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PREFEACE FROM JOE: Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for 18 years, delivering her from a life of great physical difficulty. Jesus then rebukes the leader of the synagogue for being angry that she had been healed on the sabbath.
Luke 13:10-21 English Standard Version
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”
20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
NOTES TYPED FROM JOE’s TEACHING
Jesus down the Jordan valley across from Jericho in the area of Pereia. He will cross over and go to Jerusalem where he will ultimately be crucified. He is recognized as a famous Rabbi, though controversial, the ruler of the synagogue would invite an itinerant teacher to take the scriptures and teach. Apparently this is what happened. When Jesus calls her daughter he is not talking about blood lines but that she is a believer who has held onto her faith against EVERY obstacle. She is a woman of faith. This is what Jesus is saying. She is being bound by Satan, not possessed, but afflicted by Satan, like Job. She has a physical disability that was rooted in Satanic activity. This is the exception, not the rule. To say every affliction or sickness is from the enemy is wrong. Born again Christians cannot be possessed. Most sickness is from the fall. There can be demonic oppression. Luke tells us this specifically. This is not a general rule but she is a specific case. She is “double bent”. Actually bent in half at the bottom of the spine and their face is in the dirt. We see this in third world countries. She has been like this for 18 years. She cannot in anyway lift herself up. Her face is at the ground. Jesus says, “Lo, these 18 years”. How does she swallow? Does she wash her face? Does she strain to see what is around her? Ahead of her? Does she comb her hair or just tie it up so it doesn’t drag in the dirt? How does she sleep? Bathe? Does the rain run into her eyes and nose? What hopes and dreams has she abandoned. Additionally she has to press through the stigma of this culture that says she has a secret sin. She is in the synagogue. She is in church. She does not curse God or walk away from Him. She instead runs to Him. What if that day she decided she was just too tired and had not come. He looked at her and read her like a book. He read those 18 years of suffering in her. He saw it. He read her whole story before she knew it. He is our Lord, our Savior, our Father. He sees her and then calls her forward in front of everyone. He says: Woman, you are free from your disability. She trusted God even there was no evidence in her life. He says “You are loosed”. He laid his hands on her and immediately she was loosed and praised God. She was (in the passive) made straight. Suddenly she is standing tall with her hands in the air praising the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
How do we apply this? We get tied up in knots, physically, emotionally. We are challenged by scripture to love and forgive. We can go to a support group to try to straighten our lives out and it just doesn’t happen. The question is is there anyone who knows me so thoroughly , who can touch me so deeply and straighten me up so completely that I am set free? The answer is yes! Jesus Christ. He can work through counseling but unless he does it, it won’t happen. The synagogue was powerless to straighten her out. Judaism was powerless against satan to straighten her out. But when we come to him we are saying, I can’t through this, I can’t get away from this, I can’t get by this, I can’t stop doing this, I can’t get victory over this. Then for us to hear his voice say “you are loosed, you are set free.” There is no other experience like that. It is the foundation of our personal experience with the living God. You can’t explain it to anyone else.
There shouldn’t be a dry eye in the house now, but here comes the smarty pants ruler of the synagogue. He doesn’t confront Jesus, he spins around and yells at the people. He says “Hey, there are six days in which you should be doing work. If you want to be healed, come on one of those days, but not the Sabbath.” Jesus, with great tact says “you hypocrite!” “ Don’t you let your animals on the sabbath eat and drink, let them lose from their bonds?” “Your big ‘ought’ doesn’t apply to your ox and your ass!” Do you have sympathy for your animals and not this woman? They are ashamed.
Now he talks about the Kingdom. A mustard seed into a tree and the birds nesting in it. Leaven in a bunch of flour. Both birds and leaven are symbols of evil. The birds of the air are workers of iniquity. Leaven is a type of sin. This synagogue should have exploded with praise and joy but instead it is divided. Some condemning, some rejoicing. The workers of iniquity have infiltrated and set themselves up as leaders in the kingdom. For us, let’s not play church. If we are broken and bent in half let us go to Him. Do we go to him because we deserve it? NO! We go to him for all the things we don’t deserve that fully paid for on the cross. Religious people want to get in the way of that.
Some day we will meet this woman and we can ask her name. She will say, this is my old name, but I have a new one now. Plug yourself into this story somewhere. I hope we have hearts like Jesus, that we can look around and see the stories in people’s lives and be gracious and caring. Let us come alongside and encourage but make sure we tell them there is only one who is both able and willing to touch their lives. Don’t let us have religious hypocrisy washing over our brain saying “this woman must be a sinner! Look at her life!” Don’t ever do that. Because there is a kingdom and the king of that kingdom is gracious and long suffering and forgiving. He is continuing the good work he began in us and is healing our brokenness and loves it when we sit alone with him and talk to him. When we bring our lives without hiding anything into the open.
QUESTION: Read the section on the following pages about Jesus’ Perean Ministry. He is in the last 3 months of his life. This is approximately January and in March or April he will be going to the cross. He knows his future. He knows what this will entail. The greatest trial of His life is fast approaching! The greatest temptation. Hebrews 5 tells us that “7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus[a] offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.” I believe (my opinion) that this was not limited to the time in the garden of Gethsemane. I believe (just my opinion) that this was something that happened on multiple occasions, the last being in the Garden of Gethsemane, where it was once and for all settled. Imagine how Jesus was feeling, how what he was facing affected his emotions. This is an emotional story. Jesus knew his whole life that he had a meeting with this woman. He has known it for the three years of his ministry and here it finally is. His opportunity to heal this woman, just as the Father had planned before the foundation of the world. I wonder if he had wanted to have this meeting much earlier so that she could be free? He knew she was bent, he knew that she would be healed but he also knew that the Father had it scheduled for this day and not a day earlier or later. He had probably been really looking forward to this moment. Write a paragraph or so reaction to the story after seeing the story in Jesus’ shoes. I know we cannot ever have his mind entirely but we can experience some of the emotions he may have felt by simply meditating on where he has been in his life thus far, and where he is quickly going.
Jesus Perean Ministry: Last 3 months of his life. An overview
Perean Ministry
So he departed again across the Jordan to the place where John (the Baptist) first was baptizing, and He remained there. – John 10:40 (HCSB)
Three months until the Passover. Three months until Jesus would make a final entrance into Jerusalem. Three months until Jesus would face the agony of the cross. Just three months until his redemptive mission would be fulfilled. In the meanwhile, Jesus would continue to preach, teach, heal, and manage the conflict according to God’s timetable, not the agenda of those planning to kill him.
It was because of this conflict that Jesus found it necessary to leave Jerusalem and Judea and travel east into Perea. In all likelihood, this is where Jesus had been baptized and initiated his public ministry some three years earlier. It was fitting that Jesus would return to this region where John the Baptist had helped “prepare the way for the Lord” (Matthew 3:3). Indeed, John’s Gospel tells us that during this ministry in Perea “many believed in Him there” (John 10:42).
The PEREAN MINISTRY began in Perea, but was not spent entirely in Perea. During this time he traveled to Bethany in Judea (John 11:18), spent some time in Ephraim, Judea (John 11:54), made a final trip into Galilee (Matthew 19:1), and visited Jericho (Luke 19:1). But regardless of where Jesus was during these three months, it’s clear that in his head and heart, Jesus was “making his way”, ultimately, to Jerusalem (Matthew 20:18; Luke 13:22, 17:11).
Each of the Synoptics (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) give significant attention to the Perean Ministry while John’s only reference to this period (other than noting his departure to Perea) is the account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44).
The record of Jesus’ ministry during this period is dominated by teachings and parables on a broad variety of subjects. (See Events in Perean Ministry.) Only four miracles are recorded.
Near the beginning and end of this period we are given four accounts that provide an interesting glimpse into the emotional side of Jesus. When told that Herod wanted to kill him, Jesus referred to Herod as “that fox” and then said, “Look! I’m driving out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete My work. Yet I must travel today, tomorrow, and the next day, because it is not possible for a prophet to perish outside of Jerusalem!” It’s hard not to sense a degree of exasperation in his voice due to the constant threat that was hanging over him (Luke 13:31-33).
In that same context, Jesus cries over the beloved City of David, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! . . How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34.) Who could miss the intense divine longings for this city at the heart of God’s eternal redemptive plan?
When his disciples rebuked those wishing to bring “little children” to Jesus so he could touch them, we’re told that Jesus became “indignant” (Mark 10:14). It wasn’t the only time Jesus spoke up for the value of children to reveal his tender love for them.
Shortly before their arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus spoke with his disciples rather bluntly regarding his imminent crucifixion. There is an unmistakable urgency and passion in his voice when he calls for their attention. . . “Listen! We are going up to Jerusalem.” (Matthew 20:18.)
The Perean Ministry represents the close of Jesus’ itinerant ministry. His days are numbered. The clock is ticking. Soon he will be in Jerusalem to face the cross.
The Art of Lorna McLaughlin 