Jump Start # 187 

Luke 13:12 “When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your sickness.’”

  Our verse today finds the Lord in the synagogue on Saturday, the Sabbath day. The synagogue was a gathering place for prayers and the reading of Scriptures. Jesus taught often in synagogues.

  On this particular day, the bent over woman is there. I certain everyone in the village knew her. She’d be hard to forget. Bent double for 18 years is what Luke, the doctor, said. She had a sickness caused by a spirit, most likely a demon. And on this particular Sabbath day, Jesus healed her.

  There are some interesting things that took place. First of all, it is remarkable that she is in the synagogue. There is no indication that she knew Jesus was going to be there, nor if she really knew who Jesus was. For 18 years she was bent double. She’d have a hard time reaching up for things. You can’t really lift a child up when you are bent double. Getting dressed is hard for bent over folks. I expect she’d walk rather slow, being bent over and all. Kids probably stared and snickered at her. When I’m not feeling too well, I pray. I want to feel normal. Don’t you think she prayed. And prayed. And prayed. Eighteen years of prayer with no results. And where do we find her? Not at the bar drowning her sorrows in booze, but at the place of worship, the synagogue. She hasn’t given up on God. Not yet. I love her for that, and I think the Lord did as well.

  Jesus sees her. Most others looked right past her. Jesus always sees. What happens next is amazing. Jesus calls her over. First of all, women didn’t speak much in synagogues. They often sat in the back while the men sat in the front. That’s just the way things were done. Jesus is in his early 30’s. He’s worked as a carpenter. He’s strong. It’d take Jesus just a few steps and He could be where she’s sitting. Instead, He calls her to Him. Everyone notices. Some whisper. That’s most unusual. It’d take a few moments for the bent over woman to get where Jesus was. He declares that she is healed. To verify, He touches her. The results are immediate. She stands straight and tall and praises God. The old fogies get stirred by this. A woman speaking out in the synagogue? The nerve! The official of the synagogue blows a gasket. He accuses Jesus of violating the Sabbath, but he doesn’t speak to Jesus directly, he talks to the crowd. He’s playing a political game. He’s trying to win the crowd to his side.

  Jesus responds. He defends the woman and what He has just done. He hasn’t done anything more than untying a donkey from the stall. No rules were broken. No sins committed. Jesus speaks not to the crowd, but to the official himself. He calls the woman, “a daughter of Abraham,” a term of endearment and position. She’s of more value than a donkey.

  The crowd rejoices! The official and his group are embarrassed and stunned. They have lost control, power and leadership. This is a great page from the life of Jesus.

  What can we learn from this:

• Jesus always sees. You may be bent double with grief, shame, worry or problems. Maybe week after week you keep making your way to the church house and no one really notices you. That’s normal. You hurt. You’re discouraged. You want relief. You’ve prayed and prayed. Don’t give up. Jesus sees. He knows.

• Some make rules where God hasn’t. They tell you that you can’t do this or that. You can’t wear this or that. They want to keep things safe, so they make a rule. They fear what could happen, so they make a rule. The rules are not Bible. The rules make things stuffy and stale. The rules keep people in fear, don’t want to break a rule or I’ll be in trouble. Every once in a while some young person challenges the rules. Folks get upset. The solution is forget the rules and just follow the Bible. It’s God’s rules that we need to keep.

• God wants to help us. He’s not against us, He is for us. It is not a rich and peaceful life that He desires for you, but a righteous life that is dependent upon Him.

• Jesus has called you. Will you come to Him? It means getting out of your seat and walking, bent over, where everyone can see you. That’s tough. But it’s the way to be whole. Do you truth Jesus?  Listen to Him. Do what He says. He knows.

Roger