Would've, Should've, Could've

Jesus is heading to Jerusalem in these chapters. The Passover is coming shortly and the Pharisees and the experts in the law are becoming more anxious to trap this threat to their position and power. "One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched." (14:1)

"I would have . . ." "You should have . . ." Or "You could have . . ." can be good suggestions for improvement or can be symptoms of being second-guessed. The coaches of the teams that didn't make the playoffs or advance far enough have listened to the experts tell the world what and how they could have done better. The expert however has a huge advantage. They already know one thing that didn't work.

Living under a microscope is an expression we use today to describe these situations. If you've ever felt like every move you make is criticized, Jesus has been there too. Perhaps we can find some encouragement in His example.



Notice first his host, a prominent Pharisee. Jesus didn't stop associating with his critics. He went to his house, reclined at his table and ate his food. He continued to interact with the Pharisees and experts in the law. He didn't act with pride or concern for his social standing. Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee.

"There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy." (14:2) Jesus was consistent in his actions. Because the Jews were watching him carefully, I suspect the man was planted in front of Jesus. I think, because Jesus acted with compassion for the people consistently, that the Pharisees placed the man with dropsy in front of him as a test.

Lord, grant us the grace to continue working with the relationships that discourage or criticize us. Help us to see people in the ways that you do. Amen.

Thoughts for Theophilus

Our quiz teams are entering the second half of the season, studying in the gospel of Luke. They have been working hard and learning much Scripture and many lessons. My purpose for starting this blog is to offer an additional look at Luke's gospel. As we study the last half of the book, my goal will be to share ideas and questions that can help us apply the lessons we find here. Comments and questions are always welcomed.

Dr Luke writes to Theophilus so that he (and we) may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. He has carefully investigated everything from the beginning. He has been showing us Jesus as He lived and related with the people around Him. Not everyone was excited to have Jesus around. He challenged ideas that had been around for a long time. He rebuked those who "load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, " and "will not lift one finger to help them." (11:46)

• We have been taught many things at school, at church and among our families and peers. How can we know with certainty what and whom to believe?


• Is Jesus someone we can believe? Does His care for the put-down people show us this?