The Savior at the Synagogue Luke 13:10-17 Another Sabbath, another synagogue, another sermon. As the a renown, visiting rabbi, our Redeemer was often invited to teach the Scripture lesson in Sabbath services. And so it was that day. And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. Verse 10 Paul s faithful companion, Luke, did not record where this particular synagogue was. But we do know where it was not. The Master was still ministering in Galilee. So it was not in Judea. It was not in Capernaum, either. Jairus was the ruler of the synagogue there. Jesus brought his daughter back from the grave. So he never would have opposed our Lord as this synagogue ruler did. Perhaps this synagogue sat in the shade of gnarled trees in some small town tucked back in the green hills of Galilee. Or it could have been a shimmering, stone synagogue in one of the port cities that dotted the shores of Gennesaret. Wherever it was, that Sabbath service was a special, once in a lifetime event for the congregation. Every week, faithful Jews walked to their hometown synagogue. And every week the services were the same. Prayers were prayed. The big scrolls of the sacred Scriptures were reverently taken from a cabinet called the ark. The rabbi would read passages from the Law and from one of the prophets. Then he would drone on about the conflicting interpretations of ancient Jewish scholars. But this week everything was wonderfully different. This Sabbath, the eternal Creator in the person of His sinless Son was present. And that changed everything. Christians today do not fully appreciate the privileges they enjoy. For one thing, the Messiah meets with believers each and every time they meet in His holy Name. That means every worship service is special. And every Sunday is an opportunity to experience the power of the living God. The Devil in the Synagogue The sun was inching its way up over the eastern ridge as Jesus and His disciples walked to the synagogue. The small town Jews who worshiped there were excited when they saw Him coming. They had heard about the miracle working Rabbi. Everyone had. Now they would hear Him for themselves. The people did not know it, of course. But God s Son was not the only guest who worshiped with them that Sabbath. Their eternal enemy did too. He rode in on the bent back of an old woman. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. Verse 11 The woman was a fixture at Sabbath services. Each week, she hobbled in, bent over like a question mark. She had every reason to stay home. After all, she spent her life staring at the ground. Each night when she curled up on her sleeping pad, her back ached. People on the street snickered and shook their head when they saw her. And none of it was her fault
Like Job s bleeding boils, her illness was not the result of an accident or an illness. One of the devil s demons had bent her spine and burdened her back. Nevertheless, each Sabbath she crippled and crabbed her way to the synagogue to worship God. She was, our Savior said, bound by Satan. For eighteen endless years, she suffered oppression by one of Satan s merciless minions. It might surprise us that a woman could worship the God of Abraham, Elijah and Isaiah, yet be bound by the devil. But it should not astound us at all. Many people who attend Christian church services today are also bound by Satan. Some come bound by agonizing memories. Others are so afflicted with anger and bitterness, they are unable or unwilling to forgive. Others come bound by destructive addictions. And Satan tortures still others by twisting and tainting their personal relationships. Mothers and fathers are at odds with their children. Husbands and wives live with neither love nor tenderness. It is tragic but understandable that this woman had been afflicted for so long a time. But it is not at all reasonable that some Christians today are bound by Satan. Yes, she was a faithful daughter of Abraham. And as such, she was heir to all the promises and blessings God promised to that patriarch. But those of us who trust in Jesus are the adopted children of the living God. Also, the woman attended services that were empty and lifeless. But we who call ourselves Christians meet with Christ s Holy Spirit every week. So if we are bound by Satan, we are without excuse. Deliverance in the Synagogue Jesus healed many thousands of people, a number of them at synagogues. And some right on the temple courtyard. But this healing was unique in a number of ways. For one, her malady was caused by Satan. This is one of the only times the Gospel accounts say an illness was caused by Satan. And that is as it should be. The vast majority of physical problems that afflict people have are caused by accidents or germs. But Satan does have the power to cause physical problems. The book of Job proves that. The Bible leaves no room for doubt. The painful, bleeding boils that godly man suffered were caused by the devil himself. Somehow, the woman knew why her back was bent. It was the prince of darkness who caused all her pain. Too many of us have lived with our pains and problems so long, they have become a way of life. Worse yet, we indulge all sorts of illusions and fantasies about our afflictions. We blame other people for our problems. However, while others might have had a hand in our difficulties, the devil is really the one to blame. This story is also singular in the way the healing began. It is one of the few times Christ Himself initiated the healing. When Jesus saw her, He called her over... Verse 12 Our Lord did not wait for the woman ask for His help. He called her name and invited her to come to Him. And there is a glorious promise in that. Our Savior meets with those who trust and honor Him each week. He does not meet with His people as an uninvolved observer, either.
When saints worship, Christ is not only present. He is powerful. And it is His deep desire that God s children be forever free. Most likely, the woman had never met the Master before that Sabbath. But when she looked into His eyes, she could tell. He knew. It is doubtful anyone else knew her back had been bent by Satan. But in a moment, she realized the Redeemer did. It is worthy to remember that when the Master s Spirit meets with us, He sees all of our secrets, too. He can see the pain we hide with a smile. He knows all about the addictions that afflict us. And He actually feels icy edge of the bitterness that binds us. The woman also realized that the Redeemer was not only willing to free her from all the pain the devil had heaped upon her. He also had infinite power to deliver her. That is the wonder of the Gospel. God s Son not only wants to deliver those who trust Him. He also has more than enough power to do so. Indeed, Satan himself is no match for God s Son. So when the Savior spoke her name, the old woman instantly responded. Christ called and one bent, afflicted woman came. Everyone was watching her. And they were all her neighbors. But she was not worried about what they might think. She was tired of waking up each morning in pain and staring at the street as she hobbled to the market. She wanted to walk with her head held high. In the end, maybe that is our problem. We are not like that woman. It is not that we do not believe Jesus wants to deliver us from darkness and defeat. Neither do we doubt Christ can free us. Our problem is that we are unwilling to admit what God s Holy Spirit knows. We really are bound in our heart or our home, in our attitudes or our addictions. But we are so chained by pride, we are ashamed for our neighbors to see our problems. So when Christ calls, we do not answer. But the woman in this story was not like us. Christ called. So she came, hobbling with her bent back to the front of the Synagogue. Then with everyone watching, Jesus delivered her. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, Woman, you are freed from your sickness. And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. Verses 12-13 We must never be misled. Our Savior is the same yesterday, today and forever. And what He did then, He can do right here and right now. The bent woman was delivered that day. And our Savior can still free His people from the pain and problems the devil causes. In a moment of time, Jesus proclaimed that the woman was delivered from the darkness that had bound her for so long. At the same time, He laid His hands on her. Just as He had when He created the universe, God s Son spoke, and it was done. He touched her, and she was loosed from the torment of darkness, defeat and despair. The deliverance was instant and absolute, permanent and powerful. And it is the message of the Bible that God can still deliver us in the same way. So we are left with a choice. Will we receive it? Defeat in the Synagogue The woman with the bent back was not the only person at the synagogue that day who was bound by the devil s darkness. Another man was too: a proud, respected man.
But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, Verse 14 That man was bound by a law he could not obey. And he was so far from God, He had no love for this neighbor of his who had suffered so bitterly for almost two decades. He was utterly unlike the woman. First of all, he refused to admit that he was bound by the devil. But his lack of love and opposition to God s Son prove he was. So the wealthy ruler of the synagogue did not admit he had a problem that bound him in cold legalism. Instead, he was filled with anger and indignation. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day. Verse 14 This synagogue ruler did not relate to the Redeemer at all. Instead, he spoke to the people. They were already rejoicing at the wonderful work the Master had done. And that irritated him. That too shows how deep the darkness was that had seeped into his soul. He was not only unwilling to be delivered himself. He did not want anyone else to be set free, either. So he proposed an alternative: an option the devil always whispers in our ear when Jesus would free us. He urged the people to wait until another day. After all, this was the Sabbath. But there is no reason to think that Jesus would be at the synagogue during the coming week. And when Christ s Spirit calls us to lay our lives at Jesus feet and be forever set free, there is no guarantee He will call again tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation. If we are to be delivered from our private darkness, we must come to Christ right here and right now. No, the ruler did not speak to Jesus. Still, the Savior spoke to him and all the others in the congregation who agreed with him. But the Lord answered him and said, You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day? Verses 15-16 Jesus had a name for those who did not want Him to deliver the woman on the Sabbath. He called them hypocrites. The word refers to an actor in a Greek stage play. Those actors wore masks. And so did the ruler of that synagogue. That was at the very heart of his problem. He was pretending to be something he was not. He wanted people to believe he was pure and pious. So he pretended to be holy and righteous. But Jesus knew who he really was. He was absolutely and utterly self-centered. He cared more for his ox and donkey than he did the woman, because his animals meant money. So while he objected that Jesus delivered the woman, he untied his beasts of burden and led them out to water and grass every Sabbath morning. The man also assumed that obeying God s commandments and showing love to people in need are at odds with one another. But the choice is not love or legalism, keeping commandments or kindness and compassion. The truth is the two always go together. It always the right time to share our Savior s love. And it is always the right time to meet the Master. Indeed, that is one of the purposes of Christian worship. It is a time to hear and obey Christ s call. It is a time to come to Jesus and be delivered. But only one person left synagogue that Sabbath forever set free from Satan s poison. And the reason is simple. Only one person heard Christ s call and came to Him for help.
The ruler went home seething with the anger Satan breathed into him. He lived without joy and died without peace. Then he was plunged into the utter darkness and endless agony of Hell. The rest of the people went home with praise and worship on their lips. As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him. Verse 17 Each Sunday, we meet in Jesus name, so we know His Spirit is among us. And as we meet, here and there Christ calls to those who are bound by the forces of darkness. Our Lord s voice rang out in the synagogue that day. And it echoes deep within our heart today. Still, some questions remain. Will we answer His Spirit s call? Will we walk out into the sunshine forever set free? Or will we live and die, bent and bound by Satan?