Reclaiming the Heart of the Sabbath
I am going to give the ruler of the synagogue a break. I am not a biblical scholar so some might disagree with my leniency, but I think he was simply behaving according to how he was raised. And part of how we are raised has to do with what we are taught. Sadly, I believe this fellow had some bad information regarding the Sabbath. He was big on the rules of the Sabbath but small on understanding the goodness of God.
There are some now, but I think many more a few decades ago who taught that Sundays should be treated with some rigid guidelines as to what one could and couldn’t do. Sundays were thought to be the Christian’s Sabbath. Most retailers went along with these expectations and closed their shops and stores on Sundays. In my home, one could not wash the car or mow the yard on Sundays. We didn’t get out of doing the work, we just had to do it on Saturday and not on “the Lord’s Day.”
There is certainly a biblical teaching on the importance of rest. But like the synagogue ruler, we can get wound a little tight on what that means and become a bit legalistic in our interpretations and expectations of how we or others can and can’t behave when we rest. And unfortunately, legalism often leaks into how we treat others as we insist that they have the same understanding as we do of God’s plans and especially on what we might say are his rules for life.
On the Sabbath of today’s passage, there was a woman who had severe physical limitations. Her affliction limited her movement significantly. I think it is fair to suggest that her condition dramatically interfered with her relationships. I would imagine she could not make eye contact with others or see the beauty of the trees or starlit skies at night. Yet, apparently, she did not allow her condition to keep her from pursuing God.
When Jesus saw her, he called her to himself and said, “Woman, you are freed from your disability,” and he laid his hands on her and immediately she was able to stand up straight. Her praise to God was quick and clear. One would expect that the other congregants would celebrate this miracle with her and maybe some did, but the synagogue ruler did not. His rigid interpretations of what was allowed on the Sabbath brought sudden rebuke by Jesus and silenced the worship of those in the room.
Apparently, others joined the ruler in his criticism because when Jesus answered his criticism he said, “You hypocrites!” indicating it was more than just the one man who wanted to criticize instead of worship the Giver of Life.
I suspect the religious leaders were also shocked when Jesus called the woman a daughter of Abraham, making clear that she was one of God’s chosen and beloved children from the heritage of the religious leaders. The reaction of the people other than the legalistic leaders was to give praise to God because clearly, his love and power were seen in Jesus.
Father, forgive us for the many ways that we try to force our understanding on others. Forgive us for the ways we attempt to force you into behaving a certain way. We repent of our narrowness and ask that you forgive us. Fill us with your Holy Spirit and guide us to love generously in all our interactions with others today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Luke 13:10-17 ESV
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