395. Walking in the Word, The Lavish Love of Jesus

Jesus interrupts His own very important teaching to reach out to a woman in need. What a picture He shows us of His love for us and the love we are to offer to each other! Open your heart and let Jesus pour His lavish love into you today. (Luke 13:10-17)

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Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders’ podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so happy you have joined us as we continue our walk through the gospels, asking God what He wants us to know today.

So many things are happening at Women World Leaders! On Thursday of this week – February 16th – Dr. Chidi Kalu is offering the first part of her 2-part prayer seminar designed to help you dive deeper into your prayer life! This seminar is on Zoom, so you can join us from wherever you are. Check out our website, womenworldleaders.com, to register. Also upcoming is our Leadership Connect, also on Zoom. Join us next Monday, February 20th for a time of connection and teaching as we grow in our leadership skills. You can get the link by registering on our contact form on the website.

And…we have an IN-PERSON event coming to South Florida on March 11th! If you are in the area, you won’t want to miss this precious time of worship and prayer and teaching.

If you are new to Women World Leaders, we know that God has a place for you to grow AND serve, but for right now, we want to take a few minutes and just rest in His presence as we read and study His Word together. Today’s scripture comes from the book of Luke, chapter 13, verses 10-17. Before we begin, let’s pray…

Dear Most Holy God – as we open your Scripture today, I just want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for caring enough to speak into our lives daily. God, your Word is a wonder, a treasure-trove of all you want us to know. Father, you are wise, all-knowing, and you are purposeful in action. Thank you for leading us to these particular verses today. We recognize that your plan is perfect, and we know before we even begin studying that you have something specific to teach each one of us. So we give you this time and ask that you make our minds and spirits sharp so that we may learn exactly what you want us to learn today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

We have been following Jesus’ teaching, as recorded in Luke, for quite some time now. Jesus has used illustrations and parables and has spoken words of encouragement and warning. So this next event, still as He is in the synagogue teaching, is a veer from the usual. Let’s begin in Luke 13:10 from the New Living Translation…

10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

Let’s go back to the beginning …Luke says “one Sabbath day”…as Christians in today’s society, it is difficult to understand the significance of the Sabbath. For Jews, this day, which came around every 7 days, was holy and was to be a day of rest and worship. Each Sabbath began on Friday evening with the lighting of the Sabbath candles in the home. At sunset, specific readings were presented in the synagogue, which was then followed by alternating periods of ritualistic meals in the home and services in the synagogue. Everything was in a particular order and was highly coordinated.

The structure was so intense that I can’t even think of a modern-day equivalent – and this happened every single week! The Jewish people knew what to expect and what was expected of them. Governed tightly by the rules and regulations, the word “freedom” would have been the FARTHEST thing from their minds.

So on this one Sabbath day, Jesus was teaching in the synagogue. And there was a woman there who was following the prescribed protocol of the Sabbath. Presumably, she was faithful, despite having been crippled and bent over for the past 18 years.

I have to wonder how tired she was! Surely she had prayed for healing from the effects of the evil spirit, and yet she remained bent, unable to stand up straight.

And yet…on THIS Sabath day, Jesus broke from HIS norm when He saw her, and called her to Him.

I wonder what was going through her mind. Here she was – a WOMAN – in the synagogue among, no doubt, mostly men. Although it wasn’t unheard of for women to be at the synagogue on the Sabbath, the reality was that SOMEONE had to be at home preparing for the three traditional Sabbath meals. Right? If you are a mom, you don’t have to imagine what I’m talking about.

And…not only was this lady a WOMAN, she was also crippled by an evil spirit. So she wasn’t really the kind of person people would flock to.

But Jesus saw her. And He called her to His side.

He interrupted His own teaching – and we all recognize how important His teaching was - to take notice of this crippled woman.  

I imagine her hobbling over to Him, perhaps as the crowd murmured. Who was she to disturb THEIR Sabbath schedule?

Jesus is NEVER too busy to meet you where you are! In His eyes, NOTHING is more important than you. When you walk into a room, Jesus sees you. And when you walk through a storm, He calls you to His side. Let me encourage you, whatever shape you are in, go to Him. Even if you have to hobble through a group of grumpy old men to get to Him.

When the crippled woman arrived at Jesus’ side, He said to her… Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” …the original Greek word Jesus used was apolyo (ah pah LU oh), which means to set free, to grant liberty to… on that Sabbath day, Jesus granted that woman freedom. She was no longer bound by illness or an evil spirit. Luke – who is a physician, remember – reported that the woman was healed, she stood up straight, and she praised God.

This SHOULD have been the end of the story – everyone should have joined the woman in praise to God. But it was not to be.

Verse 14 continues…

14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

The synagogue leader, despite witnessing an extreme release to freedom, still insisted on keeping his own shackles tightly secured. My mom would have said he couldn’t see the forest for the trees. This man was looking so closely at the minutia of the situation that he refused to recognize the wonder of the healing. It was clear to everyone that this woman’s illness was a manifestation of evil. And only God is more powerful than an evil spirit, so a slight turn toward common sense would have illuminated the fact, at the very least, God was on Jesus’ side. This should have been a cause for celebration – but the synagogue leader was too hardhearted to look past his own pride and desire for control.

Jesus called out the naysayers…Verse 15…

15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

We mentioned the constraints of the Sabbath. But let’s examine the absurdity of some of those constraints more closely. Exodus 20 instructed the people to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy – it was to be a day of rest dedicated to the Lord. Yet, over the years, man added to that God-given law, regulating and putting restrictions on every aspect of life. For example, as Jesus brings up, there were regulations limiting how far from home an individual could travel on the Sabbath, which severely restricted the ability to lead their animals to water. But they knew their animals needed water, so the figured out a way around the tight constraints. They would build a structure around a public well, and then claim that it was now a “home.” This permitted them, by the letter of the law, to ensure the watering of their animals while still being in the legal vicinity of home.

Although this was a bit sneaky, perhaps you may see it as a noble cause. After all, the animals needed their daily water.

Jesus was not speaking against their…let’s call it ingenuity. No…He was appealing to their hearts and their common sense. If they cared enough to figure out a way to water their animals, how much more important was a PERSON’S health. And more than that…Jesus calls the woman a daughter of Abraham – God’s faithful child – who was held IN BONDAGE by SATAN for EIGHTEEN YEARS!! And He asks, Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?

One of the most amazing things I find about God is how big His heart is! God loves each of us SO MUCH that He will stop at NOTHING to care and provide for us. Have you ever seen a child who was lavished with all the good things in life, and thought, nothing good can come of that? Well Christian, God wants to LAVISH you with blessings beyond your wildest imagination! He will stop at NOTHING to give you exactly what you need – because His heart is THAT big – and you hold primary real estate in it! God wants to set you free from everything that holds you in bondage. So He calls YOU to hobble to Him. And when you do, no manmade laws or rules or regulations can stop you from landing in His love. Give Him your life – He WILL heal you. And your life will be better than you ever knew it could be.

The crowd reacted to Jesus’ display of love and healing power – each in His own way. Verse 17…

17 This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

Let’s pray…

Father, we want to be the ones who rejoice at the wonderful things you do! Enlarge our hearts so that they may look more like yours. Give us your unending compassion, that we might lavish love on others. Give us the strength to put aside our own pride and control as we hobble to you in total and complete surrender. Like the afflicted woman, we crave your healing touch, and we trust that you will shower us with it in your perfect timing. Help us always to look at the heart of others and rejoice in your goodness toward all your children. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.