I’m sure everyone is aware of the terrible disaster in Japan. We keep them in prayer and trust the Lord to extend his mercy and grace to the people there. We certainly seem to be witnessing the world in upheaval, both the natural world and the kingdom’s of men. Jesus said that these types of events would characterize the age we live in. Whether they point toward a nearing end or not, the main thing is to keep our focus on God and to keep doing what we’ve been called to do.
This Sunday we’ll be reading Luke 13:10-17 . We have here, a classic story of priorities which have gotten out of whack…and Jesus arriving on the scene to straighten things out. Literally.
What is the clear sense of priority we get from these events? The ruler of the synagogue scolds the woman, but he’s obviously trying to correct Jesus as well. What are the priorities of the ruler of the synagogue?
Here’s another thing to ponder…why do you think didn’t Jesus wait a few more hours until sunset to heal that woman? She wasn’t in immediate peril, why did he feel the need to do that healing right then, instead of waiting until later and avoiding the controversy? Do you read a message in that to us?
Jesus heals the woman, then defends her and everyone rejoices. It’s a pretty awesome story of the Hero King. I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts.
WONDERWHAT 
What better day to be healed than a day set aside for healing, relaxation and restoration? The entire idea of the Sabbath was that mankind needed to take a break, relax, and unwind. This woman had not enjoyed a true Sabbath rest for 18 years. While it would seem that this condition was not life threatening, every moment that she remained the same was another moment where “this daughter of Israel” lived bound by the evil one. Her life diminished, her spirit squeezed, the voices in her head screaming, “See, this rabbi is like the rest. He can do nothing — it’s the Sabbath, you have no hope.” That is something that our King cannot abide. So he did what only the Hero King can do, he made sure that this women tasted the freedom and rest of the Sabbath, and that she tasted it now. The fact that he got to illustrate the hypocrisy of the ruling religious class was gravy. Like you said, his priority is always people.
Brought to tears sitting in Ohio worshipping with our church family, seeing my husband, and sitting under your teaching . . . “liberating”.