Luke 13:10-17 - Valuing people over things
Scripture:
Luke 13:10-17
10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.
12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness."
13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day."
15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?
16 "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"
17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
NASU
Thoughts:
Jesus again amazes us with His love (verse 12) and wisdom (verses 15-16). This miracle (like others in Luke) is particularly beautiful in that it is done purely out of compassion, not even because the woman asked Jesus for help (verse 12). What an awesome God that is moved in such a way! He is and wants to do good, He does not need to be coaxed into doing so by us.
I'd like to draw attention to Jesus' rebuke of the synagogue official, however. The official has complained because Jesus healed on the Sabbath (verse 14), something the religious leaders of the day did not want done, though God's Law did not prohibit it. Clearly, healing is not a work of man but of God, and so does not break the commandment to rest on the Sabbath.
But Jesus points out the hypocrisy, in that this same official and others of like mind, would care for their animals on the Sabbath better than they would a fellow human being! God has made it clear that He values people far more than animals. Therefore, if one can rightly care for their animal on the Sabbath, certainly caring for a fellow human being is acceptable to God.
For us today, all of this seems rather distant. We don't live under the Law, and so we can care for both people and animals on the Sabbath without even thinking about it! But still, we can find this same hypocrisy in us, when we care more for animals (or other things of this world) than people.
For instance, we might find the time to devote an afternoon to caring for our automobile or other prized possession, but don't have an hour to call a friend that needs encouragement. As parents and spouses, we sometimes find ourselves more concerned about how orderly our house is, than whether everyone in the home feels loved and accepted. And as a final example, we may passionately involve ourselves in volunteerism and improving our communities, but we never share the gospel and God's love with any of the people we interact with -- the very thing that will improve a life, as well as a community.
Prayer:
God, help me to remember that people matter infinitely more than the things in my life. You came to die on the cross so that people could be healed from their sin and know You, not for the things in this world.
Please help me to not get wrapped up in all that is going on around me. Let Your love, patience, and compassion be the themes of all my interactions with others this day.
Amen
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