Luke 13:10-17
10Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” 15But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” 17When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
IMAGINE WITH ME…
IMAGINE a young child whose world is brand new!
A child that goes to school for the first time.
A young child – maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s your daughter or son – Granddaughter or Grandson…
A child who learns their ABC’s…who runs, plays, laughs, and makes friends.
A child who learns to play an instrument, loves to dance, play baseball, soccer, volleyball, Golf, and or…even HOCKEY!
IMAGINE WITH ME…
A young child who grows into a young adult…graduates from High School, goes to college, attends Seminary, Law School, Veterinarian or Medical School, joins the Peace Corps…
…Who travels the world, loves culture, people, and hungers to know more about LIFE!
…Who finds the ‘love of their life,’ raises a family, takes care of their loved ones as they grow old, who begins to see and experience the ebb and flows of life…
Who becomes a witness to LOVE, LIFE, Disease, EVIL, HURT, PAIN, and yes…even DEATH.
IMAGINE WITH ME…
A woman, who was once a young, vibrant woman, but now has now grown old…
A bent-over woman – so bent that now all she sees – all she experiences – all she knows is the voice of others, – the ground on which, she walks on – the dirt, her feet, and the feet of others – Not to mention, the constant back pain.
A bent-over woman whose life was once full of energy, who played with her friends, grew up in the community, and loved God –
And, a woman who for now 18 YEARS suffers from what is known today as Osteoporosis, which literally means “Porous bone.” In other words, the density and quality of bone are reduced. As the bones become more and more porous and fragile, the risk of fracture is greatly increased.
Of particular concern are spinal and hip fractures. In fact, some fractures can occur even if you haven’t fallen. The bones that make up your spine can weaken to the point of crumbling, which results in severe back pain, loss of height, and a hunched-over posture.
But, in spite of her pain – the fact that she is unable to see what is in front of her – she shows up to worship in the Synagogue on the Sabbath –
The Sabbath – the Fourth Commandment of God’s Law:
Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy.
On this Sabbath Day, something is different. Jesus is preaching and teaching.
This woman doesn’t know him. She’s minding her own business. She came to worship.
But Jesus sees her. He feels her pain. He sees her differently. He knew her as a child! He had watched her play with her friends, go to school, and raise a family.
Jesus knew her! And, he had compassion for her!
“You have been through enough. Your suffering is over.”
“Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight…”
Can you imagine…really IMAGINE what that must have been like?!!! That after 18 long years of seeing nothing but the ground that you walked on, the agonizing pain of being bent-over – and now able to stand up straight!
I had the pleasure of having a conversation with a Buddhist man the other day. I really don’t know much about Buddhism – but now have a clearer picture.
In all reality, it reminds me much like the Jews who were there that day at the Synagogue when this woman comes to worship.
I say this in the sense that this Buddhist told me that he spends his life trying to obey the law. They have a book of “do’s and don’ts.”
And, if you don’t get it right in this life, it is possible that you will be reincarnated and given another chance to get it right.
And, so I asked him, “What happens if you don’t get it right? What happens when you can’t measure up, as hard as you may try?”
He told me, “He didn’t know and wasn’t sure that he wanted to know.”
He says that no one knows what their final outcome will be at the end…
Jesus humiliates the Jewish leaders that day for criticizing Him healing a woman, for whom 18 years has suffered pain and agony.
Seriously…you hypocrites, you want to give me a hard time about healing a woman who has come to worship God – whom you have probably seen here in this place every week on the Sabbath – Whom you have had no compassion for –
When on this Sabbath Day, you will lead your animals to get water – but yet, have no concern for this woman…
Be careful…you LAW followers…You can’t do it. You will mess up. And, before you start criticizing others, you may want to look at yourself first.
I looked intently at the Buddhist man and said, “What if I told you that I knew what my outcome was in this life?”
And, He laughed at me…though curious…
“Yeah, how’s that, he asked me.”
My God loves me so much that He died for me. My God FORGIVES ME when I mess up – even though I try really hard to do what is right.
Through Jesus, I have Salvation.
Through Jesus, I have GRACE upon GRACE.
He asked me how I knew that. I told him, “Well, it starts with FAITH.”
He did not know what FAITH was…I even had to spell the word for him. He had never heard of it.
Now, can you Imagine that?
Faith is a hard concept. And, it is easy to lose our faith when bad things are happening. Because…
Here is the thing…we are all BENT in some way…
We break God’s LAW every day, even though we don’t want to.
We suffer and are in pain from all kinds of diseases – cancer, dementia, heart issues, depression – the list goes on…
We may have experienced a loss of our job, struggle financially, drug addictions and alcoholism…
We are all bent…
In fact, just like this bent-over woman who goes to the Synagogue on the Sabbath…
We too, come to worship – Bent OVER – where all we can see are the problems, the pain, and the suffering of the world that not only, we ourselves experience, but also the world.
IMAGINE WITH ME…
A young child – maybe it’s you. Maybe it’s your daughter or son – Granddaughter or Grandson…
IMAGINE a young child whose world is brand new!
But this isn’t any child…this child is not ordinary, but extraordinary…This child is God’s CHILD!
Jesus sees you. He feels your pain. He sees you differently. He knew you as a child! He watched you play with her friends, go to school, and raise a family.
Jesus knows you! And, he has compassion for you!
And, Jesus says, “You have been through enough. Your suffering is over.”
“…you are set free from your ailment.” When he lays his hands on you, immediately you are able to stand up straight…”
IMAGINE WITH ME!
That day when we are made perfect and righteous – our CROOKED SOULS have been made STRAIGHT –
We are no longer bent when Jesus lays His hands on us – reaches out to us…
And as we stand up straight,
WE ARE FACE-to-FACE, with our Lord Jesus Christ!
God’s Amazing Grace upon Grace poured out upon you…overflowing with God’s MERCY and LOVE…
Because if truth be known, we can’t get it right…not in this lifetime or any other time.
My God loves you and loves me so much that He was crucified, died, and was resurrected just so that our world will be made brand new!
And, so you see, my Buddhist friend…
That is how we know our future!
Amen.
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