Luke 14:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.

NIV: There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body.

NASB: And there in front of Him was a man suffering from edema.

CSB: There in front of him was a man whose body was swollen with fluid.

NLT: There was a man there whose arms and legs were swollen.

KJV: And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

NKJV: And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy.

Jesus is at a banquet at the home of a Pharisee leader (Luke 14:1). At such banquets, the guests recline on couches around a low table while passers-by stand against the walls, listening in on the conversation (Luke 14:15). The guests often have philosophical and theological discussions. The Pharisees may not agree with Jesus, but He makes a lively dinner guest (Luke 7:36–50; 11:37–52), and they are eager to entice Him to say something so outrageous they can justify His death (Luke 11:53–54).

The condition translated as "dropsy" is also referred to as "edema." This involves extreme swelling and can be quite painful and debilitating. The man is not identified as a guest; he may be part of the crowd that has been following Jesus (Luke 14:25). On the other hand, he may have secretly been invited by the host to tempt Jesus into, once again, healing on the Sabbath.

The Mosaic law implies that this condition makes the person ceremonially unclean: "When any man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean. And this is the law of his uncleanness for a discharge: whether his body runs with his discharge, or his body is blocked up by his discharge, it is his uncleanness'" (Leviticus 15:2–3). Anything the man touches will be ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:4–12).

Luke 14:1–6 begins a section discussing who can enter the kingdom of God, and how they must do so. God's kingdom isn't just about salvation. It's also about the blessings of God's sovereignty and character. While arriving at the home of a Pharisee for a formal banquet on the Sabbath, Jesus heals a man. The other guests remain silent while Jesus indirectly explains that the kingdom of God is about kindness for all God's creatures. It is not a matter of blindly following man-made laws. Jesus follows with three parables about humility, generosity, and the importance of accepting God's invitation to His kingdom (Luke 14:7—15:24).

A Pharisee invites Jesus to a formal dinner. There, Jesus teaches lessons using invitations and feasts as a theme. These emphasize humility and the importance of not making excuses. After the dinner, Jesus warns that those who seek to follow Him will experience hardship. Believers should "count the cost" and understand what aspects of this world they may have to give up.

Luke 14 continues Jesus' doctrinal march to Jerusalem and the cross. Luke 14 and 15 contain the second grouping of one miracle and a series of discussions about the kingdom of God and salvation; Luke 13:10–35 is the first. Next will be a collection of warnings about rejecting God's kingdom (Luke 16:1—17:10) and two more sets of lessons about the kingdom and salvation, each beginning with a single miracle (Luke 17:11—18:34; 18:35—19:27). After this comes Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.