In this story we are going to look at another one of Jesus’ miracles. This miracle took place on a sabbath day, and caused a bit of outrage. Let’s take a look at the book of Luke to see what’s happening.
Luke 13:10-11 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 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.
So Jesus is just teaching and he sees this woman who is being affected by an evil spirit. Take a look at what he does.
Luke 13:12-13 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!
Jesus doesn’t just wait around for her to ask for his help. The moment he sees her, he calls her to him to be healed. And this brings us to the first thing we need to learn in this story.
Jesus Loves the Outsider
In Jesus’ day people though God was mad at you if you were sick for an extended period of time. The people in this area probably thought this woman did something truly terrible because she had been dealing with this sickness for eighteen years. They probably didn’t have any compassionate at all for this woman, but Jesus did. That’s because Jesus loves outsiders.
Maybe you are at a point in your life where you feel like the outsider. You don’t feel like you fit in at home or at school. God doesn’t care. He loves you regardless. He loves those on the margins of society, those who are pushed outside of social circles and rejected by their peers. That’s one of the most important points of this story. Let’s look at what happened next in the story.
Luke 13:14 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.”
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The synagogue leader was kind of like the church leader. The reason he is so angry is because you aren’t supposed to do any work at all on the Sabbath. But the church leader let’s this regulation get in the way of the awe he should have felt after witnessing such a miracle. This leads us to the next important point in this story.
Jesus Exposes Hypocrites
We’re about to see Jesus call this guy out for being a hypocrite. A hypocrite is someone who says one thing, but acts a completely different way. This synagogue leader acted really religious and that he cared so much about God’s people. But in this story he reveals that he really cares more about following the rules above anything else. That is exactly the kind of thing a hypocrite would do. Jesus is about to call this guy out, so let’s take a look.
Luke 13:15-16 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? 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?”
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Jesus says that they care for their animals on the Sabbath, so should he not care for people on the Sabbath? Especially a woman that they had pushed to the outskirts of their society and had written off. But we shouldn’t look at this synagogue leader and think “wow, what a jerk.” We often act in hypocritical ways as well. We often talk this big game about how much we love people and God, but do we really show compassion and kindness to those around us? That’s what matters to God. And that’s the last point in our lesson.
Jesus Cares More About People Than Rules
This story really shows us God’s heart. He is all about people. God doesn’t care about the rules that are made up at your church or youth group. He cares more about helping people, and so should you. You should love people and want to help them grow closer to God. God loves you and he hasn’t come to condemn you or judge you, but to show you the love of Christ.
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Discussion Questions:
- Watch the video together or invite someone to summarize the topic.
- What is your initial reaction to this video? Do you disagree with any of it? What jumped out at you?
- If you could have one superhero power, what would it be? Why?
- Why do you think God cares so much for people that are rejected by others?
- Read Luke 13:14-16. What is a hypocrite? Give an example of a modern day hypocrite.
- How do you know if you are in danger of becoming a hypocrite?
- How can you show that you care more about people than rules?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
