Jump Start # 1589

Luke 13:14 “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.’”

Our verse comes from the miraculous healing of the bent over woman. The text tells us that she just didn’t have a bad back, but that she was bent double. We’d say, she was bent in half. How she walked is beyond me. Here she is in the synagogue. That is amazing. It is remarkable that she has had this for 18 years. That’s a long time. That’s a lot of prayers that were not answered as she wanted. That’s a lot of life that she missed. That’s a lot of misery and pain. Yet, here she is, worshipping God. Jesus saw her. We’d notice her. How could you not? She must have moved about very slowly. It’s one thing to notice, it something else to see. Jesus saw her.

The Lord called her to Him and healed her. She never cried out for mercy as lepers and the blind did. She didn’t come running to Jesus begging for help, as the Canaanite woman did. She sat in the back. She never asked Jesus for anything. The Lord saw her and the Lord had compassion for her.

She immediately was standing tall. She was immediately praising God. I’m not sure if she knew who Jesus was. While all of this is going on, another crippled person is about to explode. That’s the synagogue official. He’s crippled in an area that most can’t see. He is crippled in his heart. He explodes. He becomes “indignant” is what the text tells us. That carries the idea of more than being upset. He was blowing a gasket. He was mad at Jesus. The Lord did a good thing. This poor  woman is now returned to society and this official lost it.

This reminds us of a couple important lessons.

First, some leaders don’t get it. Some leaders are leaders in name only. Some do not know how to lead. They give orders. They boss people around. They use pressure, guilt and fear to get people to do what they want. It’s not a loving situation. It’s not a joyous fellowship. This was his synagogue. Of all people, we’d expect the official to be leading the parade in honoring Jesus. Instead he is ready to toss Jesus out.

I have heard the sad story lately of too many church leaders that are like this synagogue official. They’d rather toss someone out as to work with them. Their solution to problems is go away and take your problems with you. Harsh and insensitive words have led many to leave. It has caused some to be wounded to the point that their faith has taken a hit. God’s way of leading is through the tender guidance of the shepherd. It is the gentle waters, the green pastures and even through the valleys of the shadow of death that God’s shepherds are with the sheep. Never alone. Never on their own. Never left to work things out on their own. Problems shared. Problems solved. The church isn’t a place for the “good ole’ boys” club. That spirit crushes people. That attitude is not Biblical, nice or helpful. This synagogue official, if he had his way, would have the bent over woman going home and coming back another day. Not today.  Not now. Stay bent  over. Stay with your problem. No help from us today. What a shameful and terrible attitude.

Second, some get mad over the wrong things. Here, the official was mad at Jesus. Some are still mad at Jesus. They don’t like the way the Bible reads. They don’t like the set up of the church. They want the church to pay their bills, feed them, raise their kids, while they don’t even show up for worship and have very little interest in God. When a church refuses to help, out comes the tirade and ugliness of someone who  has no understanding of God nor the work God does.

So true to human nature, this official, didn’t address Jesus. He talked to the crowd. He was brow beating them, lest anyone else got the notion of walking forward and getting healed by Jesus. That wasn’t going to happen. Jesus, in response, talked to this official. He directed His words to him.

Some  folks wear their feelings on their sleeve. Say the wrong word, do the wrong thing, forget to invite them, forget to include them, and they will blow up. They threaten to leave. They make things much worse than what they are. Sensitive to a fault, everyone walks on tip toes around them, lest they say or do the wrong thing and start an eruption of turmoil.

Jesus addressed this official. He didn’t apologize, because He didn’t do anything wrong. His actions were misunderstood and the official was in the wrong. Jesus used the occasion as a teaching tool. He always did.

A woman went home healed and a man went home mad. Amazing. Same service. Same day. What helps one, upsets the other. It wasn’t Jesus. It was their faith, their attitude and their connection to God. The same can happen today. Same day. Same service. One person can go home changed and another person remains the same. They sang the same songs. They heard the same sermon. They listened to the same prayers. Why is one changed and the other remains the same? It’s their faith, their attitude and their connection to God.

Helped or hurt? That’s how those two left Jesus. The woman was helped. The official was hurt. What about you? Are you leaving helped or hurt?

Roger