Right-Side Up Kingdom

Last week we left Jesus addressing a crowd based on a request from a brother to make his other brother share the inheritance.

Jesus makes it quite clear that following him is going to cause conflict and division.

In other words, when you follow Jesus, and do what he asks, people will abandon you, even parents and children will be divided.

This outcome will be unavoidable.

We left at his challenge: “DECIDE FOR YOURSELVES.”

Jesus is going to close out his teaching in the next 9 verses and move forward to HELP US UNDERSTAND what is going on in the world around him.

Luke 13:1-5

Luke 13:1–5 (NLT)

About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”

This section seems like it comes out of nowhere given he is discussing how people will be divided because of him.

Here is another instance, but he works in repentance.

I will be brief here as the message of repentance matters, but is straightforward.

The issue is this:

PEOPLE WHO DIED WERE JUDGED AS GREATER SINNERS

Let me give you a recent example that happened in our lifetime.

When AIDS started to spread among the homosexual community there were some Christian leaders that taught God was punishing them with death for their sin. Do you remember those times?

My question is this: What is the greater sin of the faithful mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who die from COVID?

He is addressing the belief that sin results in God killing someone. Yes, there are some examples of that in the Hebrew Bible, but it is not the norm and God never does it without a connection to real, true evil and allegiance to demons.

So, Jesus JOINS THEM ALL by saying we all will die in one form or another. The only way to survive death is repentance.

But for how long?

Luke 13:6-9

Luke 13:6–9 (NLT)

Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’ ”

This is a great story that we will not understand until we read all the gospels.

If you have not heard my message on Jesus as Gardner, then you should listen to it. Mary, who finds Jesus at the tomb mistakes him for a gardener. That is who he is speaking of in this passage.

Primary point is not to educate us on how to grow a fig tree.

It is the patience of God. He will wait for us to repent.

BUT…IT IS TIME BOXED...

It is not something that will wait forever.

The message is REPENT, turn around, go in another direction.

We are going to come back to this later...

This closes out one section of Luke and another starts that begins to show again the upside down nature of the kingdom of God.

Luke 13:10-14

Luke 13:10–14 (NLT)

One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

Jesus continues on his travels to Jerusalem and while he travels he continues to attend synagogue and cause trouble.

Makes me wonder what he would say if he showed up today.

Some items of note:

Satan is the source of her sickness (not always the case)

18 years, but she continues to show up to synagogue

Leader is indignant…again…because it is done on the sabbath.

It is an argument from ignorance.

This whole issue of working on a Sabbath seems to really make people angry, including Jesus.

But for a different reason...

Luke 13:15

Luke 13:15 (NLT)

But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water?

We won’t go over hypocrites too much as I don’t want to repeat myself.

Hypocrisy is something Jesus has no tolerance for.

But the context of the hypocrisy is VERY IMPORTANT!

They are being hypocritical in regards to the text.

In other words, what they are doing is not true to scripture.

Why it is important to know your scriptures!

Let me tell you how this goes down:

Ox and donkey owners are guilty here

If you don’t own an ox or donkey you think you are free, but you are not. (glad I don’t own an ox!)

I can see this pitting ox and donkey owners against those who don’t own one or many!

The statement is this, “Each of you works on the Sabbath day!” It is a condemnation of everyone who is hearing his words.

For example, don’t you walk your animal to the water? How is that not working?

He goes on...

Luke 13:16

Luke 13:16 (NLT)

This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

This comparison is so powerful, and if we don’t know our scriptures, we will miss the nuance the author is trying to convey.

Jesus has offended their culture:

He has healed on the Sabbath

He has touched a woman

He is now defending his actions and this woman

He is claiming authority to heal AND free a person from evil

IMPORTANT: He is condemning the leader(s) of the synagogue for NOT TAKING ACTION ON HER BEHALF.

But it gets worse:

She is a dear woman

She is a daughter of Abraham

If there is one thing we know from the Hebrew Bible it is that God cares deeply for the plight of women.

Recently, I have been studying this topic of the role of women in God’s Kingdom.

This passage strikes at the heart of the matter.

In essence, what Jesus just said is this:

You will care for your animal, a beast of the field, on Sabbath

But you won’t care for this woman, a Daughter of Abraham.

Jesus interprets what happens in Genesis 2 very differently than people before him, those in his present day, and even contemporaries of our time.

I harp on this so often, but it is important.

When Jesus calls her a Daughter of Abraham, he is taking us back to Genesis 12. When he speaks of watering your beast of the field, he takes us back to Genesis 2. When he speaks of the Sabbath and her as a female, he takes us back to Genesis 1.

Let’s follow this logic for just a moment...

Genesis 12:1-3

Genesis 12:1–3 (ESV)

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Who has the religious leader condemned?

Daughter of Abraham.

Who then has he cursed?

Abraham

If he curses Abraham, then he is cursed.

(you see how offensive this is)

What is the purpose of Abraham?

To be a blessing to ALL THE FAMILIES ON EARTH.

Where is her blessing?

Let’s looks deeper...

Genesis 2:20-23

Genesis 2:20–23 (ESV)

The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”

Right here is where the interpretation breaks down.

By naming the livestock (donkey and ox included), the man (adam) claims authority over them. In other words, the man rules them.

That is okay, God presented the animals to the man to name them.

But the man also assigns Woman as the name to his helper (ezer).

Therefore, they say, the man is over the woman.

But here are some things to notice:

God does not bring her to be named

The man names her and HIMSELF

She is already called woman/wife when God presents her, making God her authority, not the man

I could go on, but I will spare you the details.

You might ask, “how do you arrive at this conclusion”

Because of what precedes this section...

Genesis 1:26-27

Genesis 1:26–27 (ESV)

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Notice the use of THEM, plural.

No distinction

God blesses equally too...

Genesis 1:28

Genesis 1:28 (ESV)

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

THEM again.

And he says to THEM…multiply…fill…subdue…rule over the beasts.

The authority is to THEM. Period.

What follows this is the declaration that the seventh day is blessed and holy and to be set aside as the Sabbath.

Humans first, then God blessed a day for humans. Sabbath was made for humans not humans made for the Sabbath. (Jesus makes this point in the gospels).

Luke 13:17

Luke 13:17 (NLT)

This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

This is why Jesus can shame them by comparing the healing of a woman who has suffered for 18 years at the hand of the Satan to how people will water their animals.

The religious teachers had twisted the scripture so that they could oppress people with it.

Now we can see the call to repentance in context.

You think those who died in the Temple were worse than you, certainly not!

You think God was punishing those who died when the tower of Siloam fell were special sinners? Certainly not!

Everyone needs to repent!

And if you think you can be a fig tree that does not produce fruit and survive, you are wrong.

If you want to claim to be a fig tree, one who bears good fruit for the owner, but you fail to do so, well, you have a reprieve, but not long. So get busy!

Conclusion:

She is a Daughter of Abraham.

She is to be seen as fully human, not equated equal to or less than animals.

For Jesus to heal her is not entirely unusual, we have seen him do this before and he will continue doing it.

But to watch him defend his healing by bringing dignity and honor to this woman is jaw-dropping!

The woman here is:

Not married or unmarried or a widow

Not young or old

Not rich or poor

Simply put, she is a woman who for 18 years has been living with the remnants of evil in her life.

Held captive for 18 years.

No indication anyone has tried to help her.

And she HAS NOT LOST HER FAITH!

What does Jesus do?

HE REDEFINES HER IDENTITY as a DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM.

She shares equally in the blessing given to her because she is a Daughter of Abraham.

She shares equally in the responsibility to be a blessing.

Why do you think God is so concerned with Widows and Orphans?

We are to help them so they can participate in the mandate to subdue and rule the earth. They cannot do that if they are oppressed by having to beg, scrape, borrow, and steal food for themselves!

When we don’t help, we hinder the expansion of the Kingdom of God.

If Jesus can restore her dignity, he can restore yours too.