Tim Reardon preached on September 1st from Luke 13:31 – 14:7 where Jesus, eating in the home of a leader of the Pharisees, is confronted with the need for healing of a man suffering from an abnormal swelling of the body. And this is set in the context of Deuteronomy 32:10-14, where God finds Israel howling in a desert wasteland, and cares for him tenderly.

Tim talks about how central food was in Jesus’ ministry — with the nostalgic and social identity forming nature of meals, but also due to food insecurity. One biblical scholar said that “Jesus was killed for the way that he ate.” In first century Palestine, who you eat with, who is invited to the table, and where they sit affect who gets to eat — as well as demonstrating power and social control. This is discussed in the verses following our passage.

To this meal, in the home of an elite leader, with elite guests who decide how society is structured and what is lawful. And to this Sabbath gathering comes a man in need of healing. The man has dropsy, a disease of extreme swelling, yet that made you thirsty to the point that you could drink yourself to death. And in the first century, dropsy became a metaphor for wealth addiction. And so dropsy becomes a bodily representation for an insatiable desire for wealth — destroying yourself and others in the process of consumption. It was considered a rich man’s disease. And so it was a critique of the people gathered here for dinner.

So how does this analagy translate? Good Americans consume — to the point that we are killing ourselves and our planet.

But what is Jesus’ response here? It is one of healing…

Hear these thoughts and more below.

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