A reflection on Luke 14:1-6
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
©️2023 Gloria M. Chang
How does the healing of spiritual dropsy reveal the tension between divine mercy and human pride in Jesus’ encounter with the Pharisees?
Gospel
Luke 14:1-6
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. In front of him there was a man suffering from dropsy. Jesus spoke to the scholars of the law and Pharisees in reply, asking, “Is it lawful to cure on the sabbath or not?” But they kept silent; so he took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them, “Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?” But they were unable to answer his question.
Spiritual Dropsy and the Pharisees’ Pride
As one man’s swelling was reduced,
Angry, swollen pride was educed.
This couplet was inspired by St. Gregory the Great, who wrote, “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.”
Dropsy (edema) causes swelling in the tissues or in a body cavity by an accumulation of watery fluid. The word dropsy comes from Greek hudrōps (hudro-, water + ōps, face).
Jesus Confronts Swollen Pride with Mercy
At the home of a leading Pharisee and in the presence of the religious elite, Jesus fearlessly reached out to the weak and powerless. By worldly standards, he had everything to lose and nothing to gain. Instead of conforming to the agenda of the powerful and seizing the opportunity to gain their favor, he chose to lay down his life for his sheep.
“For it becomes us, when a great good is the result,
St. Cyril of Alexandria
not to care if fools take offense.”
Traditional Chinese Translation
《屬靈的浮腫》
當一名男子的腫脹消退時，
憤怒、膨脹的驕傲（法利賽人和文士）被激發出來了。
At the doctor’s office this week, I mentioned how my ankles and feet looked swollen. On “My Chart” there’s a clinical note: “edema” in lower legs/feet. Could be remedied? Needed blood work to rule out causes. Report came back all values “Normal.” Cardio CT recommended. Jesus’ all-knowing nature sees the man with dropsy and makes instant diagnosis. There were no modern medical tests to analyze. What I think he saw was the deeper need for inner peace? With that comes wholeness of body and soul. May our Divine Physician operate and heal me and many others from both spiritual and physical ills. Lord, have mercy!
Great insights, Ellen!