Luke 13:14-17

********** Start Timer **********

-Let me encourage you to follow along in your own Bibles...

We’ve come to Luke 13:14 this morning.

And remember that we actually looked...

...at the first part of this event...

...last week, in Verses 10-13.

And I had introduced it to you then, by saying that...

…even though the setting had clearly changed...

…Luke still appeared to be...

…making a thematic connection...

…back to the Parable of the Barren Fig Tree.

And the basic idea in that, was that...

…the woman’s healing that we looked at last week...

…was meant to give us an example...

…of the kind of extra care and fertilization...

…that Israel had been receiving...

…during this final probationary period.

-And in keeping with that idea...

…today’s text illustrates to us...

…the ongoing, fruitless response...

…of the leaders of the Nation, in particular...

…and it highlights the malady of heart...

…that was lying at the very root...

…of their opposition to Jesus.

-Alright, let’s read our text...

…and we’ll go to the Lord in prayer.

Luke Chapter 13...

…and we’ll begin reading back in Verse 10.

This is the word of the Lord:

Luke 13:10–17 (ESV)

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”

13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Click Off

Pray

-I know we just read over them...

…but let’s review (briefly) those verses...

…that set the scene...

…for what happens in our text today.

That context is going to be important:

Luke had said in Verse 10:

Luke 13:10–11 (ESV)

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

So, this was a woman who was suffering severely...

And had been for a very long time.

And here she is at the place of worship...

…on the day that God had...

...set aside for rest and worship.

Luke goes on:

Luke 13:12–13 (ESV)

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”

13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

So, Jesus performs another...

…attesting sign from heaven...

…and it had the added benefit...

…of delivering this woman from her state of misery.

And everything had sort of ended...

…on a high and happy note, right?!?

-Well, not exactly.

The woman’s heart was enraptured with praise to God...

But, the man that was...

…supposed to be leading everyone else...

…in the corporate worship of God…

…had a very different...

…and very telling response:

Luke 13:14 (ESV)

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant...

What does that mean?

Simply put, it means he was angry.

But the word in the original...

…often carries the connotation of being...

Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (ἀγανακτέω)

...angered at something seemingly unjust or wrong.

Click Off

So, this is supposed to describe...

A righteous anger...

In response to some sacrilege or injustice, etc.

And Luke tells us that…

… for the leader of the synagogue…

…this indignation had come…

Luke 13:14 (ESV)

14 ...because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath...

Just think about that:

A woman with a severe, 18 year disability...

…had just been restored before his very eyes.

An undeniable miracle from heaven!

But rather than rejoicing with the woman...

he gets angry about it...

…because it happened during church!

And watch what he does:

He doesn’t go directly to Jesus or the woman...

…and tell them how they’ve done wrong...

Instead, he...

Luke 13:14 (ESV)

14 ...said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

“people” can be “crowd” or “multitude”

referring to the onlookers

In other words...

…shame on you for even wanting...

…to be healed on the Sabbath day!

-Now, what is the conflict...

…between those two things?

What did he think...

…that Jesus had done wrong?

Well, I guess it’s possible that...

…he thought Jesus “laying his hands on the woman” was work.

But, I think it’s more likely, that he thought that...

Healing, as a part of Jesus’ professional vocation...

…was considered WORK!

And as such, it was a violation of the Sabbath.

(Now, before we go any further...

…let me just say to you, that...

…this was just political rhetoric...

…and that, his real problem...

…was with Jesus, himself)

But, let’s consider the charge...

…that he’s making against our Lord.

Did it constitute a violation of the Sabbath?

Of course not!

If for no other reason...

...we know that from what Jesus said in...

Matthew 5:17 (ESV)

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Furthermore, we already saw Jesus...

…showing the logical absurdity...

…of this argument, back in Luke 6.

Remember the parallel account:

Matthew 12:5–6 (ESV)

5 Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless?

They “work” to prepare sacrifices...

And were COMMANDED to do so!

Why?

Because it’s God’s Sabbath

And it’s consecrated unto Him!

He’s the reason why we rest!

He’s the reason why we worship!

6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.

And he goes on to say:

Matthew 12:8 (ESV)

8 ...the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Click Off

-But, we’ve jumped ahead too far, really.

And I say that, because...

…even without that deeper understanding...

What Jesus did in our text...

…wouldn’t have been a Sabbath violation anyway.

Think about it:

Exodus 20:8–11 (ESV)

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,

10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

A symbolic commemoration of God’s work of creation.

A celebration of His power and goodness.

Exodus 23:12 (ESV)

12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.

It was meant to:

Glorify God

Bless his image-bearers!

Deuteronomy 5:12–15 (ESV)

12 “ ‘Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you.

13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,

14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work...

15 You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.

Click Off

So, now we have 4 purposes of the Sabbath:

Worship

Remembering God’s work at Creation

Remembering God’s work of Redemption and Restoration

Providing needful rest and rejuvenation for his people.

Was Jesus unfaithful to any of those…

…by healing that woman?

No!

He actually obeyed them!

-Now, keep in mind, that...

...this was the same Law…

…that they had had all along.

But, the problem with the Jewish clergy…

…was that they had…

Set aside the heart and essence of the Law

And had be become fixated on…

…extra-biblical technicalities.

(qualify that statement)

Obedience is good

Consistent, faithful, diligent obedience is better!

Obedience isn’t legalism

But, genuine obedience must begin in the heart...

…and understand and reflect the essence of the divine will.

And, I think that right there...

...was one of the primary reasons why...

…Jesus so often clashed with the Jewish leadership.

Why?

Because they didn’t have...

His law “within them”

It “written on their hearts”

They didn’t understand this principle:

Hosea 6:6 (ESV)

6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Click Off

-Now, think about all the times...

…that we’ve seen that principle borne out, already:

We’ll only look at one for now (Luke 6):

Matthew 12:1–5 (ESV)

1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.”

3 He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

They didn’t have a problem with David doing that, right?

And that was a much bigger “exception to the rule”

This was hypocrisy, right?

This is where Jesus quotes Hosea to them:

Matthew 12:7 (ESV)

7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.

JESUS DIDN’T BREAK THE LAW!

Neither should you or I (Moral Law)

He upheld the essence of the Law perfectly!

We ought to desire to follow in his footsteps in that

-Now, look at the indictment...

…that Jesus makes against the man in Verse 15:

Luke 13:15 (ESV)

15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! . . .

Notice the switch from singular to plural

He’s indicting the whole category...

…of the Jewish religious leadership

Now, how was this condemnation of the woman’s healing hypocritical?

I mean, it’s clearly:

Cold

Uncaring

Harsh

Legalistic...

But, Jesus says that it’s “hypocrisy.”

How so?

Let’s read on:

Luke 13:15 (ESV)

15 . . . “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

“untie” is the same root word as “freed” in Verse 12.

So, he’s saying:

“Y’all do...

Very similar...

More labor intensive...

Much less important...

… “work” on the Sabbath...

…in order to provide...

…rest and refreshment for your livestock.

(Was that fitting and proper...

…for them to do?)

Absolutely!

It accords with the essence of the Law!

The problem wasn’t that they...

…helped their animals on the Sabbath...

The problem was that...

…they weren’t willing to allow Jesus...

…to do the same thing...

…for an image bearer of God!

Look at Verse 16.

And notice the glaring juxtaposition:

Luke 13:16 (ESV)

16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Oh, there’s so much in that!

1.) See the argument from the lesser to the greater:

a woman > an ox or a donkey

a daughter of Abraham > a woman in general

2.) Notice the parallel imagery:

The woman is tied up and suffering...

…at the hands of the enemy...

But, you’re not willing...

…for her to be loosed and led to spiritual water...

…because it’s the Sabbath day...

But, you have no problem doing that...

… for your DONKEY!

3.) The livestock would only suffer for a day...

…if not afforded this mercy on the Sabbath...

But, as the LSB translates it:

Luke 13:16 (LSB)

16 ...this woman . . .a daughter of Abraham . . . Satan has bound for—behold—eighteen years...

4.) Remember that one of the purposes...

…that God gave for the Sabbath...

…was to commemorate...

…God’s deliverance of the children of Abraham...

FROM BONDAGE!

Is it not fitting then, that:

Luke 13:16 (ESV)

16 ...this woman . . . be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

Would there be any better day, then...

The day of redemption?

The day of release?

The day of rest?

The day of relief?

The day of reflection...

About the day of restoration?

You see, every. single. aspect...

...of his indictment of Jesus...

…was laden with hypocrisy.

-And Brethren, we need to remember, that...

…Jesus has spoken clearly about this issue.

He addressed it plainly and unambiguously...

Both, here...

And elsewhere.

Remember this from before:

Matthew 12:10–12 (ESV)

10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him.

11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?

12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

-Now, let’s make that personally applicable.

Consider this convicting application from Philip Ryken:

k3kk,

Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 (The New Normal)

There is no better day for us to show the compassion of Christ to people in need than the day God has given us for holy rest.

The Lord’s day is for releasing people from their bondage to sin by preaching forgiveness through the cross.

It is also a day for ministering to people’s physical and spiritual needs.

The Lord’s day is for giving comfort to those who are grieving, showing kindness to children and the elderly, visiting the sick and the infirm, befriending the friendless, and feeding the homeless.

It is a day for bringing the disabled to church, or for bringing church to the disabled, as we take the gospel to shut-ins in their homes and nursing homes.

We do not have the power to cure people the way that Jesus did. But by our love and compassion we can be agents of his saving work.

Think about that in this light:

Micah 6:6–8 (ESV)

6 “With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”

8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

What is our foremost duty...

…and God’s foremost desire?

That we:

Love God with all our hearts

Love our neighbor as ourselves.

That is the sum and substance...

...of the Law of God.

-Alright, look at Verse 17.

And again, we see a familiar scene:

Luke 13:17 (ESV)

17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

I love what Cyril of Alexandria said about Verse 17:

New Testament III: Luke (Shame and Gladness)

Shame fell then on those who had uttered these corrupt opinions, stumbled against the chief cornerstone, and had been broken...

They could make no reply. They had unanswerably (sic) convicted themselves. They were put to silence, doubting what they should say. The Lord closed their bold mouths.

The crowds who reaped the benefit of the miracles were glad. The glory and splendor of his works solved all inquiry and doubt in those who sought him without ill will. COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 96.15

-Watch how this passage...

Ties it all together

Makes application

Calls us to an appropriate response:

Matthew 11:25–29 (ESV)

25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Click Off

Let’s Pray