Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
September 22, 2023
Luke 13:10-13
10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 A woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and couldn’t stand up straight. 12 When he saw her, Jesus called her to him and said, “Woman, you are set free from your sickness.” 13 He placed his hands on her, and she straightened up at once and praised God.
Good Morning. In everything, give thanks!
On the surface, this is a beautiful story of healing; truly, that should be the message that those gathered would receive. A woman who had been afflicted for eighteen long years was set free from her struggles and could straighten her body and praise God. Hallelujah!
The problem that arises from this healing begins in verse ten. . . . on the Sabbath, but not only was it the Sabbath: Jesus was in the synagogue leading worship with all the local priests and Pharisees in attendance. After all, they wanted to hear what Jesus, who was surrounded by the excitement of his followers, had to say. It is important to remember what comes next because this would set the wheels in motion for the conspiracy against Jesus.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
This woman had not asked for healing this morning. She had come to hear the words Jesus spoke. Jesus, who saw her suffering as he was teaching, initiated the healing when he called for her to come forward. Could Jesus have spoken to her after the gathering and asked her to return tomorrow, or could he have healed her in a less public setting? Sure, but why? Jesus saw suffering and offered healing right here, right now. Why should she wait? She’d already been waiting for eighteen years; it was time to heal her now, which is what Jesus did.
It all comes down to the humiliation part for those who would form the group seeking to get rid of Jesus. The leaders weren’t upset that the woman had been healed but that Jesus had ignored the “rules” set and protected by generations of Jewish leaders.
Yes, the Ten Commandments say to Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy. Isn’t the removal of a demon an act to keep the Sabbath holy? Jesus didn’t enter the temple that day to find a way to violate the Jewish laws. He came to teach and share God's love, mercy, and grace. When he saw the need in the eyes of this afflicted woman, he couldn’t help but heal her so that she might receive God’s gift.
Loving God, We love you! We, your children, try to manage our calling in the eyes of human thinking, but you see things divinely. Please help us serve you as we are called. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Jesus sees me in my struggles and calls me to him.
Share God’s love to all! Pastor Liz
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