind of initial emotional reaction, but this idea That Jesus is doing something with the notion of Sabbath, it's more than just, I mean, I'm not sure. 

[00:14:32] Put things that aren't there, but I, I don't, I don't think you want to take this story or any of these three stories that you've just talked us through as Jesus got up one Sabbath day and thought, oh, I know how I can really annoy everyone. I'll go do some miracles. Right. I think if we ended up with that, that Jesus did miracles in the Sabbath because he wanted to annoy the religious establishment. 

[00:14:53] I think we've misunderstood. Jesus. And I, and I think about that even in my own life. I, I think it comes with Celtic blood where we like a little controversy  

[00:15:02] John: Yup. 
 

[00:15:03] David: and, and We like, we like a little fight every now and again those of us that are kind of raised in, well, you and me both, they share some Celtic blood in that sense. 

[00:15:13] And and, and so there can sometimes be a sense of an, a personality type, which is just, I like being controversial and, and I feel like being controversial for controversy sake. Isn't I kind of wholly quality, but sometimes in the pursuit of, of what God has called someone to, that might bring controversy. 

[00:15:33] And that's what I think is going on with, with Jesus here, that he's actually trying to do something with, with our understanding of Sabbath he's actually trying to, to, to drive something. So yeah, I mean, I'm, I'm curious, I have some other thoughts on that, but, but how do. 

[00:15:47] you respond to that sort of thought.  

[00:15:49] John: Oh, I love that. I think it's all in the money. I, I think that Jesus is not trying to get under anyone's skin. I think he is demonstrating to quote Luke sick again, that he is Lord of the Sabbath. That, that actually he is redefining. Re-interpreting reshaping representing the original ideas of Shabbat. 

[00:16:11] And if you go back to the original day of rest, as it were day seven of CRI. This is a day when God doesn't need to rest because God is God, a self-sufficient and eternal. Yet he enters rest and the first humans, man, and woman have just been made, they don't need a rest. They haven't done anything yet. 

[00:16:33] So, so the rest of that first week of creation has nothing to do with physicality, nothing to do with physical. It can't be because God doesn't need physical rest. And the man and a woman are less, they're being mirrored Barkley. They don't need a physical rest on their first day of food creation because haven't done anything. 

[00:16:51] So, so something else is in the rest. If there's other interestingly David and the Genesis account, it's the only day without boundary evening and morning. The first day that goes right up to day six. When it comes to day seven, there is no evening. No again and hit break pattern. That can't be a coincidence. 

[00:17:10] I, that can't be a fluke. I think something is being powerfully nuanced there to say that Shabbat was never, ever meant to be confined to a day of regulation. What it was meant to be as it were a disposition, it was meant to be something that we lived on understanding. As a lifestyle and therefore that whatever work know the humans, do they work out of rest? 

[00:17:39] They're, they're not, they're not resting from work, which is our pattern generally, but they're working out of rest. That's a profound idea in the Genesis text. And one, I think which Jesus is bringing back to us, he's bringing back the message of liberation. And of course, if you macro. And to look for where Jesus is clearly a known, seen Jubilee. 

[00:18:03] He's clearly a known, seen this idea of a year of complete free. Shabbat restoration of, of all things. I mean then, then there's a macro Shabbat that he's bringing in. It's not just, he keeps the Sabbath because he's a good Jewish man, but there is a macro Shabbat he's bringing, which has all to do with the liberation of the poor on the setting free of the captive and the opening, the eyes of the blind. 

[00:18:29] So you get this magnificent. So if that's part of his program, Madigan, That he's bringing macro Shabbat, there's Jubilee, Shabbat. Then every time he does a miracle on the Sabbath, it's not about getting up somebody's nose. It's not about irritating the religious and there's actually a boat unknown. What Shabbat was always intended to be a, a time of liberation, life restoration, realignment, redemption, all of those amazing ideas are contained in these miracles. 

[00:19:00] And I think if you lean into that, then, then actually there's, there's a much bigger idea being captured here. 

[00:19:06] David: I want to talk about Sabbath more went to, I want to keep exploring that with you, John. I mean, so you, you wrote a book on Sabbath a few years ago, didn't you?  

[00:19:14] John: I did I did. I wrote a little book called first day. So the idea that day seven Shabbat, that, I mean, it's not called Shabbat Genesis, but that, that first Sabbath as it were was, was day seven in the week of creation. But the first day of humans journey and I, and, from sort of those nuances, it's something first is very powerful and biblical thinking. 

[00:19:38] So, so it just leaned into what, what was it about and what does it maybe look like in the 21st century context? And there's been some great books product recently and on some, I mean, I mean, I have to say I was influenced tremendously in terms of my some of my Jewish sinking by Abraham Heschel spoke Sabbath, which. 

[00:19:57] Is just superb written from a strong Jewish viewpoint of course, but well worth consideration and understanding our ideas around Shabbat, so brilliant stuff. Yeah. So sort of people are interested,  

[00:20:10] David: one of the things I, I love it. What Hazel does is he talks about how, and please correct me if I'm misquoting. Cause I'm doing this a bit from memory here, John, but Hazel talks about how God in the creation story. 

[00:20:24] It gives humanity this role of guiding creation that, that humanity's job is to care for this creation. Right. But, but the God's job in the creation story is, is time. And, and Hazel talks about how, what humanity wants to do is that we want to control time because we actually want to try and control everything. 

[00:20:45] And Sabbath is. Is this way of reminding us that we're not in control of time, that, that, that every six days there'll be another day comes and you have to stop. And I think there's, to me, I find that really interesting as a thought process that, that I want to be in control and Sabbath reminds me that I'm not in control of all the things I think I'm in control of. And, and then you think about the arguments that Jesus has happening having, sorry. are arguments about control aren't they you can't heal this person here and you can heal those people over there. I D I mean, I find that really deeply resonating with me, John, this idea, not just of what I'm seeing in this story of Jesus, but even in my own life and my desire to control everything.  

[00:21:33] John: for sure. I one of Heschel's beautiful phrases in that book is that he describes Shabbat as holiness in time, in time. And I love that. So there's something of the sick. In that moment. And of course, what he's appealing for is if I, and I think actually ironically and gloriously, this is the spirit of Jesus in the conversation. 

[00:21:59] What he's appealing for is that if Shabbat is reduced to a day, then it can become something very functional. But actually it is about the inhabitation of God in time. It's about God coming into the moment. It's about. Conscious of God in the moment and invading him in. Now, if you, if you learn that idea on Jesus, this is exactly what we're seeing in these Shabbat miracles that you've got, literally God entering that time. 

[00:22:31] He's entering that moment. He's bringing something into that Shabbat experience, which I think God always entails. There are two B, but over years of change, tradition and control, these things are not only not expected, but no one can remember the last time, anything like this happened. And I, and a relatively short space of time. 

[00:22:58] This radical young rabbi from up the north is like bones in her own synagogues on people are getting healed in synagogues. On Shabbat. Now, chapter 14 is not in a cynical, but like in the host of the Pharisee, that's a pretty, that's a pretty religiously loaded context. I mean, that's as loaded as it's going to be outside of somewhere like a synagogue in the first century  

[00:23:24] David: Pharisee, not just, not just your run of the mill Pharisee  

[00:23:28] John: For sure. So, so he is challenging. Could you, and of course, isn't it interesting that in two of the three Shabbat miracles, he asked the question,  

[00:23:38] David: Hmm.  
 

[00:23:39] John: is it lawful? All right. He's asking them. And then in the third one or the middle one, if you like chapter 13 he's absolutely told you are out of order. You cannot heal on the Sabbath. 

[00:23:52] And then that's when he responded. Well, what about your donkey? If it's good enough for your donkey to be loosed, it's good enough for her to be loosed. So, so it's interesting that all three miracles are connected to explanation and questions. Which, which again, for our listeners, we're leaning into not just what Jesus doms does in America, but the message behind America and the three Shabbat miracles definitely lean into a dynamic holiness in time liberation message, which is much deeper than the miracle itself being perfect. 

[00:24:26] David: And, and there's also. , I think you see Jesus doing this everywhere. It's again, this, this idea of harmony and fulfillment with the story of God. So like I often think about what does Sabbath do and, so we have, we root Sabbath obviously in the creation story, but Sabbath really appears For Israel as a thing after the Exodus. 

[00:24:49] Doesn't it? And there's this incredible depth, I think to this idea that a group of slaves. Slaves who were being worked to death by the Egyptians slaves who were being asked to make bricks with no straw and they leave. Th th the, the slavery, they crossed the red sea into the desert. They've got this miraculous provision of manner is food and quail is meat. 

[00:25:14] And then they get given this Sabbath on the seventh day, you'll do nothing. And I think that it's important not to miss the power of that to a group of slaves, right? Your, your entire existence. The reason you've been fed provided for, and. Even though it's minuscule, some level of care is because you're a machine is because you can build things for us, your slave masters. 

[00:25:40] And the first thing that God does to the people is say, you can have a day off, you can have a day wherein you produce nothing and you still have value. And, and that God will actually give you food that day, even though you've not done any work and this upset. A philosophical piece that was there. 

[00:25:59] I think in the, in the mind of a slave that I can only live if I'm producing. And I want to almost just take that from that time period to the 21st century and say, I wonder if we've started. Forgotten that lesson, that, that we are in other forms. I want to be very cautious saying this because obviously slavery still exists in the world today, but, but there's also implicit and hidden. 

[00:26:23] Slavery's this slavery to production that we have in the contemporary Western context, particularly where it's like, what am I doing? What am I achieving? And what am I getting? And I wonder if we've still not learned this lesson that God wanted to teach. The Israelites was one of the things that happens in a day off. 

[00:26:41] Is that you are reminded that your value is not phoned in what you do and what you create and what you produce,  

[00:26:48] John: for sure. It's beautiful. And of course it does fly in the face of a philosophy that is inherent. I think in the west of I do, therefore I  

[00:26:56] David: mm  
 

[00:26:57] John: I think it's Greenberg who in his book talks about the challenge of Sabbath that says we are when we practice up with, we are unjustified by our product. 

[00:27:11] Now, if you lean back into the Genesis of kind, I think it's all there. So, so before the Mon and the woman are set to work to rudely our Sudu, the earth affiliate earth, God says and duress. And, and I think not only are you getting a work from rest, I know, but I think one of the find ideas and this leans back to our Sabbath miracles, David, one of the profound ideas is that the Lord is saying in Shabbat, you are worth. 

[00:27:39] Because of who you are not because of what you do. You are not justified. You are not valued by your productivity because the first humans are valued and they haven't done anything yet. They're valued because they're made in the image of their creator. So if you carry that idea forward to these gorgeous variables, then it's interesting. 

[00:28:04] All three people who are healed are marginally. They are worth less. I don't mean worthless is one word, but there are worth less on the strata of their society on Jesus heals on the Sabbath because he is re storing worth to these people. Daughter of Abraham this man healed in the presence of a prominent Pharisees. 

[00:28:32] How are you? And actually you've got a sense of what is the, what are these Sabbath healing stern? Well, they're not just giving people use of their physicality back. They are restoring their worth and value back on what better place to restore worth than on a day that was established on the basis of human worth. 

[00:28:57] And I think that's part of the spirit of Sabbath that Jesus. Bringing back into this on a little interesting, you once hear David on this is that, is that drops. He was an intra, I mean, th the Greek on that is very, very interesting, literally sort of, it's, it's a word that points to water and face. 

[00:29:15] And the idea that the, that the fierce becomes filled with water is the sort of so, so the idea of drops you hear, or whatever, this one. Literally the person becomes inflated. They become diluted as it were. And, and there is some research that suggests that people with drops who were often used as metaphors of greed and avarice because they lose. 

[00:29:40] Bloated, they looked obese, they looked large, they looked eh, they looked as if they were living a greedy life and high tragic that not only are these people suffering, but neither suffering is used as a metaphor for something that has absolutely nothing to do with their suffering and Jesus in the midst of Shabbat. 

[00:29:59] The day of worth and value the day of freedom and restoration sets this month free heals and looses him. And I think, I think there's a bit of a worth value conversation going on in, in just that moment as well. If we're, if we're connecting it to Shabbat  

[00:30:17] David: something I noticed in verse six. I was just, reading when I was preparing for our conversation today, a lot of the translations say something like verse six is I'm late. They couldn't answer. Or the, the, the, they didn't have a reply, but it's quite interesting again, in its form in the Greek and the Greek based fine. 

[00:30:36] Like at the end, they couldn't answer. This is a totally all key translation, but the way that. Functions is it's like it literally kind of reads and they were not able, the word is , it's almost, they were almost not strong enough is, is kind of alluded to in that it's the notion of strength and we're not able to give a reply to this one. 

[00:31:00] Right. And I think what you get in the Greek. Just not so explicit in the English is it's it. They can't offer a reply to Jesus. He's logic to this, to this. It's not that there all I can think of it and see it's that actually, your, your logic is, is, is too good there. Th there's nothing I can say back to that. 

[00:31:20] And I love that sentence. 'cause Sabbath is about value because Sabbath is, is, is not about greed. And we've got this person here. If we listen into your nuance, that potentially is sometimes perceived as, a public image of, of, of a greed when actually the opposite is true. We've got somebody for whom society wants to ignore. 

[00:31:39] There's a whole host of Savage imagery. So Jesus he's point to say, but this is. And actually, and this is where I love no one's comment that people now have a new experiences. Sabbath is a day of liberation, but actually ironically Sabbath was always a day of liberation, but Hey, but it had become a day of control, had become a day of, of, of, of the wrong things. 

[00:32:01] And Jesus holds that in. And I wonder then if that's the link to the next part of the story, we're in Jesus now starts to talk about honor. And status and where you sit at the table, because it's still a conversation about how we perceive worth and value. Do you think that's the connecting piece?  

[00:32:21] John: Oh, I do absolutely 100%. And I think if you grab the sort of value idea, worth idea, and that really pushes through nicely into the first little mini parable, cause you've sort of got immediately after the healing, you've got like these two little mini parables that sort of relate like the best seats in the host verses seven to 11. 

[00:32:46] And then the dinner party conversation verses 12 to 14 and they almost sit together like a nice little couplet. They're different, but they're very, very similar, but they are saying different things. And this context, and it is interesting. They are building to a climax. So, best seats in the hosts. 

[00:33:03] Jesus notice people are taking the seats of honor, and he essentially tells a funny little story. You don't want to be caught in the wrong seat, essentially. And if you've, if you've got your head screwed on here, sit in the lowest seat because it's better to be called up. And then he says, but then he says this, those everyone who exalts himself will be humbled and the humble will be exalted. 

[00:33:24] And this sort of idea of. Not leaning into your own sort of sense of importance within this, but making sure you are understanding your worth and value in relationship to the Lord, not to your own perceived status, because. Within that parable of the best seats, it's all about how they proceed status the seats of honor, the seats that we think are the best seats and the Lord's essentially saying, but actually that's, that's got nothing to do with what we're about. 

[00:33:57] And, and if we live our life, according to that value system, we'll end up really leaning into exalting ourselves. And that gets us on the wrong side of the equation when it comes to the Lord. And then of course, when you lean into the dinner party, one, it climaxes almost leaning back to the man with dropsy. 

[00:34:17] They'd claimed max is wet, but when you give a banquet invite who well, the poor invite, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Now. Here's an interesting thought, David, the man with dropsy was there. He wasn't in. 

[00:34:33] And that's that's again, where I suspect this is a setup. So he has been strategically positioned in front of Jesus. He's certainly not been invited to this dinner. So, not only does Jesus healed, but Jesus then flags up the fact I know what you've been up to. I know this guy isn't here because you want them at your dinner table because you wouldn't be caught dead with someone like him at your dinner table, but I'm telling you, he's the sort of person you should be inviting to your dinner table. 

[00:35:00] And if you do that, then you will be blessed. And, and, and the. Incredible way. And then that climax of course, leads into the grip bike, which we'll pause there. But, but, but it, it, I think those too many parables are absolutely connected to what's going on with healing on the Sabbath. 

[00:35:20] David: There's an underlying grace narrative. That's quite beautiful in this that, that I think is always worth highlighting. 

[00:35:26] That that Jesus is talking about gift exchange in this, I can host a dinner invite you. The question is how, how generous is that really? Because we like each other, but I also, you've given great gifts to me. I I've given, it's just how it works in friendship, but at some point somebody might say, well, is that really grace and generosity anymore? When you then give to somebody that will never be able to give back or invite somebody who can, and the moment you start talking about. 

[00:35:56] Well, this person might not be able to repay this. You've now moved into grace. Haven't you you've now moved into, or this is, this is unearned, what we're dealing with here and unrepairable. And so you realize that this Jesus vision of a banquet table is routine. In all of that Sabbath stuff again, you know that, that you're not going to work today, but you are going to have food and you can't pay that back and God's going to keep us alive. 

[00:36:25] And it's all part of the story you're going to work from rest. It just seems to me that if you're willing to peel back all the layers of the onion, all of Jesus he's core theologies are being kind of moved around here in what seems like if you're not careful. I relatively throw away comment about who you should invite to a dinner party.  

[00:36:47] John: Yep. superb. I'm on, of course it all starts with this incredible act of grace that Jesus. And ministering to this man. He asked the question, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? Is it so, so, in a sense, he's asking a grievous question. He's asking, is it okay to dispense grease on Shabbat? 

[00:37:08] I mean, that's what he's asking, isn't it?  

[00:37:10] David: Which of course. 

[00:37:10] in our story is so ridiculous. A question actually, because except Shabbat has always been about grace.  

[00:37:16] John: Of course it has. Of course it has. But remember we're on a trajectory. So this is the third Sabbath healing clash about the come up. So on both occasions, we've had the cm naughty. Sort of, I mean, not, I mean, difficult, I don't mean crazy knotty. I've been in the CN naughty sort of idea. 

[00:37:35] That's not aware at the heart of this actually. Is this good to do or not? Jesus preempts this by, go on. Ask him the question, right? Okay. Is it okay to dispense grace on Shabbat? And the answer has got to be. Well, of course it is, but of course their response is silence. They remain silent and then it says this, I love the phrase ology here taking hold of the month. 

[00:38:00] He healed them and lose them. And of course and in my English translation sent him away. It's that, Upolu again uh, we've, we bumped into that a few times in our, in our journeys together that losing idea that's in Luke 13. And he doesn't just heal him, but, but Lucy's have now of course I think the nuance, or he sends him on his way, but, but what a beautiful picture of Greece he takes hold of him. 

[00:38:25] The man doesn't ask  

[00:38:27] the in fact, the man never speaks, never says anything. So Jesus takes hold of him. A proactive moment of grace. He heals him and then said, He doesn't ask anything from him. It doesn't say right. Okay. Fill in this car, joined my club, join my team. Or by the way, on your way, make sure you drop some coins in the box. 

[00:38:45] It's nothing it's just hailed, unsent healed and sent he, and it's just it. And to me, this is magnificent group. Which then the two parables sort of nudging to, if you're fighting for the best places, you've missed the point of God's economy. And also if you're only invading people who are going to pay you by. 

[00:39:12] Literally or metaphorically into your world, then you're missing something of the greatness of God's grace and generosity in the kingdom. So I think it's a powerful story in the whole way through this. Isn't just a miracle, which of course it is, and the man gets wonderfully healed. But it is a powerful Shabbat message at the heart of this miracle, which this community more than most, really, really, really, really, really new. 

[00:39:41] And isn't it interesting that Jesus is reserving this message for this moment, because it's this group of people that are absolutely have to get this message. If they get this, the world changes Sabbath suddenly gets liberated. People get liberated and the kingdom of God can come. If these people don't get it, then they're going to continually resist the Lord of the Sabbath, doing what he wants to do on this. 

[00:40:08] David: And it's yeah, I mean, her goodness, just rewind that bit and listen to everything. John said there again, that's, that's the best thing I want to say right there. Go to that bit on your phone. It allows you to, just to go back, a minute or say like, don't miss that, that, that that's being said just there, that that's really, really important to grasp what, what Jesus is doing there, because that there's warning for us in that and this. 

[00:40:33] grace for us in that 

[00:40:36] Like I just noticed John is, as you're saying that the verse four, again, my translation says, they said nothing, some translations, but they were silent. 

[00:40:47] The nuance of the text is that they became silent. And I almost feel like there's this little message forest day that when you find yourself. Leaning into places of control, leaning into places of exclusion leaning into places of needing to earn things. It's always like, probably the best thing for you to do is be quiet. 

[00:41:13] Probably the best thing for you to do is just become silent because, because you, you're going to miss, Jesus, is it lawful? Is it lawful to cure people in the Sabbath or. But they became silent. 

[00:41:26] So Jesus held him, healed him and released him. Nobody else is going to object to this. 

[00:41:30] This is just what I'm going to do. And I'm just thinking, John personally, how easy it is to fight for that control over something like Sabbath over everything and, and to exclude and, and, and work it out and, and, and to hold particular space. And I think that something really powerful in what Jesus is modeling for us here just making sure. 

[00:41:53] That when we're about to lean into trying to control things, we may want to go quiet and just think about how Jesus, how Jesus behaves.  

[00:42:03] John: Yeah, for sure. I think that's beautiful. And I think that is the spirit of Sabbath. I, I. Urge all of us to, to consider inviting the Lord of the Sabbath into our world, inviting that mentality of grace, generosity of trust that he is greater than the circumstances we face. And also he is bigger than the situations we are in on these able to lead and guide us and help. 

[00:42:36] In the midst of all of that. And absolutely. I think it's a beautiful, beautiful thought. 

[00:42:40] Okay. So that's it for our episode. Thank you so much for listening. We hope that you enjoyed it. If you want to get in touch with either office about something we said, you can reach out to us on podcast@twotexts.com or by liking and following the two texts podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  

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