Luke #57 Compassion vs. Constriction

INTRODUCTION Luke 13:10-17.

The incomprehensibility of God.

This morning we come to a familiar scene in the life of our Lord, conflict on the Sabbath.

By my count, Jesus violated their Sabbath laws 7 times.

7 times Jesus healed on the Sabbath.

In Mark 1:22-28 Jesus healed a demon possessed man in Capernaum.

In Mark 1:29-31 Jesus healed Peter’s mother in law.

In Mark 3:1-6 Jesus healed the man with a withered hand.

In John 5 Jesus healed a crippled man at the pool of Bethesda.

John 9, a blind man was healed.

Luke 13 Jesus healed a crippled woman in a synagogue. This is our text.

Luke 14 a man with dropsy was healed on the Sabbath in a Pharisees home.

When you look at it as a whole, one must conclude, this was intentional.

When Jesus did these kind acts, it always drew the ire of the Pharisees.

He knew that, and yet He continued to do these great acts of kindness, on the Sabbath, and almost rubbing their nose in it.

But why, why would these religious leaders, these pious men get so angry with Jesus for doing good on the Sabbath?

Read the text.

LEGALISM TRUMPS COMPASSION

My hypothesis for this point is that in the life of the Pharisees, legalism trumps compassion.

In order to correctly understand the passage we need to understand the culture of the Pharisees because it infected the whole of Judaism.

This synagogue official is himself infected by their legalism.

The Pharisees were the religious law keepers.

They were fastidious when in came to keeping the law.

They tithes of the smallest herbs from their garden.

If they found a coin on the street, they were sure to give a 10th to God.

They washed very carefully before they ate their meals.

In many ways they strived to keep the law.

But, as Jesus rightly called them, they were hypocrites.

These same men took advantage of widows for financial gain.

It is generally understood from extra biblical records that most of them had divorced their wives for younger women.

While they were married they had mistresses.

And to make matters worse, they had rewritten the law of God in such a way as to benefit themselves.

For example, their revision of God’s law made 2000 cubits the maximum limit that could be walked on the Sabbath.

But in order to get around even their own law, walking to a meal did not count against you.

So on Friday, Pharisees would have a servant stage their lunch for the Saturday Sabbath, at a location they wanted to go to that was beyond the 2000 cubit maximum.

That way they could travel the distance and it not count against them.

The bottom line was that during the life of Jesus, the Pharisees were very legalistic.

What is legalism?

Is it legalistic to teach thou shall not commit murder?

Is it legalistic to teach thou shall not lie?

No, we understand those are not legalistic.

So what is legalism?

Legalism is when man invents or expands laws that God did not impose.

It is legalistic to forbid dancing.

The Bible does not contain such a command.

It is legalistic to forbid the consumption of alcohol.

The Bible does not contain such a command.

Some churches forbid woman to wear pants, and others makeup.

Some churches forbid men to have long hair.

It is like the story of a teen age boy who wanted a car.

So he went to dad and asked dad to buy him a car.

Dad thought about it for a minute and responded…

Your grades in school are not what they should be.

Your room is a mess and your chores rarely get done.

And your hair is too long.

Correct these issues, and we will shop for you a car.

The boy took it to heart.

He buckled down on his school work and chores and kept his room tidy.

After a few weeks he went back to dad and explained.

My grades are better, all A’s and B’s.

My room in clean and my chores are done.

Can we talk about that car now.

To which dad pointed out, your hair is still too long.

The boy responded, yeah, I have been thinking about that, and it occured to me, Jesus had long hair, so it can’t be wrong.

Dad’s response was epic, “ yes, Jesus did have long hair, and He walked everywhere!”

When we impose laws of conformity upon those in the church that God does not, that is legalism.

The Pharisees were masters of legalism.

Sadly it wasn’t always this way.

Most scholars believe Nehemiah was one of the first that became known as the Pharisees.

The Pharisees developed a tradition of strict interpretation of the Mosaic law, developing an extensive set of oral extensions of the law designed to maintain religious identity and purity.

Originally, their heart was right.

They wanted to maintain religious purity, in that sense they were very much like the Puritans of England and America.

The word Pharisee is from an Aramaic word and it means to separate, divide, or distinguish.

They separated themselves from many things they considered sinful.

They were pious, and that is not all bad.

To be pious was to be devoted to God and the worship of Him.

Technically speaking, all obedience is worship.

Thus, they sought to be very pious which in their mind honored God.

Which is true.

I would hope that we are all pious, intent upon honoring God with our obedience to the law.

This was how they began.

But like so many religious movements, in time the focus shifted, the intentions changed, and the original was corrupted.

This is why consistent Bible study is necessary, it keeps one focused on what God has said.

When you spend ample time in God’s word, it keeps you on the right path.

But when you start adding to God’s word, then you expose yourself to all kinds of problems.

Such were the Pharisees of Jesus day, and all those they infected, like this synagogue official.

So intent on the letter of the law, that they had no compassion for their fellow man, no love for others.

Their religion had become cold and cruel.

Remember the story of the good Samaritan?

Two religious men walked right on by the hurt man, for fear they would be temporarily defiled.

Legalism trumped compassion.

We see this attitude in the Synagogue officials words,

There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” vs 14.

18 years this woman had suffered, what is one more day was his attitude.

COMPASSION TRUMPS LEGALISM

My hypothesis for this point is that in the life of Jesus, compassion trumps legalism.

I have long understood and often pointed this out, Jesus was a troublemaker.

Folks, this was no accidental conflict.

7 times Jesus performed a healing miracle on a Sabbath, knowing it would cause trouble between He and the Pharisees.

In John 5 for example, Jesus healed the lame man who was right outside the Temple on the Sabbath.

This meant, that religious leaders were everywhere in the vicinity.

They were coming and going constantly, and they were always on the look out for Sabbath law breakers.

So what does Jesus do when He healed the man?

Jesus said, take up your mat and go.

Carry a forbidden load on the Sabbath, right in front of all these religious leaders!

Was Jesus just not thinking?

Did He forget they were around?

Did He forget how legalistic they were?

NO!!!!!!

Jesus was driving home a point, compassion trumps your legalism.

If we are to rightly understand the gospels, particularly some of the events and words of Jesus, then we need to grasp the big picture.

Part of the ministry of Jesus was focused on exposing the lies of Judaism so that Jesus could teach what true religion really was.

This started very early in His ministry, Jesus attacked the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:20 LSB

“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus was saying, you think they are pious, religious and devout and they are.

But that is not enough.

They are not fit for the Kingdom of Heaven and neither are you.

That is the message of Matt 5:20.

The point is, legalistic gymnastics doesn’t save.

This had always been the case.

Judaism of old had become cold and callous.

This is why Jeremiah 7:21-23 wrote….

Jeremiah 7:21–23 LSB

Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, “Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh. “For I did not speak to your fathers or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. “But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in the entire way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’

Two key thoughts here.

First religious piety doesn’t impress God.

All the sacrifices in the world didn’t impress God.

He desire genuine contrition and brokenness of heart over sin.

Listen to part of David’s confession in Psalm 51:16-17

Psalm 51:16–17 LSB

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

But in Judaism, it had become cold.

Time for another sacrifice, oh all right.

But their heart wasn’t in it.

Second, did you notice that God does indeed desire obedience, to the things He commanded.

God is not impressed by our legalism.

God desires that His people obey Him, not their misguided leaders.

Things hadn’t changed much when Jesus arrived on the scene.

Thus here in Luke 13 we get a living example of what true religious piety looks like.

First, Jesus providentially intervened in her life and freed her from this crippling spirit.

The fact that this was a demon is significant.

Remember, Jesus told them, if He could cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God had come to them.

Luke 11:20 LSB

“But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

The casting out of demons proved Jesus was their Messiah God who was sovereign even over the demon realm.

There is not record this woman asked Jesus to intervene.

He just did it.

Second, doing good on the Sabbath is well, good.

Case in point, your donkey needs water, so you lead it to water. That is good.

But there is the rub.

There donkey was of value to them.

Other people were not necessarily valuable to them.

They did very little to help others.

It was always about helping themselves.

Which brings us to the next point.

Third, this woman is more valuable than your donkey.

This woman, being a daughter of Abraham speaks of her value.

She is part of the covenantal people, she has special value in God’s agenda.

Fourth, Satan has bound this woman, and you don’t care.

There is a Greek word here that needs to be looked at.

The English word is soft and often over looked.

In the last clause of verse 16 Jesus said “should”

Here the translators frame it as a question, but it really isn’t a question.

That little word should carries the idea of compulsion.

Jesus is saying, because she is a daughter of Abraham who was besieged by Satan, it was necessary to release her.

The Greek word there literally means that which must necessarily take place.

Must.

Fifth, His opponent were hypocrites and Jesus proved it.

Notice in verse 17 His opponents were put to shame.

That word opponents is sad.

It is sad because it reminds us of the wickedness of the Pharisaichal heart.

They opposed Jesus, even when He did compassionate and loving acts of kindness.

Last, God was glorified.

First the woman glorified God in verse 13.

She was freed from Satan’s grip, and she began glorifying God.

That word glorifying is in the imperfect tense which means, this became her habit.

The imperfect tense describes an action in the past that continues.

Thus she continually glorified God for her deliverance.

As it should be.

Folks, you and I have been delivered from the domain of darkness, Col 1:13.

Therefore we too should habitually, continually glorify God for our deliverance.

She is a picture of us, having been set free from the bondage of Satan, sin, and death.

John 8:31–32 LSB

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Truth sets you free, and truth is a person, Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

John 8:36 LSB

“So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

i don’t spiritualize texts very often, but this one is just too vivid.

She is a picture of you and I.

She is a picture of all sinners who were set free.

In that sense we are reminded of the debilitating power of sin.

Sin cripples.

But Christ restores.

Did you notice, she received the strength necessary to stand up right.

That in itself is a reminder that we as believers shall stand before God because we have a right standing with God.

But also, the crowd began rejoicing over what Jesus did.

Now I know this was short lived.

But this is how it should be.

When something good takes place in the life of another, and God is in it, then we should rejoice.

And if it is good, then we know that God is in it.

James 1:17 LSB

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

CONCLUSION

Jesus changed her life for the good, and He did it on the Sabbath.

Jesus confronted their error, in a visible and tangible way, and sadly they hated Him for it.