JESUS WAS NOT TOLERANT OF HYPOCRISY
Luke 13:11-16 NKJV
11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”
Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. He encountered a woman who had been bent over for 18 years and could not raise herself up. Luke, who was a physician, said she had a spirit of infirmity. When Jesus saw her, He did something about her situation. And in healing her, it made the religious leaders angry.
When Jesus called the woman to Himself, He declared that she was loosed and free from the infirmity. Infirmity means weakness and sickness, and her inability to raise herself up certainly qualified. Being bent over for 18 years is a long time. But when Jesus declared her freedom and laid His hands on her she immediately was made straight. When she was made straight, she began to glorify God. Her 18-year sickness did not glorify God; her healing did.
And you would think everyone would be happy. I watched a man receive healing in his back one night in church. He was in obvious pain and limited in his movement. The Lord healed him, and I will never forget the look on his face. It was sheer joy mixed with wonder and amazement. The crowd that night was electrified. I imagine most of the people in the synagogue that day, when the woman suddenly stood up straight, were also excited. When God moves that way, it’s amazing.
But not everyone was thrilled. The ruler of the synagogue was indignant and warned the crowd to not come on the Sabbath to be healed. You could be healed on the other six days, but the Sabbath was off limits. This ruler did not understand that the Sabbath laws were intended to keep people from working. They were never intended to keep people from being blessed and healed.
Jesus did not let this error pass. He called the leader a hypocrite. Jesus knew that people would take care of their animals on the Sabbath. Work animals had value and watering or feeding them on the Sabbath was not a problem. How much more should this woman, who was a daughter of Abraham, be taken care of on the Sabbath? A daughter of Abraham meant this lady was from Jewish heritage and had a covenant with God. When Jesus used oxen and donkeys as a way of comparison, He was not diminishing the value of animals; He was elevating the value of God’s people. The message is that if it’s right to take care of animals on the Sabbath, it is totally right to take care of people.
APPLICATION
The problem with some religious traditions is that people are devalued. People have been overlooked because of how they dressed, their background, or even the church they belong to. I find it particularly difficult when church people come down hard on people for some of the very same sins they did until God’s grace intervened in their lives. This is just another good reason to stay thankful to the Lord. In staying thankful, we are remembering where we came from and thankful that we have been marvelously helped by the Lord.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your example of care. You value people, not religious rules. Thank You for setting me free from what Satan had me bound with.