Kingdom Religion

Theme: True religion exhibits and relies on God's mercy rather than man's legalism.
In vv. 1-2, we see the Pharisee's trap. Jesus goes to the house of a Pharisee to dine on the Sabbath, and there is a man with dropsy there. In their pride, the Pharisees sought to use the sick man to try to trap Jesus. We need to beware of a haughty heart by fearing the Lord, humbling ourselves before Him, focusing on our own need for grace, and recognizing Christian liberty. In vv. 3-5, we see the Lord's reaction. He answers with a question about whether it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees remain silent. Jesus heals the man, and then asks a second question to appeal to their basic humanity. We need to seek to show mercy as Jesus did. In v. 6, we see the response of the Pharisees; they could not reply. Although they knew the truth, they did not repent. We need to submit to Christ's Lordship. True religion exhibits and relies on God's mercy rather than man's legalism. We must use our true religion for the glory of God.