12 May 2018 — Hacer el bien
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One of the great gospel paradoxes is that Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, who came to bring peace to the souls of men and to the world, has generated more conflict than anyone else who has ever lived. When He was an infant, Simeon told His parents, “
Y los bendijo Simeón, y dijo a su madre María: He aquí, éste está puesto para caída y para levantamiento de muchos en Israel, y para señal que será contradicha
[started with …He aquí, éste…]
Then, in an unsuccessful attempt to eliminate Him, Herod brutally slaughtered all the male infants in the vicinity of Bethlehem ().
Throughout His ministry the Lord faced supernatural conflict. At the outset of His public ministry, He defeated Satan in a direct confrontation (). Jesus further confronted the forces of hell by repeatedly casting out demons (; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; , ), demonstrating His absolute power and authority () over all of Satan’s kingdom.
Jesus also was involved in continual conflict and controversy with the general Jewish populace (cf. ). His characterization of the self-righteous people of Nazareth as spiritually impoverished pobres, captive cautivos, blind ciegos, and downtrodden oprimidos so outraged them that they tried to kill Him on the spot by throwing Him off a cliff despeñar de la cumbre de un monte(; cf. ). Even His own half-brothers rejected and mocked Him (). The fickle crowd who hailed Him as Messiah at the triumphal entry would turn on Him a few days later during Passion Week and demand His execution in the most painful way.
But the Lord’s most constant conflict was with the Jewish leaders, especially the architects of the popular form of apostate Judaism—the scribes and Pharisees. They were jealous () of His enormous popularity and angry at His condemnation of their hypocrisy. In an attempt to discredit Him, they denounced Jesus as a blasphemer (; ; ) and a liar (), were appalled that He associated with “sinners” (; ; ; ; ) and claimed that He was one (), condemned Him for violating their non-biblical rabbinic traditions (), accused Him of being demon possessed (; ; , ; ) and in league with Satan (; ; ), and otherwise blasphemed Him (). They challenged His authority (; ), plotted to kill Him (), arrested Him, put Him through a series of mock trials, and persuaded the Romans to execute Him by crucifixion.
Jesus confronted that corrupt, hypocritical religious establishment by cleansing the temple at the outset of His ministry (), and again shortly before His death (). He unmasked the religious leaders’ hypocrisy (, , ; ; ; ; , ; ), hard-hearted unbelief (; ) that manifested itself by demanding further signs from Him (; ; ; ; ), and exposed expuso their spiritual blindness (; , , , , ; ; ).
On the night before His death, Jesus warned His followers that they would not escape the same hostility and opposition that He had faced:
Si el mundo os aborrece, sabed que a mí me ha aborrecido antes que a vosotros.Si fuerais del mundo, el mundo amaría lo suyo; pero porque no sois del mundo, antes yo os elegí del mundo, por eso el mundo os aborrece.Acordaos de la palabra que yo os he dicho: El siervo no es mayor que su señor. Si a mí me han perseguido, también a vosotros os perseguirán; si han guardado mi palabra, también guardarán la vuestra.
Las Sagradas Escrituras, que abarcan el Antiguo y el Nuevo Testamento, constituyen la Palabra de Dios escrita, transmitida por inspiración divina mediante santos hombres de Dios que hablaron y escribieron impulsados por el Espíritu Santo. Por medio de esta Palabra, Dios ha comunicado a los seres humanos el conocimiento necesario para alcanzar la salvación. Las Sagradas Escrituras son la infalible revelación de la voluntad divina. Son la norma del carácter, el criterio para evaluar la experiencia, la revelación autorizada de las doctrinas, un registro fidedigno de los actos de Dios realizados en el curso de la historia.
Juan 15:18–2
The Lord’s warning proved true as the infant church also faced fierce hostility recorded in the book of Acts. On the very day the church was born the Jews began the persecution by mockingly accusing the apostles of being drunk (2:1–13). Soon after, when Peter and John healed a lame cojo man and preached an evangelistic sermon, the Sanhedrin ordered them to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus (4:1–22). Jealous of the apostles’ popularity, the Sanhedrin imprisoned them, beat them and again ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus (5:17–42). Later Stephen’s fearless speech before the Sanhedrin so infuriated them that they stoned him to death (6:9–7:60). That incident sparked an outbreak of persecution, spearheaded by Saul of Tarsus, against the entire church at Jerusalem (8:1–4). Herod Agrippa, seeking to please the Jews, executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter (12:1–19).
Asociación General de los Adventistas del Séptimo Día. Manual de la Iglesia Revisión 2010 (Spanish Edition) (Kindle Locations 3145-3146). Asociación Publicadora Interamericana. Kindle Edition.
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “A slave is not greater than his master.” If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (; cf. , ; ; ; ; )
The Lord’s warning proved true as the infant church also faced fierce hostility recorded in the book of Acts. On the very day the church was born the Jews began the persecution by mockingly accusing the apostles of being drunk (2:1–13). Soon after, when Peter and John healed a lame man and preached an evangelistic sermon, the Sanhedrin ordered them to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus (4:1–22). Jealous of the apostles’ popularity, the Sanhedrin imprisoned them, beat them and again ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus (5:17–42). Later Stephen’s fearless speech before the Sanhedrin so infuriated them that they stoned him to death (6:9–7:60). That incident sparked an outbreak of persecution, spearheaded by Saul of Tarsus, against the entire church at Jerusalem (8:1–4). Herod Agrippa, seeking to please the Jews, executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter (12:1–19).
Asociación General de los Adventistas del Séptimo Día. Manual de la Iglesia Revisión 2010 (Spanish Edition) (Kindle Locations 3142-3145). Asociación Publicadora Interamericana. Kindle Edition. The Lord’s warning proved true as the infant church also faced fierce hostility recorded in the book of Acts. On the very day the church was born the Jews began the persecution by mockingly accusing the apostles of being drunk (2:1–13). Soon after, when Peter and John healed a lame man and preached an evangelistic sermon, the Sanhedrin ordered them to stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus (4:1–22). Jealous of the apostles’ popularity, the Sanhedrin imprisoned them, beat them and again ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus (5:17–42). Later Stephen’s fearless speech before the Sanhedrin so infuriated them that they stoned him to death (6:9–7:60). That incident sparked an outbreak of persecution, spearheaded by Saul of Tarsus, against the entire church at Jerusalem (8:1–4). Herod Agrippa, seeking to please the Jews, executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter (12:1–19).
After his dramatic conversion on the way to Damascus Saul, whose name was changed to Paul, faced intense, lifelong opposition everywhere he went—just as the Lord had promised him (9:16). That hostility began in Damascus (9:19–25) when, to the consternation and outrage of the Jewish community, the former persecutor of Christians began boldly proclaiming that Jesus was the Son of God. After a dramatic escape from Damascus (9:23–25; cf. ), the apostle went to Jerusalem, where he faced further hostility (9:28–29).
Fierce opposition dogged him no matter where he went on his missionary journeys. At Antioch Antioquía “when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming” (13:45). At Iconium Iconio “the Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren” (14:2). Paul was stoned and left for dead (14:19–20) at Lystra Listra; beaten golpeado and imprisoned at Philippi Filipos (16:16–24); forced to flee from Thessalonica Tesalónica (17:1–10) and Berea Berea (17:13–14); confronted by pagan idolatry and challenged by Greek philosophers at Athens Atenas (17:16–34); opposed by the Jews (18:5–6) and hauled before the Roman proconsul procónsul romano (vv. 12–17) at Corinth Corinto; opposed by both the Jews (19:8–10) and the Gentiles (vv. 23–41) at Ephesus Efeso; savagely beaten by rioting Jews and taken into custody by the Romans at Jerusalem (21:27–23:22) and put on trial before the Roman governors Felix Félix (24:1–23) and Festus Festo (25:1–22), and King Agrippa Agripa (25:23–26:32). Finally, after a harrowing voyage to Rome, Paul was rejected by many of the Jews there (28:17–29). In addition to the historical record in Acts, Paul referred numerous times in his epistles to the unceasing conflict that he experienced in his ministry (1 Cor. 4:12; 2 Cor. 1:8–10; 4:8–9, 17; 6:4; 7:4–5; 12:10; Gal. 5:11; 1 Thess. 3:1–7; 2 Tim. 1:12, 15–16; 2:8–10; 3:10–11; 4:6, 14–17; cf. Acts 20:19, 23 and Paul’s summary in 2 Cor. 11:23–33). Speaking Spirit-inspired truth validated by his own experience, Paul taught that conflict is to be expected in the Christian life, since
Y también todos los que quieren vivir piadosamente en Cristo Jesús padecerán persecución;
In the early years of the church, most of the conflict was generated by the Jews. Eventually, however, the Romans became the church’s main antagonists, persecuting it for political, religious, social, and economic reasons.
“all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (; cf. ; ; ; ).
In the early years of the church, most of the conflict was generated by the Jews. Eventually, however, the Romans became the church’s main antagonists, persecuting it for political, religious, social, and economic reasons (for a detailed explanation of those reasons, see , The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2008], 167–69).
The initial persecution of Christians by the Roman government was instigated by Nero Nerón after the devastating fire of A.D. 64 destroyed much of Rome. According to tradition, both Peter and Paul were in Rome and were martyred during that persecution. Toward the end of the first century, another Roman persecution broke out during the reign of Domitian Domiciano. For the next century and a half, persecution was sporadic and, like those under Nero and Domitian, localized. The first empire-wide persecution came during the reign of Decius Decio in A.D. 250. Decius ordered that everyone offer a sacrifice to the gods and the emperor. Those who refused were subject to arrest, imprisonment, torture, and execution. Decius’s persecution, however, was cut short by his death in battle the following year. The last and most violent empire-wide persecution began in A.D. 303 during Diocletian’s Diocleciano reign. This persecution was a determined effort to obliterate Christianity altogether. All copies of the Scripture were ordered to be destroyed, and Christians were commanded to offer sacrifices to the Roman gods or face execution. The persecution began to subside when Constantine Constantino and his co-emperor Licinius Licinio issued an edict granting freedom of worship (A.D. 313). But Licinius reneged on the agreement, allowing persecution to continue in parts of the empire until Constantine became the sole emperor in A.D. 324.
During the Middle Ages persecution against true believers was launched by the Roman Catholic Church, which had replaced secular Rome as the dominant power in Europe. The Inquisition and the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre Matanza de San Bartolomé (Hugonotes), are only examples of the millennium of killing believers that marked the Roman Church’s efforts to stamp out the preaching of the true gospel. In more recent times, countless thousands of believers continue to be imprisoned or killed by atheistic and Islamic regimes.
Returning to the conflict recorded in this passage, we see that it centered on the Sabbath, the observance of which was at the heart of Judaism. And this was not the first time the Lord had clashed with the religious leaders over the Sabbath (cf. ; ; ; ). As Lord of the Sabbath (), Jesus had absolute authority to do as He pleased on that day. But the man-made Sabbath restrictions were so crucial to first-century Judaism that it was inconceivable to the Jewish leaders that anyone who violated them could be from God (). Their religious system was based on self-righteousness, good works, and the performance of various religious rituals and ceremonies. Jesus destroyed the illusion that such pleases God. He pointed out that instead of being spiritually rich, they were spiritually bankrupt; instead of being free, they were in bondage to sin, Satan, death, and judgment. Everyone is unable to keep God’s law, not even its two most fundamental commandments, to love God and their neighbor with all their human faculties ().
The Jews were trapped in their own system. They knew of their inability to keep God’s law, but instead of repenting, they had developed a system in which they thought to obtain eternal life by keeping (at least externally) some selected and representative commandments (cf. the rich young ruler’s question in ). Chief among those were the extrabiblical regulations with which they had embellished the Sabbath.
In our Lord’s conflict with false religion on this particular Sabbath day, He exposed its error, its spiritual source (Satan), and its hypocrisy.
MacArthur, J. (2013). (pp. 194–198). Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers.
Body
During our 1987 sabbatical in Cambridge, England, my wife, Barbara, and I worshiped at “the Round Church,” shorthand for The Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Round was built in 1107 as a prayer chapel for knights on the way to the Crusades. Its circular design was modeled on the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Round is small, seating perhaps 200 worshipers on tiny, low-cut pews.
We enjoyed the evangelical services at the Round, but I was always miserably uncomfortable by the end of Sunday morning. So I asked one of the members why the pews were so small, and I was told that in the mid-nineteenth century the church’s vicar vicario was a dwarf enano, and on one occasion when Queen Victoria visited the church he gave her a great fright when he stepped from behind a pew. So thence all the pews were shortened so the Queen would never be frightened again!
tells of a woman who was short by reason of a crippling infirmity and Jesus’ healing her—a great miracle but done on the wrong day, according to some. This confrontation would provide a demonstration of God’s kingdom.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Luke 13:10–
Enseñaba Jesús en una sinagoga en el día de reposo;y había allí una mujer que desde hacía dieciocho años tenía espíritu de enfermedad, y andaba encorvada, y en ninguna manera se podía enderezar.
According to Luke, a short woman visited the synagogue on what turned out to be Jesus’ final recorded ministry in such a place. Her shortness was not due to her inherited stature but to a crippling disease that left her bent over. The consensus of modern opinion is that she was suffering from an affliction called spondylitis deformans, causing the bones of her spine to fuse into a rigid mass. There is no suggestion that the woman was demon-possessed (no demon was subsequently cast out), though she had come under the attack of an evil spirit eighteen years before that bound her up like a hobbled animal. She lived in a posture of forced humility, her face always toward the dust of the earth, unless she wrenched sideways and peered upward like an awkward animal. She seemed to sink lower and lower as the weight of years pressed upon her. Her gait was a lunging shuffle. “She walked about as if she were searching for a grave.” At times she probably wished she could find one. And yet this woman’s spiritual focus was upward. She was evidently a regular worshiper at the synagogue, for no one took special note of her. Due to her infirmity it would have been much easier to stay at home, but to her credit she sought the solace of worship and the Word.
According to Luke, a short woman visited the synagogue on what turned out to be Jesus’ final recorded ministry in such a place. Her shortness was not due to her inherited stature but to a crippling disease that left her bent over. The consensus of modern opinion is that she was suffering from an affliction called spondylitis deformans, causing the bones of her spine to fuse into a rigid mass. There is no suggestion that the woman was demon-possessed (no demon was subsequently cast out), though she had come under the attack of an evil spirit eighteen years before that bound her up like a hobbled animal. She lived in a posture of forced humility, her face always toward the dust of the earth, unless she wrenched sideways and peered upward like an awkward animal. She seemed to sink lower and lower as the weight of years pressed upon her. Her gait was a lunging shuffle. “She walked about as if she were searching for a grave.” At times she probably wished she could find one. And yet this woman’s spiritual focus was upward. She was evidently a regular worshiper at the synagogue, for no one took special note of her. Due to her infirmity it would have been much easier to stay at home, but to her credit she sought the solace of worship and the Word.
The Kingdom Manifested
On that Sabbath when the woman shuffled in and slowly took her place, no one took notice except Jesus:
Cuando Jesús la vio, la llamó y le dijo: Mujer, eres libre de tu enfermedad.Y puso las manos sobre ella; y ella se enderezó luego, y glorificaba a Dios.
The woman saw loving resolve in Jesus’ eyes. This was because he was the only man who ever perfectly fulfilled the two tables of the Law. Vertically, he loved God with all his heart. Horizontally, he loved his neighbor as he loved himself. He loved this daughter of Abraham as he loved his own body (cf. ).
In response, the poor woman rose to his beckoning and dottered forward until, eyes rolled upward, she could see him standing above her. “Woman,” he said, “you are [permanently, Greek perfect tense] set free from your infirmity.” Mujer, eres libre de tu enfermedad She heard the words, but she did not move. The bent woman was not only bound by body but by habit. Still doubled, she felt his gentle hands urge her upward, and as she attempted to rise, she straightened to her full height—graceful, head erect. The people gasped. Exclamations came from all corners.
Así también los maridos deben amar a sus mujeres como a sus mismos cuerpos. El que ama a su mujer, a sí mismo se ama.Porque nadie aborreció jamás a su propia carne, sino que la sustenta y la cuida, como también Cristo a la iglesia,porque somos miembros de su cuerpo, de su carne y de sus huesos.
“When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (vv. 12, 13). The woman saw loving resolve in Jesus’ eyes. This was because he was the only man who ever perfectly fulfilled the two tables of the Law. Vertically, he loved God with all his heart. Horizontally, he loved his neighbor as he loved himself. He loved this daughter of Abraham as he loved his own body (cf. ).
In response, the poor woman rose to his beckoning and dottered forward until, eyes rolled upward, she could see him standing above her. “Woman,” he said, “you are [permanently, Greek perfect tense] set free from your infirmity.” She heard the words, but she did not move. The bent woman was not only bound by body but by habit. Still doubled, she felt his gentle hands urge her upward, and as she attempted to rise, she straightened to her full height—graceful, head erect. The people gasped. Exclamations came from all corners.
The immediacy of the healed woman’s praise revealed her previously and presently devout heart. Thanksgiving naturally erupts from a prayerful heart. No reporter could have written all her praise down because she spoke not only in words but with her eyes, her hands, her upright body, her rising soul. She was in those moments the most eloquent woman in the universe.
This was a divine display of kingdom power. Jesus’ ministry had begun in the synagogue in Nazareth when he took the scroll of Isaiah and read:
El Espíritu del Señor está sobre mí,
Por cuanto me ha ungido para dar buenas nuevas a los pobres;
Me ha enviado a sanar a los quebrantados de corazón;
A pregonar libertad a los cautivos,
Y vista a los ciegos;
A poner en libertad a los oprimidos;
A predicar el año agradable del Señor.
Lucas 4:
This was followed by lavish displays of power—healing miracles, exorcisms, nature miracles, and the gifting of his disciples to do wonders (cf. 10:1–20). Now, at his final recorded visit to a synagogue, he set this poor woman free—creating a memorable bookend to his opening words of ministry.
“ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ ”
(, )
This was followed by lavish displays of power—healing miracles, exorcisms, nature miracles, and the gifting of his disciples to do wonders (cf. 10:1–20). Now, at his final recorded visit to a synagogue, he set this poor woman free—creating a memorable bookend to his opening words of ministry.
This healing was a taste of the kingdom power that Christ has worked throughout history. Jesus sees us in our need and, even more significant, our deepest inward deformities. If we could see others as Jesus sees them, we would see dead people staring with fixed, dilated eyes, indistinguishable on the outside from the truly alive. We would see the blind man and the maimed. But when Jesus says, “You are set free,” glazed eyes would flicker open with redeeming light, and lives twisted by sin would stand straight and erect. All glory to God!
The Kingdom Rejected
Sadly, not everyone accepts God’s kingdom rule. Consider the synagogue president on that day:
Pero el principal de la sinagoga, enojado de que Jesús hubiese sanado en el día de reposo, dijo a la gente: Seis días hay en que se debe trabajar; en éstos, pues, venid y sed sanados, y no en día de reposo.
What a slab of ecclesiastical granite! He had no heart to pity the poor bent woman’s plight, no eye for the beauty of Christ’s compassion, no soul to rejoice with the woman’s deliverance, no ear for the music of her praise.
“Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, ‘There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath’ ” (v. 14).
What a slab of ecclesiastical granite! He had no heart to pity the poor bent woman’s plight, no eye for the beauty of Christ’s compassion, no soul to rejoice with the woman’s deliverance, no ear for the music of her praise.
He was a chickenhearted religious snob. He did not lower himself to address Jesus directly but turned to the people:
Pero el principal de la sinagoga, enojado de que Jesús hubiese sanado en el día de reposo, dijo a la gente: Seis días hay en que se debe trabajar; en éstos, pues, venid y sed sanados, y no en día de reposo.
[Begin with …Seis días hay....]
His heart was pumping great amounts of formaldehyde. He breathed arsenic. He fancied that he was a lover of the Law and its protector. However, his lack of love for the woman showed that he did not love his neighbor as himself, indicating that he did not love God. The cold synagogue leader was about to be “iced” by Jesus.
The Kingdom Defended
Jesus and his contemporaries lived amidst a sea of regulations that allowed for the care of livestock on the Sabbath. Rabbinical regulations were very kind to dumb animals, assuring that they could be led out to eat and be watered (cf. M. Shab. 5:1–4; 7:2; 15:1–2; and M. Erub. 2:1–4). A few lines from the Mishnah’s Shabbath mishná 5:1–4 give the idea:
5:1 With what [burdens] may cattle go out [on the Sabbath] and with what may they not go out? The camel may go out with its curb, the female camel with its nose-ring, the Libyan ass with its bridle, the horse with its chain, and all beasts which wear a chain may go out with a chain and be led by the chain; and these things may be sprinkled and immersed without being removed. ¿Con qué [cargas] puede salir el ganado [en el día de reposo] y con qué pueden no salir? El camello puede salir con su bordillo, la camella hembra con su anillo en la nariz, el asno libio con su brida, el caballo con su cadena, y todas las bestias que usan una cadena pueden salir con una cadena y ser guiadas por la cadena ; y estas cosas pueden ser rociadas e inmersas sin ser removidas.
2. The ass may go out with its saddle-cloth if this was fastened on [before the Sabbath].… R. Judah says: Goats may go out [with their udders] bound up if this is to keep them dry, but not if it serves to collect the milk. El asno puede salir con su silla de montar si esto fue fijado [antes del Sábado] ... R. Judah dice: Las cabras pueden salir [con sus ubres] atadas si esto es para mantenerlas secas, pero no si sirve para recolectar la leche.
3. And with what may they not go out? A camel may not go out with a rag hung to its tail or with fore and hind legs bound together, or with hoof tied to thigh. So, too, is it with all other cattle.…¿Y con qué pueden ellos no salir? Un camello no puede salir con un trapo colgado de la cola o con las patas delanteras y traseras atadas juntas, o con el casco pegado al muslo. Entonces, también es con todos los otros ganados ...
4. The ass may not go out with its saddle-cloth if this was not fastened on [before the Sabbath], or with a bell even though it is plugged, or with the ladder-yoke round its neck, or with its leg-strap.… R. Eleazar b. Azariah’s cow used to go out with the strap between its horns, which was not with the consent of the Sages. El asno no puede salir con su silla de montar si no estaba ajustado [antes del día de reposo], o con una campana aunque esté tapada, o con el yugo de la escalera al cuello, o con su correa para las piernas. ... R. Eleazar b. La vaca de Azarías solía salir con la correa entre los cuernos, lo cual no era con el consentimiento de los Sabios.
In light of these regulations regarding the care of animals on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler had led with his chin, and Jesus responded.
Entonces el Señor le respondió y dijo: Hipócrita, cada uno de vosotros ¿no desata en el día de reposo su buey o su asno del pesebre y lo lleva a beber?Y a esta hija de Abraham, que Satanás había atado dieciocho años, ¿no se le debía desatar de esta ligadura en el día de reposo?
This was an unanswerable indictment using the canons of Jewish logic qal wā hōmer, arguing from the light to the heavy. Jesus’ protest “You hypocrites!” castigated the ruler and everyone who was thinking like him. The effect of Jesus’ perfect answer was immediate and open for all to see:
Al decir él estas cosas, se avergonzaban todos sus adversarios; pero todo el pueblo se regocijaba por todas las cosas gloriosas hechas por él.
“You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” (vv. 15, 16).
The crowds were with Jesus on this day. The synagogue ruler slumped away, the woman paced about upright, praising God, and the crowd rejoiced. Kingdom power filled the air!
This was an unanswerable indictment using the canons of Jewish logic qal wā hōmer, arguing from the light to the heavy. Jesus’ protest “You hypocrites!” castigated the ruler and everyone who was thinking like him. The effect of Jesus’ perfect answer was immediate and open for all to see: “When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing” (v. 17). The crowds were with Jesus on this day. The synagogue ruler slumped away, the woman paced about upright, praising God, and the crowd rejoiced. Kingdom power filled the air!
“When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing” (v. 17). The crowds were with Jesus on this day. The synagogue ruler slumped away, the woman paced about upright, praising God, and the crowd rejoiced. Kingdom power filled the air!
KINGDOM VICTORY (VV. 18–21)
With the healing of the woman, Jesus had demonstrated the ongoing victory of the kingdom despite the opposition of men and of Satan. Now he used the occasion to instruct them concerning the growth of the kingdom through two tiny parables or similes:
Y dijo: ¿A qué es semejante el reino de Dios, y con qué lo compararé? Es semejante al grano de mostaza, que un hombre tomó y sembró en su huerto; y creció, y se hizo árbol grande, y las aves del cielo anidaron en sus ramas.
Y volvió a decir: ¿A qué compararé el reino de Dios? Es semejante a la levadura, que una mujer tomó y escondió en tres medidas de harina, hasta que todo hubo fermentado.
These growth parables, as they have been called, have been subject to overinterpretation. This was especially true in the nineteenth century when it was commonly taught that the gospel would keep spreading until the world was Christianized and the kingdom was ushered in.
Lucas 13:18
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew, became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in the branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.” (vv. 18–21)
These growth parables, as they have been called, have been subject to overinterpretation. This was especially true in the nineteenth century when it was commonly taught that the gospel would keep spreading until the world was Christianized and the kingdom was ushered in.
For example, toward the end of that century Sidney Gulick wrote a book entitled The Growth of the Kingdom of God. The book’s argument was that Christianity is inexorably spreading and will ultimately take over the world—so why not convert now? Gulick reasoned, as James Montgomery Boice summarizes:
The Christian powers have increased the territory under their rule from about 7% of the surface of the world in 1600 to 82% in 1893, while the non-Christian powers have receded from about 93% to about 18% during the same period. At present the Protestant nations alone rule about twice as much territory as all the non-Christian nations combined. He added, “During the [first] ninety years of the religious history of the United States more persons have come under the direct influence of the Christian Church than during the first thousand years of Christianity in all lands combined.”
Christianity is going to take over, so get on the bandwagon!
Those who imagine that the kingdom can be brought in by the preaching of the gospel neglect the teaching of the mystery parables of , such as “the sower” (vv. 3–23) and “the weeds” (vv. 24–30), which demonstrate that the church and its rule will be neither universal nor perfect.
What really put an end to such un-Biblical (though noble) dreams were the great wars—and sins—of the so-called “Christian nations.” In 1945 Helmut Thielicke, the eminent theologian and preacher of the University of Hamburg, stood before his congregation in the choir loft of his church, which had been reduced to ruins by the air raids, and spoke these words:
We must not think of it as a gradual Christianization of the world which will increasingly eliminate evil. Such dreams and delusions, which may have been plausible enough in more peaceful times, have vanished in the terrors of our man-made misery. The nineteenth century, which brought forth a number of these dreams and dreamers, strikes us today as being an age of unsuspecting children.
Who can utter the word [progress] today without getting a flat taste in his mouth? Who can still believe today that we are developing toward a state in which the kingdom of God reigns in the world of nations, in culture, and in the life of the individual? The earth has been plowed too deep by the curse of war, the streams of blood and tears have swollen all too terribly, injustice and bestiality have become all too cruel and obvious for us to consider such dreams to be anything but bubbles and froth.
Pessimism? I do not think so! The Biblical realism in these two parables does not teach triumphalism (the view that one religion will displace all others), but rather the effective growth of the church and the authentic transforming power of Christ’s gospel.
Seed Power
Es semejante al grano de mostaza, que un hombre tomó y sembró en su huerto; y creció, y se hizo árbol grande, y las aves del cielo anidaron en sus ramas.
The tiny mustard seed (so small it is almost invisible to the eye) produces a veritable “tree” capable of housing many birds. Likewise, the kingdom, which began so insignificantly, has grown immensely so that it has a huge effect on the world, and it will continue to do so until Christ returns. The kingdom will reach all nations.
“[The kingdom of God] is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew, became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches” (v. 19). The tiny mustard seed (so small it is almost invisible to the eye) produces a veritable “tree” capable of housing many birds. Likewise, the kingdom, which began so insignificantly, has grown immensely so that it has a huge effect on the world, and it will continue to do so until Christ returns. The kingdom will reach all nations.
“[The kingdom of God] is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew, became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches” (v. 19). The tiny mustard seed (so small it is almost invisible to the eye) produces a veritable “tree” capable of housing many birds. Likewise, the kingdom, which began so insignificantly, has grown immensely so that it has a huge effect on the world, and it will continue to do so until Christ returns. The kingdom will reach all nations.
Yeast Power
Es semejante a la levadura, que una mujer tomó y escondió en tres medidas de harina, hasta que todo hubo fermentado.
Yeast or leaven works silently and unseen—from the inside—but it affects everything. It wields incredible transforming power.
“[The kingdom of God] is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough” (v. 21). Yeast or leaven works silently and unseen—from the inside—but it affects everything. It wields incredible transforming power.
We see from these parables that the kingdom of God will go out to all the nations, and its effect will be vast and profound. The crippled woman stretching to her full height, standing tall, giving praise to God—that is what the kingdom does. It works individually—a life here, a life there—transformed men and women—creating lovers of God who spread the good news.
I do not hold to the triumphalist delusion that we will bring about a Christian nation, much less a Christian world. I reject the political delusion that the liberal church succumbed to in the 1950s when it embraced political means to bring in the kingdom. But at the same time kingdom power is immense, because gospel yeast truly transforms lives, and transformed lives preserve society.
This is the power of the kingdom of God. Jesus sees us as we are. He sees the blindness and twistedness. And he has the power to say, “You are set free.”
His hands are outstretched to each of us and to everyone around us today.
Hughes, R. K. (1998). Luke: that you may know the truth (pp. 86–93). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.