Word for the day by Christian Education Forum
Jesus Christ who Redeems
St. Luke 13:10-17On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 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. vs. 10-13:
According to Websters Dictionary, the word “Redeem” means to buy back, to free from captivity usually by paying a ransom, to free from the bondage of sin, etc. All these are true from a Biblical point of view as well. Jesus is considered our living Redeemer because He came to save and deliver us out of sin by paying a great price - His own life.
Our Bible lesson tells us of a great woman of faith. We know very little about her. We don’t even know her name. We only know that she was crippled by a spirit and bent over for eighteen years. But she nevertheless stands out not so much because of what she herself did, but rather because of what the Lord Jesus did for her. What a cause for praise to God in the synagogue her story came to be that day! And what a great lesson her story has to teach us about the mercy of our Lord in the face of the rigidness of religious ritualism.
Let me highlight few points from this story which may reinforce our faith and trust in Jesus Christ:
The Sad Bondage of the Woman.
Even though she was in such a terrible physical as well as spiritual condition, she made her way to the synagogue that Sabbath day. She did what she could; and came to the place of worship. This may have been her disciplined routine every Sabbath day. Her infirmity never kept her away from worshiping God. It seems that she got used to with her “bent over” condition and didn’t care about what others think of her.
In his woodcut, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” the artist Robert Hodgell depicts a man bent over, not unlike the woman in our Bible lesson. Strapped to the man’s back are large rocks, and written on them is the question, ”what shall I do to be saved?” He tries to walk forward, but his burden is too great. Behind him are laughing faces, deriding him and adding to his woe. This “pilgrim” makes little progress because he has burdened himself with the weight of his own salvation. This ill-health is deeply spiritual, marked by our human desire to save ourselves, rather than to accept the freedom that Jesus offers.
The Compassionate Mercy of Jesus.
Did the woman come to synagogue as any observant Jew would, as her Sabbath right and duty? She does not appear to come asking for anything. She does not even call out to Jesus like the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:47) - Jesus called out to her. What a remarkable blessing that this woman is seen by our loving and compassionate Savior, and in this seeing comes a call to Him, a healing touch, and a response of praise. We should be the carriers of the Good News that Jesus Christ sees and knows our burdens and illness. He can and will set us free. Don’t forget that all of us stand before God as broken sinners, unable to straighten up. In this story the woman is healed; she is made straight.
There is a deep indignity in that bent-over pilgrim in Hodgell’s woodcut and in the woman in the story: neither of them is able to look another human being in the face. Grace empowers us to see Christ face-to-face, but that eye contact brings redemption.
The Hypocrisy of the Synagogue Ruler.
The job of the synagogue ruler was to be there and make sure everything happened in accordance with religious protocol - and in a way that was keeping with the judaistic traditions regulating the Sabbath. We read in the Bible lesson, “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). According to the law of God, the ruler had no right whatsoever to prohibit the release of anyone’s burden on the Sabbath day, because the Bible taught that it was that sort of thing precisely that God intended to have happen on His holy Sabbath day!
After hearing the ruler rebuke the crowd, the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites!” A spiritual hypocrite is someone who puts on an outward show in front of others, but is not true to what he pretends to be. The best way to apply the lessons we learn from this woman’s story is to come to Jesus just as we are, and to let Him set us free and take our burden away without any fear.
Our Bible lesson tells us of a great woman of faith. We know very little about her. We don’t even know her name. We only know that she was crippled by a spirit and bent over for eighteen years. But she nevertheless stands out not so much because of what she herself did, but rather because of what the Lord Jesus did for her. What a cause for praise to God in the synagogue her story came to be that day! And what a great lesson her story has to teach us about the mercy of our Lord in the face of the rigidness of religious ritualism.
Let me highlight few points from this story which may reinforce our faith and trust in Jesus Christ:
The Sad Bondage of the Woman.
Even though she was in such a terrible physical as well as spiritual condition, she made her way to the synagogue that Sabbath day. She did what she could; and came to the place of worship. This may have been her disciplined routine every Sabbath day. Her infirmity never kept her away from worshiping God. It seems that she got used to with her “bent over” condition and didn’t care about what others think of her.
In his woodcut, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” the artist Robert Hodgell depicts a man bent over, not unlike the woman in our Bible lesson. Strapped to the man’s back are large rocks, and written on them is the question, ”what shall I do to be saved?” He tries to walk forward, but his burden is too great. Behind him are laughing faces, deriding him and adding to his woe. This “pilgrim” makes little progress because he has burdened himself with the weight of his own salvation. This ill-health is deeply spiritual, marked by our human desire to save ourselves, rather than to accept the freedom that Jesus offers.
The Compassionate Mercy of Jesus.
Did the woman come to synagogue as any observant Jew would, as her Sabbath right and duty? She does not appear to come asking for anything. She does not even call out to Jesus like the blind man, Bartimaeus (Mark 10:47) - Jesus called out to her. What a remarkable blessing that this woman is seen by our loving and compassionate Savior, and in this seeing comes a call to Him, a healing touch, and a response of praise. We should be the carriers of the Good News that Jesus Christ sees and knows our burdens and illness. He can and will set us free. Don’t forget that all of us stand before God as broken sinners, unable to straighten up. In this story the woman is healed; she is made straight.
There is a deep indignity in that bent-over pilgrim in Hodgell’s woodcut and in the woman in the story: neither of them is able to look another human being in the face. Grace empowers us to see Christ face-to-face, but that eye contact brings redemption.
The Hypocrisy of the Synagogue Ruler.
The job of the synagogue ruler was to be there and make sure everything happened in accordance with religious protocol - and in a way that was keeping with the judaistic traditions regulating the Sabbath. We read in the Bible lesson, “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). According to the law of God, the ruler had no right whatsoever to prohibit the release of anyone’s burden on the Sabbath day, because the Bible taught that it was that sort of thing precisely that God intended to have happen on His holy Sabbath day!
After hearing the ruler rebuke the crowd, the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites!” A spiritual hypocrite is someone who puts on an outward show in front of others, but is not true to what he pretends to be. The best way to apply the lessons we learn from this woman’s story is to come to Jesus just as we are, and to let Him set us free and take our burden away without any fear.
Prayer
.Gracious Father, help us to remember that people matter infinitely more than the things in our life. You came to die on the cross so that people could be healed from their sin and suffering Please help us to not get wrapped upon all that is going on around us. Let Your love and compassion be the themes of all our interactions with others. Amen.
Thought for the Day
“The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless” - Billy Graham
Daniel Thomas
Orlando MTC, Florida
Daniel Thomas
Orlando MTC, Florida