Sermon August 21, 2022 Luke 13:10-17 NRSV-ue
Now [Jesus] was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And 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.
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
But 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.”
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 manger, and lead it away to give it water? And 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?”
When 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.
Grace and peace to you from God our Creator and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
While I rarely title my sermons, I think a good title for today’s Gospel reading is “Where is the Grace?”
This event described by Luke as Jesus healing on the Sabbath is a perfect example of God’s grace. The Law of Moses had been taught to the Jewish people for centuries. The Law was very unforgiving. “If you want to please God, you WILL do what the Law says!”
Jesus was well-versed in the Law, and Matthew, in chapter 5:17-18, quotes Jesus as saying, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” Essentially, Jesus is saying that the Law is valid. The Law helps us know what behaviors are acceptable, and which ones are harmful and thus forbidden. Think of the 10 commandments, for example.
By the time Jesus began his ministry, the 4th commandment… to “remember the Sabbath and keep it holy…” had been taken to the extreme by many synagogue leaders. The essence of this commandment was REST! Just as God worked the 6 days of creation and then rested on the 7th, we are called to set aside a day of rest for ourselves and for our animals. Why? Because it is good for us… not so we can gain favor with God. For Jesus, keeping the Sabbath holy also meant practicing healing and grace. This healing was a more powerful sermon than any words he might say.
During the time of Jesus, the faithful Israelites had a long list of things they weren’t allowed to do according to the Law. Some were specific, like the 10 commandments… and others were open to interpretation by religious leaders, like whether healing on the Sabbath was appropriate. According to the interpretation of the synagogue leaders, any sort of work on the Sabbath was forbidden. On the other hand, they looked the other way when people, including themselves, were taking care of their animals on the Sabbath. Jesus angrily points out their hypocrisy.
As Luke recorded the events in the life of Jesus, he emphasized that Jesus was a healer of body, mind and spirit. In chapter 4, verses 18-19, Luke records Jesus saying,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free those who are oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus was Grace in action! I define Grace as the unconditional love and forgiveness that God lavishes on us even though we can’t earn it and don’t deserve it. Jesus viewed all people, including us, through eyes of love, compassion and, of course, grace. He did not come to do harm… he came to heal all people… to show what the world would be like if we too practiced love, forgiveness, compassion and mercy.
When Jesus saw this poor woman hobble in, he was filled with compassion and immediately called her to him and healed her. Right in front of the worshippers… and right in front of the Pharisees… the “judgy” church leaders… who made themselves the guardians of The Law!
The woman who was stooped over for 18 years was unable to fully participate in the community of the faithful. We don’t know if she regularly attended worship or if she only came on this day because she heard Jesus was there… and therefore wondered if she dared to hope that he might be able to help her. She likely had heard of the miraculous works he had done for others… could she hope for the same for herself?
Think about this: if you could only walk around stooped over, what would you miss? Jesus gave her a beautiful gift. Not only was she healed of her infirmity, she was healed in the midst of the community, allowing the community to celebrate with her. For the first time in a long time, she could see their faces and they could see hers. Imagine what that would have been like! Everyone present that day had a wonderful reason to celebrate with her.
I saw a meme on the Clergy Coaching Network on Facebook that said, “If you want to do the work of God, pay attention to people. Especially the people no one else notices.” [Read that again.] And that’s what Jesus seemed to do as he traveled around the countryside. He was always looking for those in need, and welcoming those who came searching for healing. And he blessed them. And the people who witnessed his healings learned that we have an amazing, loving and gracious God!
Well, everyone except the church leaders… they didn’t waste any time scolding Jesus for breaking the Law… in the synagogue… on the sabbath! Could anything be worse than that? Not in their opinion. However, I couldn’t help but think of the saying, “rules are made to be broken.” A version of this saying is attributed to General Douglas MacArthur, but I would argue that Jesus practiced it a couple of thousand years ago!
So, what might we learn from this event in the Gospel? How might this shape our faith and our service today? WE are the ones now called to do God’s work with our hands, so where do we see needs? Where do we see people who are hungry for a word of kindness, or hungry for mercy, or hungry for real food… and water?
What if we discover that the humane thing… the Jesus thing to do… is illegal?
A few years ago, I found an article in The Guardian news magazine that truly astounded me. It was about Good Samaritans in Arizona!
This modern-day Good Samaritan story illustrates that sometimes rules or laws have to be broken, if we are going to do the “right thing…” the “humanitarian thing…” the Christ-like thing.”
The article reported on a Good Samaritan who got arrested for leaving food and water in the desert near Tucson for illegal immigrants traveling in our state. Please don’t get hung up on the illegal aspect of these travelers… Scott Warren and his partner were not waiting at the border to help them cross. They were trying to save the lives of people who had already traveled nearly 100 miles north of the border on foot. https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jan/26/scott-warren-no-more-death-arrested-migrants-water
My family moved to the southwest when I was about 1 year old. Thus, I have lived in the desert southwest for most of my life. The desert is hot in the summers, cold enough to cause hypothermia in the winters, and inhabited year-round by many wild and dangerous creatures. The desert is an extremely dangerous place. The people who are willing to risk their lives crossing this uninhabitable and deadly wilderness, in hopes of finding a better life, must truly be desperate. And many of the people who try to cross the desert on foot die.
Scott Warren, who was a professor of geography at Arizona State University in 2018, is also a member of No More Deaths, a humanitarian organization whose mission is to reduce deaths along the US-Mexico border. The US Border Patrol arrested Scott for giving food and water to two men who were crossing the desert alone near Tucson. Scott also pointed out to them where they would find the nearest main road. He was charged with harboring undocumented immigrants. If convicted of this federal crime, he could spend up to 20 years in a federal prison. https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/op-ed/laurieroberts/2019/06/11/hung-jury-good-samaritan-scott-warren-tucson-trial/1427696001/
Scott Warren was tried twice by jury. The first trial ended with a hung jury. The second jury trial exonerated him. These juries were unable to convict a man for giving food and water to people who entered the US illegally.
Now, I know the problem of undocumented people entering the US is a hot button for many people, and one that does not have an easy solution. And, I believe that laws are made for a reason, and have tried to live as a law-abiding citizen. As far as I know, I’ve done well, although I will admit that I am guilty of speeding at times. But I also remember what General George MacArthur said, that sometimes rules are made to be broken.
When I think of the many water respite drives that churches and other service organizations embark on each spring and throughout the summer, I’m certain that they don’t ask people who need water for their documents. 1000’s of bottles of water are donated so that we will save the lives of people who have nowhere else to go to escape our brutal summer heat. We don’t ask homeless or needy people here in the city if they are here legally before giving them food and water, so that’s why I have a problem with trying to convict Good Samaritans like Scott Warren and his fellow workers at No More Deaths… just because they are working in a remote location closer to the border. I believe these people are practicing God’s Grace.
Do you think practicing Grace is something Jesus calls us to do? Do you think these travelers, regardless of their legal status, are beloved children of God?
As you go out into your daily lives this week, remember the words of Jesus found in Matthew 25:34-40.
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’”
It is in these words of Jesus that we find the Grace of God.
Go… and be like Jesus. Amen.
Grace Notes 