Friday, October 26, 2018

How Long?

Friday, October 26, 2018

I will praise the Lord at all times.  I will constantly speak his praises.  I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart.  Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.  Psalm 34:1-3(NLT)

In Luke 13 we find the story of a woman who must have suffered from a curved spinal column.  That was the physical reality; the spiritual reality was that Satan had “bound” her.  She was bent and bound!  There was a lady like that in a church I served years ago.  Ms. Peggy had crippling arthritis; her hands were gnarled and twisted, and she walked stooped-over as the woman in Scripture.  And just like the crippled woman, Miss Peggy was a fixture at the church.  But she also didn’t let her physical condition get in the way of her spiritual nourishment.
The ruler or leader of the synagogue was quite a different matter.  The woman was powerless and faithful; the rulers of the synagogue were powerful and faithless.  The rulers had responsibility for the widows, the powerless.  Yet the chief ruler could only bring criticism for Jesus healing her.  They kept their bylaws but ignored the greatest commandment to love God and neighbor.
When Jesus saw the pitiful condition of this woman he had compassion on her; something had to be done!  He initiated the healing.  The woman didn’t even ask; Jesus reached out and touched her. 

Consider the Contrast of Reactions to the Woman’s Healing

The woman had been crippled for 18 years.  When Jesus healed her there was no doubt that it was the woman they’d seen each week at synagogue.  When this woman stood up straight for the first time in 18 years it must have been quite a sight!  Luke says that she glorified God.  Can’t you see it?  Like days gone by when you might see someone running down a church aisle because they’d been tapped on the shoulder by the Holy Spirit, this woman lifted un-crippled hands and straight arms without pain for the first time in two decades!  She didn’t care who was looking!  She sang hallelujah, off-key or on…it made no difference!
The people rejoiced.  I can imagine if Ms. Peggy had suddenly gotten healed it would’ve caused a revival at that church!
The rulers got ticked!  What a contrast!  It just proves that control is power-vested.  These rulers, in charge of everything, with the legal right to discipline and punish wrong-doers, were so threatened by the popularity of Jesus. All they could think of was the fact that he was breaking the rules.  They brought no worship, offered up no praise to God for His healing this poor sister of theirs.  They could only think of how Jesus’ popularity was growing, and theirs was shrinking!  Matthew’s gospel (chap. 12) tells us that it was after this that they started to plot how to kill Jesus.
If you follow the timeline of Jesus’ movements, this was the very last time Jesus entered a synagogue before going to the cross.  It kind of makes the point about crossing the line once too often with God.  There is a time when He finally says:  OK, your will be done. And God finally washes His hands of trying to save you.
For You Today
So, this woman was healed on the Sabbath … some big crime, eh? 
There are abused and powerless people all around us in our communities.  Our job is to look for them, find them, and heal them with the touch of Jesus.  They are crying out in their hearts a phrase that is often repeated in the Scripture; it is the phrase/question which is frequently on the lips of a sufferer:  How long, O Lord?
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Courtesy of Pixabay.com

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