Be Compassionate as He is Compassionate

Back when my mom could stand up straight and tall. 
This was many years ago with Dr. Mary Scott and Helen Temple. 

Scripture:

Luke 13:10   Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. ¹¹ 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. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ 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.” 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 manger, and lead it away to give it water? ¹⁶ 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?” ¹⁷ 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.

Observation:

At the beginning of this chapter the scene abruptly changed. On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus was found in the synagogue on the sabbath. This was a part of his normal routine. 

Often, visiting rabbis were asked to teach, and we can assume that this was the case with Jesus. While there, a woman entered. Women were welcome at the synagogue to hear the teaching of the rabbis. This woman had a back problem and was bent over. Luke wanted us to know how bad this infirmity was, and makes sure that we understand that this had been going on for eighteen years! 

Significantly, Jesus laid his hands on this woman. He didn’t always touch people when he healed them, but simply spoke words of healing. In this case, the woman may have needed that physical touch as reassurance to try and stand up straight, for trying to do so previously would have caused her great pain. She stood up and started praising God, and one would have thought that this was a good thing. 

There was a man who was responsible for the synagogue and he was greatly disturbed by this activity. What’s fascinating is that Luke show us that he’s indignant at Jesus, and yet, he doesn’t rebuke Jesus, but the crowd. Maybe he was afraid to speak directly to Jesus and so he had this backhanded criticism of him, almost blaming the woman for having been healed. He tells people who are sick to come another day!

Jesus seems shocked and irritated at the man’s response. He speaks specifically to the religious leaders who were overly concerned about following the rules. He reminded them that they would have had compassion on their ox or donkey who needed a drink of water. Why would they want a person to suffer another day when they could be saved in this moment? 

The religious leaders had been embarrassed by Jesus’ comments. The suffering of the woman was again a reminder that illness was not a form of punishment from God. She was able to be set free, and the people rejoiced in her salvation. 

There had been two sabbath confrontations earlier in Luke’s gospel and now he returns to the sabbath again. Jesus is concerned about compassion and it is his human walk that brings him face to face with suffering humanity. 

Application:

While the previous verses finished with judgement, this scene opens with compassion. This is an interesting contrast between judgement and compassion. Judgement would come to those who would not repent, and yet, had heard the word. The next moment, Jesus is in a synagogue, teaching among those who should have known better. The people worshipping God on the sabbath are the ones who are failing to repent and will be judged. This judgement has nothing to do with following all of the intricate rules which were established, but for refusing to show compassion. 

When I read this story I couldn’t help but think about my mom. She had back problems throughout her life. She had suffered a bad fall as a young girl and it left her with chronic back pain. When I was in high school she awakened one more in excruciating pain. She had collapsed on the floor because the pain shooting through her back was unbearable. My dad called an ambulance and they took her away to the hospital where she ended up having surgery. As she aged, the back problems would come back and plague her until her final year of life when she walked bent over. She could no longer stand up straight and it was painful to watch. When I read this passage, I can see my mother. If I could have done anything for my mom in a moment, I would have taken away this suffering. No way would I have told her to go away and come back another day, or that it would have been sinful for her to have been set free from her affliction.

Compassion is a reflection of the nature of God, and unfortunately, that is what some religious people seem to forget. Compassion was a reflection of the holiness of God. Sadly, the religious leaders thought that following all the rules alone was a reflection of God’s holiness. They had it wrong. Sometimes we have it wrong too. May we show mercy and compassion and refuse to allow people to continue in their affliction and pain. 

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to be your instrument of mercy and compassion. Amen.