Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules demonstrates Christ’s radical approach to religious traditions. In a synagogue on the Sabbath, Jesus healed a woman crippled for 18 years, challenging the rigid interpretation of Sabbath laws. He prioritized compassion and human need over strict adherence to rules, exposing the hypocrisy of religious leaders who cared more about regulations than people’s well-being. By calling the woman forward and healing her, Jesus broke societal norms and emphasized the importance of helping those in need, regardless of the day or setting. This account illustrates Jesus’ mission to restore relationships and free people from spiritual and physical bondage, even at the cost of confronting established religious practices.
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE CHAPTER 13
By Delbert Young
More messages by Delbert Young are here.
Here are 4 key points from Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules:
1. Jesus prioritized helping people over following religious rules, especially on the Sabbath.
3. The synagogue leader became angry that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, missing the miracle.
4. Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who cared more about rules than people.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
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Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
Scriptures: Mark 2:27, Luke 13:10-11, Luke 13:12-13, Luke 13:14-16, Luke 13:15, Luke 13:16, Luke 13:17
Let’s jump into our passage and then look at some points.
Luke 13:10-17 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been CRIPPLED by a SPIRIT for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. INDIGNANT because Jesus had healed ON THE SABBATH, the synagogue RULER said to the PEOPLE, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
The Lord answered him, “YOU HYPOCRITES! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom SATAN has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, ALL HIS OPPONENTS were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Jesus always causes problems when he goes to church. Attending this church/synagogue were hurting crippled people, spirits, a least one indignant leader, people wanting to serve God, hypocrites, and there was Satan somewhere in the mix, probably among the opponents of Jesus. So, when Jesus shows up at church, problems are bound to happen. This makes us wonder, when there are issues in our church, whether Jesus showed up today. We also see a very real picture of church with these eight components. It’s just how it is even when Jesus went to church.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
The leader of the synagogue became indignant. He was angered. Jesus broke his religious rules. Jesus healed on the Sabbath. The leader wasn’t thrilled that the woman crippled by a spirit for eighteen years was delivered and healed. He only cared about his doctrine, caring more about oxen and donkeys than crippled, hurting people. His church had become a home for hypocrites, error, home for evil spirits, and deceived people. This is a frightening thought! It makes you want to look around, doesn’t it?
So, while Jesus was there, he decided to address some of these issues and what better day to do it than on a Sabbath?
We’ve talked extensively about the Sabbath. It was/is at the heart of Judaism and became its symbol. The entire belief system of Judaism hinged/hinges on the Sabbath. Judaism is a religion built upon the belief in pleasing God by keeping rules and laws to make God happy, all culminating on the Sabbath.
Jesus’ ministry aimed to destroy this belief system, and it pretty much has. Only about 0.22% of the world’s population is Judaic, while 33% of the world’s population is Christian. There are a more significant number of people in primal religions in Africa than there are Judaists. This is why Judaists hate Jesus. He said their house would be left desolate (Mat 23:38; Luk 13:35), and it is.
Jesus says we please God through a Father/child relationship, not by a religion of laws. Religion is always based on human achievement. Relationship with God is only by grace through faith (Eph 2:8).
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
God intended the Sabbath to be the best day of the week. Judaism made it the worst day of the week. You must take a day off, but you can’t do anything you enjoy to relax. Judaism took the Sabbath, given by the grace of God so man could rest from human achievement, and filled it full of rules to acquire human achievement with God. Judaism forced man to fit into its Sabbath rules. Jesus said,
Mark 2:27 …The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath:
The Sabbath was to fit into man’s life, not man’s life fit into the Sabbath. God gave the Sabbath for man’s good. Not God’s good. It’s about people, not about God. Jesus constantly attacked the Sabbath – the symbol of Judaism. Understanding this is important to see how Jesus feels about laws and legalistic religion. Indeed, Jesus could have waited until the next day to heal the crippled woman, but he didn’t. He attacked the Sabbath. Let’s work through the text.
Luke 13:10-11 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been CRIPPLED BY A SPIRIT for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
This infirmity had a spiritual connection. The spirit crippled her. Though not all sicknesses are connected to spirits, some are. It’s not unwise to realize there could be a spiritual connection when praying for someone’s healing. As we’ve discussed, their theology said if a person was in such a dire situation, they were a bad person God was judging. In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus if the blind man or his parents had sinned, causing the blindness. Job’s friends were certain Job had sinned for such horrible things to happen to him. So, this woman would be an outcast.
The woman did have a problem caused by a spirit. She wasn’t possessed by but crippled by a spirit. How horrible her situation was – bent over and could not straighten up at all. She had been this way for eighteen years. She couldn’t function well. How many of us are at least a little bent over in life? Something happened. Something’s crippled us. We’ve gone many, many years not straight. We’re not possessed, but something spiritual beyond our abilities has crippled us.
Luke 13:12-13 When Jesus saw her, he CALLED HER FORWARD and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and IMMEDIATELY she straightened up and PRAISED GOD.
The King James Version and T.D. Jakes says, “Woman, thou art loosed…” Jesus, the most popular person in the land, was obviously invited to speak in a local synagogue. Looking over the crowd, he noticed a poor woman. Her posture is difficult to imagine or imitate. Was she seated bent over? Could she sit? How could she walk? She was one of those people with whom you avoid eye contact. Jesus didn’t avoid contact.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
I love how Jesus scanned the crowd, looking at everyone. I wish I could do a better job at this. Occasionally, I’ll pick up on someone hurting or weeping, but I wish I could do better at honing in on things crippling people’s lives. How about you? Ever avoid eye contact? Ever become so captured by your focus that you miss helping someone bound by something crippling their life? We need to scan our church on Sunday, but we also need to scan every place we go.
This person was a woman and, in their society, only a little more valuable than a cow. So, women must sit in the back of the synagogue. She was not only bound by a spirit. She was bound by her society. Our society continues to do this with women’s ministry. We put women in the back and cripple critical ministry. What’s bound us? What did Jesus do? Jesus – Called her forward.
Jesus wasn’t supposed to bring a woman forward.
Not in that church, no sir! I was thinking about this. Why didn’t he go to her? This would be simpler than causing this poor woman to walk to the front. He was working on more than destroying the Sabbath. Jesus didn’t make an issue of, or give a microphone to the spirit. He didn’t even acknowledge it. He simply spoke and put his hands [plural] on her. Jesus wasn’t supposed to touch a woman, another cultural “no, no,” especially in the synagogue. There is something powerful about the laying on of hands. Touch people when you pray for them if only to hold their hands. The synagogue ruler would not touch her, but Jesus did.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
She immediately straightened up and praised God. I guess so! She didn’t need therapy, and she didn’t twist around and say, “I think I’m better.” It says, “She straightened up and praised God!” She attributed her healing to God. This, of course, upset the hypocrites. It couldn’t be God. They said Jesus did what he did by Beelzebub’s power, not God’s.
Luke 13:14-16 INDIGNANT because Jesus had healed ON THE SABBATH, the synagogue ruler SAID TO THE PEOPLE, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the SABBATH.” The Lord answered him, “YOU HYPOCRITES! Doesn’t each of you on the SABBATH untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, WHOM SATAN HAS KEPT BOUND FOR EIGHTEEN LONG YEARS, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
You would think the ruler would have joined in the praise of God. He didn’t, why? One word –“Indignant” – aganakteo {ag-an-ak-teh’-o} – moved with intense displeasure and anger. Have you ever been moved with intense displeasure? How about at church? Here’s the point. You will miss God’s presence if you are moved with intense displeasure and anger. God doesn’t operate by our doctrines, no matter how angry we become. This is the depth of hypocrisy. There was no compassion for people, just anger and hypocrites. This is religion at its finest.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
There was no discrepancy about Jesus doing a miracle. No one ever said Jesus did not do miracles, and he did thousands. This leader missed the miracle. The hypocrite’s religion trumped the presence of God. Their Sabbath was more important than God’s presence. Religion will cause you to miss the presence of God. This is why Jesus so despised the Sabbath.
The ruler didn’t address Jesus concerning the situation. He said to the people, referencing Deuteronomy 5:13. I see it rolling out this way. The ruler jumped up and said, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, Deuteronomy 5:13!” (I realize they didn’t have chapter and verse, but let me work.) Then Jesus responded, not to the people, but to him.
Luke 13:15 The Lord answered HIM, “YOU HYPOCRITES! Doesn’t each of you on the SABBATH untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?
I see Jesus sitting watching and then saying, “You hypocrites! The next verse says, ‘Nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals,’ but you lead it out to give it water.’ Deuteronomy 5:14! You hypocrites! You work!” Jesus finished the context of the passage the leader used. Preachers do this. They never finish the context. The context will mess up lousy doctrine. Always check your preacher’s context. Jesus does.
Luke 13:16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen LONG years, BE SET FREE ON THE SABBATH DAY from what bound her?”
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
Note the emphasis on long years. Jesus said you work on the Sabbath to care for your ox and donkey, but this woman, a daughter of Abraham, one of your relatives from your forefather Abraham, you could not care less. He 1asked should not this woman be set free ON THE SABBATH DAY. Jesus said the Sabbath was not the wrong day. IT WAS THE PERFECT DAY. IT’S THE BEST DAY! Jesus was/is in total opposition to their Sabbath doctrine.
I know of no better day to set people free from what has bound and bowed them for long years than this day. I’m certainly not speaking about the Sabbath or only Sunday. I’m speaking about any day, especially when we come together to acknowledge our love for God.
Luke 13:17 When he said this, ALL HIS OPPONENTS were HUMILIATED, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
His opponents were unmasked. They were exposed. They were belittled. Ever been humiliated? Women cry. Men hang their heads. Embarrassment engulfs. No place to hide. The word is kataischuno {kat-ahee-skhoo’-no} – fully disgraced. These hypocrites were disgraced but not humbled, which is a positive aspect of humiliation. They remained opponents, and this was the problem.
Jesus Goes to Church: How to Prioritize People Over Rules
The people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. People were constantly delighted with the miracles Jesus did, but as we’ve discussed, miracles do not make believers. We’ve all seen some form of miracle. In a few weeks, those delighted ones will scream, “Crucify him.”
Jesus endured the religious hypocrites and leaders. Jesus endured the evil spirits, indignant leaders, and the delighted crowd, even knowing they would turn on him, the hypocrites, Satan, and his opponents to get to a woman bent over and bound by life. Isn’t this who Jesus continues to seek after? He seeks those whose face is down, whose backs are bent double. It’s those he desires to touch and free. It’s those crippled lives that God desires to not only save but straighten.
When Jesus Goes to Church Luke 13:10-17 audio video notes
When Jesus Goes to Church Luke 13:10-17 audio video notes
Other Related Sermons:
The Sabbath Good or Evil Luke 6:6-11
A Demon On The Sabbath Luke 4:31-37
Matthew 28:1-20 Resurrection Audio
Salvation and Resurrection of the Dead
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