Mercy over Minutia

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.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today as we set our focus on the healing of the woman with a disabling spirit on the Sabbath, we're reminded that your mercy often disrupts our expectations. We pray that you would challenge our tendencies to prioritize rules over compassion, and law over love.

May we, like Jesus, be willing to defy the status quo and bring healing and freedom to those who need it most. Help us to understand that your kingdom is not about rigid adherence to tradition, but about the transformative power of your mercy and love.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Introduction:

The event we have just read together takes place while Jesus was speaking in a synagogue. We do not know where the particular synagogue he was teaching in was located as they were numerous. The requirement for a synagogue to exist was a minimum of 10 men, and the region of Galilee had 240 cities and villages that would have each had at least one synagogue and many would have hd several more than that. In a region like Judea, which had a greater population, there would have been many more. The Jewish Talmud tells us that Jerusalem alone had 480 synagogue.

These were places designed to teach the scriptures to the Jewish people, while the Temple was designed as the place to offer sacrifices. A synagogue did not have a full time pastor/teacher and oversight was done by a a group of elders that consisted of laymen and the head elder was considered the “ruler of the synagogue” whose main job was to conduct the services and approve the men who would teach from the Old Testament scriptures on the Sabbath.

Jesus spent a lot of time teaching in the synagogues of Galilee and Judea but, this particular event would mark the last time that he would do so in his life because, as demonstrated here, they are becoming less and less accepting of his message.

The Jewish people were trapped under the weight of their works based system of religion. They knew they could not keep the law of God perfectly but instead of living a life of repentance, they had developed a system that taught them salvation could be inherited through external adherence to a selective number of commands and man made regulations. A number of which were regulations that were outside of what God had commanded and embellished upon the keeping of the sabbath.

The Talmud devoted 24 chapters to Sabbath regulations that describe in painstaking detail what was allowable and not allowable on the sabbath. It spun a web of hard to navigate systems of external behavior.

For instance, traveling more than 3,000 feet from home was forbidden. But if one had placed food at the 3,000 foot point before the Sabbath, that point would then be considered a home, since there was food there, and allow another 3,000 feet of travel. Similarly, a piece of wood or a rope placed across the end of a narrow street or alley constituted a doorway. That could then be considered the front door of one’s house, and permit the 3,000 feet of travel to begin there.

Something lifted up in a public place could only be set down in a private place, and vice versa. An object tossed into the air could be caught with the same hand, but if it was caught with the other hand, it would be a Sabbath violation.

Clothes could not be examined or shaken out before being put on because an insect might be killed in the process, which would be work. No fire could be lit, or put out. Cold water could be poured into warm water, but not warm into cold. An egg could not be cooked, not even by placing it in hot sand during the summer. Nothing could be sold or bought. Bathing was forbidden, lest water be spilled on the floor and wash it. Moving a chair was not allowed, since it might make a rut in a dirt floor, which was too much like plowing. Women were forbidden to look in a mirror, since if they saw a white hair, they might be tempted to pull it out

John MacArthur, Luke 6–10, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2011), 4.

Nor could they do any Sewing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, thrashing, winnowing, grinding, meeting, baking, cheering, washing, feeding, dying, or spinning wool, tying or on tying a knot, catching, killing, or skinning a deer, salting it's me, or preparing its skin.

All of this legalism placed the people under an unbearable load, but also created a ton of righteousness and, the preaching of Jesus, provoked more and more hostility from those who were content to maintain their system of rules.

On this particular sabbath as Jesus was teaching, v.11 tells us

Luke 13:11 ESV

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.

The greek here presents this lady slowly and very painfully making her way into the synagogue as Jesus was teaching.

Spurgeon in his sermon on this text says “She walked about as if she were searching for a grave.”

She was a social pariah, remember, the Jews overwhelmingly believed that any physical suffering was a judgement from God for sin. On top of that, she was a woman, and in Jewish society of the day, women were second class citizens. Plus, we’re told her disability was caused by demonic oppression. Nobody wanted her there or had any compassion for her other than Jesus. Her condition, so moved the Savior that he proceeded to give:

1.) A demonstration of Mercy (v.11-13)

Jesus saw her as he was teaching, called her over and healed her.

Notice what he says to her in v.12

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.

You are freed- Greek perfect tense, meaning permanently.

Upon hearing the tender words of Jesus and feeling his merciful touch she was permanently let loose from the burden she had carried on her back for 18 long years.

For 18 years she had been bound under demonic oppression and in a moment, she was set free, fully and permanently.

So much so, that she immediately stood up straight and glorified God.

Friends only the words and touch of Jesus can bring about permanent healing from a life burdened down with sin.

Psalm 146:8 ESV

8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.

Souls that are bent down under the load of guilt and shame brought on by their sinful condition can be fully and permanently set free from their sin and made to walk in Christ.

This divine display of the power of Christ was just a little taste of what Christ came into this world to do.

He sees us in our need and in our sinful frailty, sets his eye on us and pronounces us free through faith in him alone. So that, God can be glorified through the work of his son.

Every time someone comes to faith, regardless of their standing in society or what we think about them, the Mercy of Christ is demonstrated again and again and God alone gets all of the glory.

1 Corinthians 1:26–31 ESV

26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

But, as often happens when someone whose lifestyle isn’t what we approve of, or someone whose presence inconveniences us, comes to Christ, a pious, self-righteous, pugnacious legalist got upset because things didn't happen according to his man made standard of decent behavior at church.

The ruler of the synagogue, the most religous man present (all you had to do was ask him) steps up not to celebrate the demonstration of Mercy but to offer

2.) A demand for minutia. (v.14)

Luke 13:14 ESV

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.”

While this poor woman sought to draw near to Jesus and experience his mercy, the ruler of the synagogue got upset that his ceremony was being disturbed.

He was far more concerned for the minutiae of rituals, regulations, and ceremony than he was about this suffering woman. She was messing up his sanctimony.

The Jewish elite like this ruler, and the pharisees who plagued Jesus so much didn't care at all for people like this. They had no mercy to offer this woman, all they cared about was their system of righteousness.

Instead of praising God for showing mercy upon this woman and healing her, he became indignant because Jesus dared heal her on the Sabbath.

But, he doesn’t confront Jesus, instead he yells at the crowd. He couldn’t deny a miracle had taken place, he was just mad that his man man made sabbath regulations had been violated.

One writer called this man “…a chickenhearted religious snob.”

There was no work preformed here. All Jesus did was speak to the woman and touch her. All the woman did was stand up. Thee was nothing in God’s law or the rabbinic traditions that forbade and act of mercy like this.

Isn’t it awful when Jesus shows up and disrupts our worship services? How dare he save someone you look down on! How dare he save a bunch of noisy kids! How dare he save someone that smells bad and looks different than you! How dare he save someone who doesn't already know how to behave in church!

Jesus called this man out for his lack of compassion by pointing out his hypocrisy.

Luke 13:15–17 ESV

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.

This wasn’t just addressed to the ruler of the synagogue, it was addressed to anyone else who was also upset in the room.

The same rabbinic law they were accusing Jesus of breaking allowed for animals to be led to water and fed on the Sabbath as long as they weren’t carrying any kind of burden.

Jesus is pointing out that this man, and others like him, were placing animals and religous rules over meeting the needs (spiritual, mental, physical_ from the Lord. ) of people.

What better way to worship the Lord than to have compassion and mercy upon the oppressed and relive them of their burden.

The rulers heartlessness and legalism were exposed and put to shame by Jesus in this statement.While at the same time the crowd was rejoicing and worshipping the Lord.

Conclusion:

THere are two great lessons we can learn from this event today:

Mercy brings healing

Jesus mercy healed this woman, freeing her from sins burden. When we experience the mercy of God through the salvation he brings, we are healed from the curse of sin and the bondage it brings. Sinners become saints and Christ is glorified.

Isaiah 53:5 ESV

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.

That is all that matters here. This woman was set free and God was glorified in the process!

Minutia brings hypocrisy

Friends when we get caught up in our man made minutia of what we think church ought to be, we will miss Jesus. No, we won’t miss him, we’ll get mad when he shows up and saves someone we don’t think is worthy. We’ll get mad when he shows up and church goes differently than we think it should.

We will miss out on God being glorified in the mercy of Christ shown to sinners because we’ll have our nose turned up in the air.

Cold, dead, legalism has never once set a sinner free it only weighs them down further.

The words and touch of Jesus bring life!

Prayer

Father,

As we reflect on the healing of the woman with a disabling spirit, we're reminded that your mercy is always more important than our man-made rules and regulations. We pray that you would challenge our tendencies to prioritize minutia over mercy.

Help us to see the world through your eyes, to notice the broken and burdened around us, and to respond with compassion and love. May we, like Jesus, be willing to defy the status quo to bring healing and freedom to those who need it most.

In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Invitation

May we prioritize mercy over minutia, embracing the transformative power of Jesus love and compassion. May we, like Jesus, show mercy to those in need, rather than getting bogged down in man-made rules and regulations

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