Catch The Excitement (Isaiah 58:9b-14; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17)
Listen.August 22nd, 2010
Rev. Dr. Craig A. Wagner
Introduction
A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Wrigley Field and see a Cubs’ game. The weather was hot, but the seats were located in the shade which made it a very comfortable afternoon. Whenever I am at a sports event I get caught up in the action and the excitement of the crowd is contagious.
The Cubs’ game was no exception. Whenever the team scored a run or caught a ball or made a great play, the fans went wild. The problem was that on the day I went, the Cubs played their usual lack-luster performance and the Cincinnati Reds trounced them. If that wasn’t bad enough I had to sit next to a couple of Reds’ fans. Their excitement was not contagious! O well, at least the Cubs played to their potential!
There is such a great amount of excitement and tremendous joy when a favorite sports team does well and eventually wins the game. However, that same kind of excitement and joy does not extend into other areas of life, especially when we speak of our faith lives.
Today, contrary to what many of us feel in worship, the crowd of people witnessing the healing of a crippled woman rejoiced at what Jesus did. They were excited; they were happy; they were rejoicing…. Can’t you just see them singing, dancing, jumping up and down, and even praising God with hands uplifted?
Let’s consider for a few moments what it is that brings this sort of joyful response:
1. Jesus comes into broken lives
In the passage before us, the first notable thing that Jesus did was to recognize that there was a woman among them that needed his help. Perhaps this is not too astonishing because in that crowd of people this woman might be recognizable because she was bent over. She could not straighten up; a spirit had crippled her for eighteen years.
Even more notable and important was that Jesus was not afraid to come into her life. She was having great difficulty physically and spiritually and even emotionally because of this situation. According to the text and according to historical tradition, physical ailments were caused by evil spirits in a person’s life – and that because the person had done something bad, or else their parents had sinned. Therefore, it is understandable that this woman truly suffered: spiritually, emotionally and physically because of her ailments that kept her bent over for so many years.
Jesus steps into her life, places his hands upon her and frees her from the ailments that had bound her. He cures her as he touches her! This is an amazing act because a good upright Jewish leader would not even come near to this woman for fear of being declared unclean. They could not come in contact with a person such as this. Yet, Jesus calls her over, frees her from her ailment and laid his hands upon her: AND SHE STRAIGHTENED UP! What an amazing experience for this woman. She had been bound by this spirit; spent 18 years hunched over and now all of a sudden her life was restored. She was made whole, she would be welcomed back into the community; she experienced an abundant life in a moment of time. How wonderful, joyful, exciting it must have been for that woman.
The wonderful and exciting news is that Jesus also comes into the brokenness of our lives. Indeed, all of us are crippled in various ways. All of us are broken and hurting and in need of God’s love and forgiveness. Some of us have spiritual and emotional difficulties because we are sinful people; others have experienced some physical ailment: Jesus touches our lives and brings us wholeness and lives filled with love and grace.
Bound by sin? Feel God’s liberating forgiveness as we confess those areas where Satan has bound us and created a division between God and us and one another. Bound by physical problems: know that Jesus comes into our lives and helps us cope; gives us encouragement and hope; and perhaps heals our soul even without curing the illness? How exciting is it to know of God’s wonderful presence in life? To experience abundant life in Christ is a joy beyond expression. Yet, how many of us take things so for granted that the spark of joy and rejoicing never is ignited? Our joy should overflow in worship and in daily life.
2. Jesus values humanity over the law
In the passage Jesus shows us that God values humanity far greater than any law that has been enacted. The religious leaders in this story reacted vehemently, not because Jesus healed this woman, but because he healed this person on the Sabbath! The law forbade any work to be done on the Sabbath. They reasoned that there were six days during the week that Jesus could have healed this person, why then did he have to do this on a Sabbath? Their argument for the breaking of the Sabbath law alluded to Deuteronomy 5.14 the verse where we find Sabbath law written. However, by Jesus’ day there were over 600 different laws that were to be followed by a righteous person. This made keeping the Sabbath very difficult. Of course, there were some who were well versed in the law and could and would point out any infraction (don’t you just love people who are so legalistic in their piety?)
Jesus interprets the Law of Moses to the point that the Sabbath was created to help human beings rest from their labors and renew their physical and emotional well-being. It was not put in place to be a hardship on the people or a law that tried to impose an untenable situation on people. But it had become a law that was oppressive in nature.
Jesus points out that those righteous individuals cared more about their animals than about human beings. They would untie their donkey and lead it to water; they cared for their animals even on the Sabbath! This woman who was crippled was a daughter of Abraham – she was a Jewish woman not a foreigner. Shouldn’t she be taken care of even if it was the Sabbath? Of course, the Sabbath was made for human beings and not the other way around.
Jesus confronts unjust behavior that is done in the name of piety. This is the cautionary aspect for us in the church today. First of all, we need to recognize, admit and confess that we do not take seriously the commandment dealing with Sabbath living. This day is to be a day of rest, relaxation and worship. It is the time of the week when we rest from our work and praise God. God created us with this rhythm of work and rest. We cannot work continually or we burn out; we can not keep up constant activity without rest or we get sick. Our society doesn’t understand this or acknowledge this and so we pay the price.
Secondly, we need to take care that we do not hide behind our prejudice of others as did the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. This means that we need to treat others as human beings, people of worth in God’s eyes. Even when people differ from us, we need to treat others humanely and out of a spirit of God’s love. God’s love for human beings goes far beyond the law and the divisions that people have made. That brings excitement into our lives to think that we are the people who willingly share God’s great love with others…. Not always accepting the behavior of others, but recognizing that God’s love is for all.
3. Abundant life is given by God
In the passage we see God’s love in Jesus Christ flow into the life of the woman who was crippled for 18 years. He brought healing and wholeness into her life – what a joyful and exciting time for her. As our passage ends we discover that it was not only joyful and exciting for her, but the reinterpretation of the command about keeping the Sabbath was a joy and a freedom for all in the synagogue that day. They left rejoicing at all the wonderful things Jesus was doing. The excitement was contagious. They couldn’t help themselves.
In the passage we see the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, at work. He might have gotten in trouble with the leaders of the synagogue, but he showed beyond doubt the love of God for this woman. He freed this woman from bondage even on the Sabbath. He showed the victory that is in God over the spirits that bind people and cripple people; whatever kind of spirit it is. As we draw closer to Jesus in our life and in our heart, those things that bind us can fall away and we can experience the abundant life that Jesus has for all in him
This good news is for all of us who are hurting, broken and bound to our sins (even those sins we cherish!). We may be spiritually at a low point; distressed over any number if things; discriminated against because of our values and our morality but today we are reminded of the freedom and the love that is ours in Jesus: that is something to rejoice in – always and again, I say rejoice!
Conclusion
There is a commercial on television about backpacks. The music in the commercial is the song, “The Big Rock Candy Mountain.” Every time I see the commercial and hear the song, it remains in my mind going around and around. It’s contagious. Laughter is contagious too. Remember when someone really laughs and laughs and laughs – and you join in? The situation may not even be that funny, but we laugh just the same.
Shouldn’t the joy in Christ be just as contagious? Shouldn’t we sing praises to God each day, each minute of life? Loved by God and given abundant life in Christ – is there anything more joyful than that? We need to raise our arms, shout our praises and live the victorious life that Jesus has for us. If we can not raise our arms or dance around, or sing out loud, then surely the joy we feel will flow from our hearts and be seen in the joy that radiates from our face and our appearance will glorify God. …May this week be of special joy in your life. Amen.