In our young adult Bible study we have taken on the lengthy job of reading the book of Luke. This past week we read Luke 13. Before we started one of the participants said, "O.k., Pastor, I want something life changing tonight!" Struck by a bit of fear I responded with, "well, I don't know if Luke 13 has too many life changing points, mainly just warnings." Yet, as scripture usually does, it surprised me and actually did present to us a life changing message. The part which struck out to us was Jesus' healing of the crippled women and the pharisees' response.
"10On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11and 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. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14Indignant 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." 15The Lord answered him, "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? 16Then 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? 17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing." (Luke 13:10-17)
After we read the text we spoke a bit about the pride of the Pharisees and their preoccupation with their the law instead of the act of miraculous love performed in front of them. Our wonder made us ask, why the Pharisees couldn't have at least rejoiced with the once crippled woman? Were they really just focused on the law broken? Were they really so focused on their righteousness that they couldn't see a life change right in front of their very eyes?
As we continued to ponder one person in the group offered, maybe they were mad that they too couldn't be free. Maybe they were crippled in their hearts and they yearned to be free from their resentment, pride, and jealousy. Maybe their real sin wasn't righteousness but that they couldn't even ask Jesus or didn't know how to ask Jesus to heal them too! Possibly as the Pharisees sat and pondered they thought, "But I want to be free too!" Yet, their pride kept them from asking and moved them to agitating and accusing!
So often we too see great things happening in the lives of those around us. We see people being freed from their burdens. We see family members getting promotions. We see friends being relieved of their school debts by their fancy new jobs. We see new things happening in ministries. We see beautiful new babies being born. We see two lives become one new one in holy matrimony. To the many new lives and changed lives our response at times is resentment rather than joy. Today in the Pharisees we might see a bit of ourselves from a postcard past. Yet, today in scripture we also see a God who can change the crippled into the new creation. We see a woman who was given a new way of life. May our response to God's work and our friends' new life be a movement toward God and away from pride. May we proclaim to Christ, "But I want to be free too!" May we be less like the Pharisees and more like Peter as we cry out to Christ to not only wash our feet, but our "hands and head as well". Amen
Lord, make us as young children who ask without fear, and believe that they will receive. Free us today! Amen
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