IT’S TIME TO LOOK UP
Luke 13:10-17
August 30, 2024 by Dale L. Montgomery
She awkwardly entered the synagogue in her contorted body. Her body bent and her head bowed. Eighteen years she coped with her physical deformity without any hope of relief. Was it a bone disorder? A muscular disease? Perhaps malfunctioning nerves?
1—The Condition of the Woman (Luke 13:10-13)
Doctor Luke doesn’t give the details of her medical records except for the number years she groped about in her disfigured body. Eighteen years of physical pain, emotional turmoil, relational distance, financial struggles, and dwindling faith. It was the Sabbath. Did she know who was coming to the local synagogue? Did she possess any hope of being healed? What compelled her to come? Most people ignored her; believing she had committed some great sin which condemned her to a life of misfortune. She probably preferred
minding her own business anyway knowing how people like to gossip. The ruler of the synagogue rose and announced the visiting rabbi—Jesus of Nazareth. From her hunched position, she strained to look at the Teacher. Then, the unthinkable happened. “And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him…” (Luke 1:12). He singled her out of the audience. Why did He do that? He knew how self-conscious she was. He could have healed her from across the room. Why humiliate the poor woman? Was it is just another bad dream? The last thing she wanted was to be in the public eye. Had she responded like most, she would have walked out the door never to return. Pierced by the stares of other attenders, she obeyed the Rabbi’s simple request and shuffled to Him. Each small step was a huge step of faith. Every eye in the room followed her. “And he laid his hands on her…” (Luke 13:13). She felt His strong hands on her weak, disfigured back. Incapable of lifting her head, she stood there bowing before Him.
“Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity” (Luke 13:12). Jesus commanded her to stand upright. Immediately, her back straightened. For the first time in eighteen years, her back muscles, spine, and nerves all functioned normally as she stood upright doubling her height. His touch and His word transformed her posture allowing her to look into the loving face of Jesus. The text doesn’t mention her age. Was she was born with the deformity? Maybe it started as a teen, or perhaps later as an adult. In her hunched position, she appeared decades older than she really was. But in that miracle moment, she looked and felt twenty years younger. The gnarled body she lived in for eighteen long years was no more. She was transformed. It was an unforgettable day. “…and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Luke 13:13). No more was she the woman always looking down; now she was the woman always looking up, glorifying her God.
2—The Condemnation of the Ruler (Luke 13:14)
One would think witnessing such a miracle would cause everyone to rejoice. But that was not the case. “And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day” (Luke 13:14). The ruler’s carnal condemnation reveal several marks of mancentered religion. His indignant response to Christ didn’t expose Christ, it exposed him. It revealed his evil and envious heart towards Christ and His authority. The ruler didn’t like Jesus interrupting the synagogue, but that’s what Jesus does—He interrupts. He challenges the status quo. He shines the light on sin. He convicts the guilty. He exposes lies. He humbles the proud and exalts the humble. Evangelist Harold Vaughn said, “The average Christian attending church sings over five hundred songs and hymns, listens to over two hundred Bible messages every year, and does not share the gospel with one person.” Why? Man centered religion doesn’t like interruptions. Most church attenders are comfortable with Jesus so long as he doesn’t disrupt our lives. But Jesus crossed the line in the synagogue that day. Aiming to make a public spectacle of Christ, the ruler makes the grave mistake of trying to correct God. Would he rather the woman not be healed? The selfish ruler’s words and actions remind us of the powerless self-help religion which fail to preach the liberating power of Christ. His selfish words exposed his corrupt motives. Rather than rejoicing, he rebukes. Beware of man centered religion; it aims to keep people ensnared by the doctrines and traditions of men. It prevents people from coming to Christ. The ruler’s response shows how man’s religion belittles the eternal souls of people—even below animals. The ruler’s condemnation of Christ led to his own condemnation. A vivid reminder to all of the sovereign and supernatural power of Christ over superficial religious ceremony.
3—The Correction of Christ (Luke 13:15-17)
After the public rebuke by the ruler of the synagogue, Christ now publicly exposes the ruler. Conceited inconsistency must be addressed. Now he gets corrected for attempting to correct Christ. His brash move serves as a stern warning to all who dare correct the sinless Son of God. Christ exposes before the audience the hypocrisy of the carnal religious ruler and revealed his misplaced priorities.
“The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?” (Luke 13:15) The culture of the synagogue elevated the needs animals above the needs of humans. They stressed the temporal above the eternal. Our culture does the same thing. People boast of their compassion towards homeless animals and applaud themselves for the strays they have “rescued.” Yet most people have never led one solitary soul to Christ. Jesus calls that hypocrisy. The ruler of the
synagogue was blinded to the real physical and spiritual needs of this woman. Jesus’ correction brought shame to His adversaries and rejoicing to the audience (v.17). Why was this woman in such a condition? Doctor Luke records the source of her handicap— Satan. “…whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years…” (Luke 13:16). Like Job of old, God allowed the devil to access her health, but not to take her life. Why would God allow this? The answer is simple. So that untold millions (including you and me) could be reminded of the liberating power of Christ by reading her story. The diagnosis of her crippling condition was disheartening. The first year was a whirlwind of doctor appointments followed by disappointments. Her hope of healing dissolved. Five years… ten years…fifteen years…eighteen…long…years…God doesn’t always bring healing according to our schedule. Under the power of Satan, she was trapped her hunched, deformed body staring
at the ground. But Satan’s power was no match for Jesus’ power. In a single moment, she was set free. It’s why Jesus came. “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1).
Though her name is never mentioned, I’m sure we’ll learn it in Heaven. Most details of her life are unknown, but the power of God in her life is unmistakable. Loosed from physical infirmity,
loosed from emotional insecurity, and most of all, she was loosed from the bondage of man’s powerless religion. Satan’s business is to hold the helpless hostage to immorality, shame, fear, and depression.
Jesus is in the liberating business. If you find yourself staring at the ground and disappointed by lifeless religion, come to Jesus. Religious rituals can’t save you. Only Jesus. The same Jesus Who compassionately rescued this helpless woman is calling you. Don’t mind what others think, just heed His voice, and come to Jesus. He alone can set you free and loose you from your bondage of sin. You’re disillusioned stared at the earth has gone on long enough. It’s time to look up!
“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)