Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?
Luke 14:5
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An ox in a pit
At a meal in a Pharisee's house there was a man with dropsy. Everyone was watching Jesus. He healed the man and let him go. Then he asked this question.
Not everyone thought the same about it. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a rule that you may not pull an animal out of a pit on the sabbath. Jesus reasons with plain human feeling. If you'd do it for your ox, why not for a person?
Question for today
Where do I let rules weigh more heavily than a person in need?
Prayer
Lord, give me the common sense and the heart to help whoever is in the pit, even when it's inconvenient. Amen.