Sermon Tone Analysis

Have you ever heard of the 1983 movie TRADING PLACES?

This has always been one of my favorite TV movies.

Since it came out before my parents were even married, I obviously didn’t watch it when it came out, but I was able to see it multiple times on television as a teenager.

The basic plot of the story is that 2 very wealthy brothers argue over what makes people successful or unsuccessful.

One brother believes it has everything to do with your environment, and being given the proper tools and opportunities to succeed.

The other brother believes success depends on DNA, genetics, or personal wiring.

They make a bet to test their theories.

They fire their blue-blooded young star (Dan Aakroyd) in their organization, and decimate his life to the point where he becomes penniless, loses his fiancee, loses his standing in his social circles, and joins the dregs of society.

These wealthy brothers find a young man (Eddie Murphy) who is of the lowest circles in society, and give him everything their other assistant had in the past.

They turn him into a financial superstar, although he has no idea what he’s doing.

He hadn’t earned the honor, but lucked into it.

In the end, the brother who believes environment is more important wins the $1 bet after ruining the lives of 2 men.

However, the 2 men join forces and eventually make millions off the brothers as payback.

It’s a funny story, and a really enjoyable movie.

Some of the takeaways from this film are actually rather interesting.

While the brother who believed environment was the deciding factor won the bet, in reality, they were both right.

Who we are on the inside and what our experiences are on the outside both have a big effect on our success.

- Sitting down to dine at the house of a ruler.(Verse 1)

But God, takes what’s on the inside (which is made in His image, but depraved through sin) takes what’s on the outside (a sinful world influenced by sinful people) and renews us, through His Son Jesus Christ, to spiritual success and goodness in His grace.

God ultimately pulls us up next to Him through the work of Jesus, and grants us an honor we don’t deserve.

God’s grace is for all, but those who are humble before God are in a special position to receive that grace more readily.

Jesus may have been a friend of sinners and a poor man himself, but he clearly attracted people from all walks of life.

He was known all over Israel, and became the most influential “teacher” of His time on earth.

This further points out the false narrative that Jesus only cares for the poor or the low.

Does Jesus care about them a lot?

YES!

He even proves it in the following verses.

But we should not ignore that Jesus often dined, discussed, and had great relationships with rulers and wealthy people.

Was it their wealth or position that made them able to sit with Jesus?

On the contrary, it was the fact that Jesus loved them in spite of their wealth.

The man who had everything taken away from him learned what it meant to be humble, for the first time in his life.

This unbiblical, faux Christian cultural ideal of attacking wealth is misguided.

We should challenge the wealthy to be content with little, love generosity, and be wise with what they have been entrusted.

The wealthy should not be ashamed of their wealth, only humble in their stewardship of it!

The poor should not be ashamed of their poverty, only grateful to God for His Providence and sovereignty over their lives.

man had dropsy (Verse 2)

As we look through this passage, it’s a story on humility, both the giving of it and the receiving of it.

Humility is an important virtue that is necessary if we are to have right relationship with God.

Even as we today worship God in communion, we are reminded that we approach the Lord’s table in humility, lest we eat in an unworthy manner.

It’s hard to tell if this man that had dropsy was wealthy or poor.

Monetarily, he could have been a family member of people in power, or a ruler whose health began to go; more likely, he was a man who sat near the open air of the ruler’s house to gain what he could.

Charles Spurgeon, a hero of mine, said this of Humility:

Jesus asks the question, the Pharisees remain silent (Vv.

3/4)

“Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self.”

Let’s take a look at the text of and read together this lesson

Jesus challenging the Pharisees with the question was a politically strategic move.

The Sabbath was a major source of power for the Pharisees, an area in which they questioned Jesus on many occasions.

By asking the question, Jesus sets up for them a similar trap that they often tried to set for him when asking him questions, like the paying taxes (render unto Caesar) question.

If the Pharisees said no, they’d be denying this man with edema/dropsy an opportunity to be blessed with healing and God the opportunity to be glorified in it; they would seem cold-hearted and lose the trust of the people who sat under their teaching and spiritual leadership.

If they said yes, they would be opening up a HUGE can of worms that would also question their behavior and teaching of following the Law.

After all, healing could be considered “work,” and it was unlawful to work on the Sabbath day in the Old Covenant/Mosaic Law.

This was a predicament for the Pharisees who knew the value of saving face; they overvalued it in reality, as Jesus would further point out.

What did the Pharisees want to answer?

They wanted to answer NO, because that’s what they believed!

They believed it to be wrong to perform any works, even works of righteousness/necessity, unless it affected them.

(see below)

- Sitting down to dine at the house of a ruler.(Verse 1)

Jesus asks them another question to make his point and further silence the Pharisees (Vv.

5/6)

Jesus may have been a friend of sinners and a poor man himself, but he clearly attracted people from all walks of life.

He was known all over Israel, and became the most influential “teacher” of His time on earth.

This further points out the false narrative that Jesus only cares for the poor or the low.

Does Jesus care about them a lot?

YES!

He even proves it in the following verses.

But we should not ignore that Jesus often dined, discussed, and had great relationships with rulers and wealthy people.

Was it their wealth or position that made them able to sit with Jesus?

On the contrary, it was the fact that Jesus loved them in spite of their wealth.

This unbiblical, faux Christian cultural ideal of attacking wealth is misguided.

We should exhort all people to be content with little, love generosity, and be wise with what they have been entrusted.

The wealthy should not be ashamed of their wealth, only humble in their stewardship of it!

The poor should not be ashamed of their poverty, only grateful to God for His Providence and sovereignty over their lives.

Jesus is asking them if they’d let their son or their ox sit in a well for a day until Sabbath was over is the funniest and most perfect question he could have asked.

First, isn’t it hilarious he basically compared children to farm animals?

Obviously Jesus thinks people are more important that animals, but he’s drawing something out of them by posing this question.

If you’re a parent, would you do whatever it took to make sure your child was ok?

What laws would you break to take care of them?

If I needed to get my child to the hospital as fast as I could, do you think I’m just going to sit in traffic and wait for the light to turn green?

NO! I’m going to do whatever it takes to take care of my child.

God has the same passionate love for us.

He’s not going to sit idly by and let this man suffer when his heart is ready for his body to be healed.

Jesus knew this man needed Him.

Jesus wasn’t going to give up on this man because of the Sabbath.

Jesus IS the Sabbath!

He is the fulfillment of the Law and the grace that came with Jesus covers the Sabbath.

He didn’t just fulfill it, he superseded it.

His death on the Cross and resurrection were the final picture of what the Sabbath was about.

man had dropsy (Verse 2)

Jesus seizes the opportunity to teach everyone, not just teach the Pharisees a lesson

man had dropsy (Verse 2)

Jesus begins to draw out of the meal an evaluation of the hearts of the people there.

It says that he noticed how they chose the places of honor.

Wouldn’t we all try and do the same?

Wouldn’t we all like to be in the company of good people and be well-liked in a social situation?

Of course we would.

Having a desire to be liked or blessed is not in and of itself a sinful thing, but the self-appointing to places of honor is the fruit of a sinful attitude in our hearts.

Practically, Jesus is pointing out how unwise this is in a social situation.

Have you ever assumed something, acted on the assumption, and then had the rug pulled out from under you?

I’m sure we all have at some point.

It’s a disastrous social outcome, an event that is often followed by ridicule and mockery, and perhaps even dishonor.

Jesus is certainly speaking to this, but what’s he really getting at?