Luke uses food symbolism a lot in his Gospel. Today we have another dinner scene in which Luke emphasizes the inclusive nature of the banquet one finds in the Kingdom of heaven. This is set in contrast to the leading Pharisees meal to which Jesus is invited. We doubt the man with dropsy was invited. Luke answers questions his community faces: should they eat with the unclean? what renders one clean? who is to be invited to Christian meals? We know that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and calls many to his eschatological banquet, but in the time of Jesus, many understood that the lame, sick, lepers, the blind, and other categories of people were unfit for the kingdom. Thankfully, the teachings of Jesus transcends those boundaries.
It comes as no surprise that Jesus boldly makes his point in the home of a leading Pharisee - a high-ranking religious figure. Through his actions, Jesus is showing these authorities how wrong they are in interpreting the reign of God. The kingdom on earth will reveal the true nature of God - as one who is merciful with a preferential option for the poor and the marginalized. God's vision respects the dignity of all human beings and is not bound by the laws that God gave to the Jews. Most importantly, God is not like the religious leaders who, though they see the suffering of others, will sit back in a clamoring silence when someone does the good and the right - at the expense of the laws.
Jesus transgresses these very boundaries when the man with dropsy appears before all these high-powered men gathered at table. The atmosphere must have been emotionally charged as he appears before the Pharisees and Jesus. It must have been awkward for him. I would feel self-conscious. Was he brought there as an example? Did he appear by chance? Or did he appear on his own in a desperation attempt to be healed? Regardless, he is interrupting an important dinner conversation. All eyes are on him. He is a man reduced to his illness - no longer regarded as fully human, but a man with dropsy. And as he is there, they discuss him as if he is not - like two doctors would discuss clinically an illness in front of a patient as if he is not there. Perhaps he was very courageous, but it seems more likely that he was stripped of his dignity. It could have been humiliating for him to intrude into this elite dinner party.
Jesus is moved to heal the man though he is aware of the social consequences. And as the scholars and Pharisees see this as a gross disregard for the Sabbath observance, I imagine they were extremely curious to see the way in which Jesus heals. What is it like? Does he use magic words? Is there a prescribed formula? Is it a healing touch? Is the man's body transformed immediately like we see in the movies? Where does his power come from? Healing someone has to pull forth powerful emotions from Jesus. It seems as if it is a great personal moment of intimacy. Then as now, we don't like intimacy shown in public at all. We sometimes read Gospel accounts matter-of-factly, but I would be certain this man returns a great display of affection to Jesus.. The emotions of Jesus probably were riding high because he just eased the suffering of a man in need. Whenever we do good, we feel satisfied and contented. From our personal experience, we know we face unexpected opposition when we try to do the good and the right.
I doubt Jesus felt welcomed when he returned to that dinner table. The eating and drinking must have stopped. You could cut the hostile silence with a knife. Did some men get up and leave? Was Jesus even welcome to sit at the table and continue his meal or was it too awkward for him to sit and stay? You cannot sit and eat at table with someone with whom you are angry or don't like. Eating with another is a display of intimacy and friendship.
These reactions remind us of the difficulties we face in our healing. Notice the great opposition that confront us when we want to change. Many people really don't want us to change. We are to always remain that person with such and such a illness, or disability, or addiction. We are defined by our conditions. And people around us build dependencies around our conditions - and after a while - these are comfortable. To be healed means we will no longer need those dependencies. The fundamental relationship between people is fundamentally altered. Few people want you or expect you to be healed. And sometimes we don't even want our own healing. Our self-defeating ways keep us bound by our conditions. We become attached to them as they are all we know. We depend on them as explanations for our behavior. They define us essentially. While we may speak the language of healing, we too often say "no" to advice or references or recommendations. We say "no" to the loving intentions of others. We reject their love for us and we reject God's loving reach out towards us. We remain bound through our own volition.
In whatever manner the man with dropsy was brought to that dinner, we have to be more like him. He risks personal embarrassment and shame to stand before such high profile men to petition for his healing. We have to be open to the healing that Jesus offers us. We want to look primarily at his compassionate gestures and turn aside from the hostile, yet curious stares of the scholars and Pharisees in our lives. We are to be open to the intimacy that Jesus extends to us - for we know Jesus is revealing the heart and attitude of God to us. We know that his dinner invitation includes everyone - regardless of condition - including you - even when the passive-aggressive, hostile silence of the religious leaders or anyone who holds authority over you stares you down.
Live in the mercy of God. Let Christ heal you and set you free. Imagine how much richer that food will taste when you eat at the Lord's banquet free from the shackles of this life. Many liberated and healed people are anxiously waiting for you to join them. Accept Christ's invitation.
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