1: And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him. 2: And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy (#5203). 3: And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? 4: And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

The main issue is whether or not it is lawful to heal on the Sabbath Day. This acted parable illustrates the answer by using: a house; eating bread; and a man with dropsy (#5203).

House Church
Eating Bread Studying the Word
Man with Dropsy Person with watery eyes or blurred vision
who does not see things clearly
Dropsy (#5203) looking watery
(#5204) water as if raining

So the spiritual setting of this acted parable is of someone in the Church who is studying the bible but does not have a clear understanding of the Sabbath Day. Jesus asked if it was lawful, so He is suggesting that the law or Ten Commandments be examined carefully to answer the question. Since the man with dropsy was physically healed on the Sabbath Day by Jesus, this suggests that spiritual healing with regard to the Sabbath Day is what is needed. The lawyers and Pharisees were not willing to admit that they did not understand what the law said, so they held their peace. Today, there are ministers who are not willing to admit that the law needs to be re-examined and that the Church has had blurred vision with regard to the Sabbath Day.