Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Luke 13:10–21

There are two kinds of people in this synagogue.

There is a woman who is hurting.

There is a ruler who is judging.

One is visibly bent over.

One looks upright, but his heart is bent toward control.

One comes needing mercy.

One comes guarding a system.

This is one of the most sobering things about being in church.

You can be in the right place and still miss the heart of God.

You can attend worship and still be cold toward people.

You can love truth and still forget mercy.

And Jesus will not allow that combination to remain unchallenged.

This story also reminds us of something hopeful.

Long-term bondage is not permanent bondage when Jesus is present.

Eighteen years is a long time to hurt.

But it is not too long for Christ to heal.

It is not too long for Christ to free.

It is not too long for Christ to restore.

So tonight we are going to watch what Jesus does.

He sees what others ignore.

He frees what others cannot fix.

He confronts what religion tries to hide.

And then he explains what his kingdom is doing in the world and in us.

I. Jesus Sees What Others Ignore

A. He Notices The Overlooked Person

Luke 13:10 tells us Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

He is not outside the religious world.

He is right in the middle of it.

And then Luke says, behold, there was a woman.

That word behold is a spotlight.

The Holy Spirit is saying, Look at her.

Do not rush past her.

Do not make her an accessory to the story.

She matters.

The woman is not named.

The ruler is not named.

But Jesus treats the unnamed as valuable.

This is already a lesson for the church.

God does not measure people by visibility.

God does not measure people by influence.

God does not measure people by how “important” they look on a Sunday.

Christ sees the person others overlook.

There is a tenderness in that.

Some of the deepest burdens in a church are carried by the quietest people.

They are not dramatic.

They do not draw attention.

They do not talk about it in public.

But they hurt.

And they have learned how to smile while hurting.

Psalm 34:18 says the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart.

So if your heart is broken tonight, you are not far from God.

You may feel far.

You may feel unseen.

But you are not far.

B. He Recognizes The Depth Of The Problem

Luke 13:11 says she had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years.

It is possible this was physical illness with spiritual oppression involved.

The text later says Satan had bound her.

What matters for us is that Jesus does not treat her condition as trivial.

He does not treat it as a nuisance.

He does not brush it off with a simple, Try harder.

Then Luke says she was bowed together and could in no wise lift up herself.

That is not only describing her spine.

That is describing her helplessness.

She cannot correct it.

She cannot straighten it.

She cannot lift herself.

That is such a clear picture of the human condition apart from grace.

Sin bends us.

Sorrow bends us.

Fear bends us.

And there are burdens you cannot straighten by willpower.

Some people are bent under guilt because they have never truly confessed and forsaken.

Proverbs 28:13 KJV

13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Some people are bent under fear because they live as though God cannot be trusted.

Some people are bent under bitterness because they keep replaying the wound until it becomes identity.

Some people are bent under shame because they believe their past has the final word.

This woman’s condition had lasted so long that it could have felt like her identity.

But Jesus is about to prove that her bondage is not her name.

C. Jesus Initiates Compassion

Luke 13:12 says when Jesus saw her, he called her to him.

That is initiative.

That is pursuit.

That is not her earning his attention.

That is Christ giving it.

Some of us have a picture of God that is always reluctant.

As if he needs to be talked into mercy.

As if he is annoyed by need.

This passage destroys that picture.

Jesus saw her.

Jesus called her.

Jesus moved toward her.

Matthew 11:28 KJV

28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Christ invites.

He does not mock weakness.

He does not despise need.

He draws near.

That also means this.

If we want to be like Jesus, we cannot only notice people when they become loud.

We cannot only care when they become inconvenient.

We have to develop eyes like Christ.

Eyes that see the ones that are quietly bowed down.

II. Jesus Frees What Others Can’t Fix

A. His Word Speaks Release

Luke 13:12 records the words, “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.”

That is not polite religious talk.

That is authority.

That is the Lord speaking over bondage.

The word loosed is powerful.

It is the picture of being untied.

Unbound.

Unshackled.

Set free.

That is what Christ does in salvation.

He does not simply improve your behavior.

He breaks your chains.

He delivers you from the dominion of darkness.

He gives you a new Master and a new life.

John 8:36 KJV

36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Real freedom is not a slogan.

It is Christ’s work.

It is Christ’s power.

It is Christ’s authority.

And that freedom is not only for the day you got saved.

Some of God’s people live saved but still shackled.

Saved but still enslaved to fear.

Saved but still enslaved to secret sin.

Saved but still enslaved to bitterness.

Saved but still enslaved to people-pleasing.

Christ did not only save you from hell.

He saved you from bondage.

He calls you into liberty that looks like trust and obedience.

B. His Touch Shows Personal Care

Luke 13:13 says, He laid his hands on her.

Jesus could have healed her without touching her.

But he touched her.

Why.

Because touch communicates something words alone sometimes do not.

It communicates closeness.

It communicates compassion.

It communicates, I am not repulsed by your brokenness.

Hebrews 4:15 KJV

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Christ is not distant.

Christ is not cold.

Christ is compassionate.

Some people only know cold religion.

They know rules without warmth.

They know standards without shepherding.

They know correction without comfort.

But Jesus is both holy and compassionate.

He confronts sin and he binds wounds.

He speaks truth and he gives grace.

C. His Power Produces Immediate Change

Luke 13:13 says immediately she was made straight.

That is astonishing.

After eighteen years, immediate change.

Now we know God does not always heal physically in a moment.

We do not build a whole theology on one miracle story.

Paul prayed and God answered with sustaining grace.

We also know that ultimate healing is coming for every believer in the resurrection.

But Luke wants you to see this.

Jesus is not limited.

Jesus is not weak.

Jesus is not guessing.

His power is complete.

And notice what she does next.

She glorified God.

That is the right response.

Not attention on self.

Not a campaign against the ruler.

Worship.

That is what grace produces.

It produces gratitude.

It produces praise.

It produces humility.

When you know you have been helped by God, you stop acting like you are the hero of your own story.

Psalm 103:2 KJV

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:

Some Christians stay discouraged because they forget.

They forget what God has done.

They forget what God has carried them through.

They forget the mercies they have already received.

If God has ever lifted you, you should still have praise in you.

If God has ever forgiven you, you should still have gratitude in you.

If God has ever rescued you, you should still have worship in you.

III. Jesus Confronts Religion Without Mercy

A. The Wrong Spirit Can Live In The Right Place

Luke 13:14 says the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation.

That is a chilling response.

A woman has just been freed.

And he is angry.

This is the danger of religious pride.

Pride can stand next to a miracle and still complain.

Pride can watch God help someone and feel threatened.

Pride can hear truth and still resist because it dislikes losing control.

The ruler says, “There are six days in which men ought to work. In them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.”

He is hiding behind principle language.

But what is really happening is this.

Grace inconvenienced his system.

We should not miss the fact that he did not even speak to Jesus directly.

He spoke to the people as a way to scold Jesus indirectly.

That is how pride works.

It does not deal honestly.

It postures.

It manipulates.

It shames.

And notice the cruelty.

He is basically saying to a woman who has suffered eighteen years, Come back tomorrow.

That is religion without mercy.

That is religion that has lost the heart of God.

1 Corinthians 13 teaches that you can have knowledge and still be nothing without charity.

Truth matters.

Doctrine matters.

Standards matter.

But when truth is separated from love, it becomes harshness.

It becomes a hammer that crushes the wounded.

B. Jesus Names Hypocrisy And Corrects Priorities

Luke 13:15 begins, The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite.

Jesus does not tolerate hypocrisy in leadership.

Because hypocrisy poisons a whole room.

It teaches people to fear grace.

It teaches people to hide pain.

It teaches people that image matters more than mercy.

Then Jesus uses an everyday example.

Does not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering.

Jesus is saying, You already do what is necessary when it benefits you.

You already make allowances for what you value.

Then verse 16.

And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day.

Jesus is saying, If compassion is allowed for animals, how much more for a covenant sister.

If you can untie livestock, why are you offended when I unbind a woman.

Micah 6:8 KJV

8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; And what doth the Lord require of thee, But to do justly, and to love mercy, And to walk humbly with thy God?

God loves mercy.

God honors mercy.

Jesus practiced mercy.

And he rebuked religion that refused it.

Luke 13:17 says his adversaries were ashamed, and all the people rejoiced.

That is the dividing line.

Some are ashamed because their heart is exposed.

Some rejoice because hope is restored.

When Christ works, you will either rejoice or resist.

Neutrality does not last long when Jesus speaks.

IV. Jesus Explains A Kingdom That Grows

A. The Kingdom Grows From Small Beginnings

In verses 18 and 19 Jesus asks, Unto what is the kingdom of God like.

Then he answers with the mustard seed.

A man takes a tiny seed and casts it into his garden.

It grows.

It becomes a great tree.

Birds lodge in the branches.

Jesus is teaching them not to misjudge his work.

Do not judge the kingdom by its beginnings.

Do not judge it by size.

Do not judge it by outward impressiveness.

At this moment Jesus does not look like a king with an army.

He looks like a teacher in a synagogue with enemies and critics.

But the kingdom is real.

It is growing.

It is unstoppable.

Zechariah 4:10 KJV

10 For who hath despised the day of small things? For they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; They are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

Small beginnings are not evidence of failure.

Often they are evidence of God’s method.

You do not become a strong Christian overnight.

You become a strong Christian through daily obedience.

Through small choices.

Through consistent prayer.

Through steady Bible intake.

Through repeated repentance.

Through faithful church life.

Some of the most important spiritual victories start with a mustard seed moment.

A decision to stop hiding.

A decision to make things right.

A decision to forgive.

A decision to seek help.

A decision to put away a secret sin.

A decision to return to the Lord with the whole heart.

B. The Kingdom Works Quietly And Thoroughly

In verses 20 and 21 Jesus gives the leaven illustration.

The kingdom is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Leaven does not work loudly.

But Leaven does not work instantly either.

Leaven works quietly and thoroughly.

That is how God changes a life.

He does not only adjust a few external behaviors.

He gets into the thoughts.

He gets into the desires.

He gets into the motives.

He gets into the tongue.

He gets into the relationships.

He gets into the home.

Romans 12:2 KJV

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

That is leaven work.

That is inside-out change.

Leaven takes time.

Seeds take time.

But God completes what he begins.

Conclusion

This passage is not only about a miracle.

It is about what kind of church we will be.

It is about what kind of heart we will carry into the house of God.

Will we be people who see the hurting.

Or people who only see the schedule.

Will we be people who rejoice when grace lifts someone.

Or people who get irritated when grace interrupts our preferences.

And it is personal too.

What has you bent right now.

What has you bound right now.

What have you stopped believing can change.

This woman could not lift up herself.

But Jesus could lift her.

And Jesus did.

If you are lost, you cannot lift yourself out of sin.

You need Christ.

You need the gospel.

You need the Savior who loosens bonds.

If you are saved but still bound by fear, bitterness, or hidden sin, you do not need a new routine first.

You need to come close to Christ again.

You need to hear the voice of the Lord again.

You need to surrender the bondage again.

And if you have slipped into a harsh spirit, where rules matter more than people, ask God to soften you.

Because Jesus loves holiness, and Jesus loves mercy, and those are never enemies in his kingdom.

What step of coming close do you need to take tonight.

What chain do you need to confess.

What person do you need to forgive.

What fear do you need to surrender.

And will you come to Jesus instead of just attending church around him.