An Exposition

Luke 13:10-17: “Shaking Up the Service”

“And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had borne a sickness caused by a spirit, and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. And when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your sickness.’ And He laid His hands upon her, and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.

“And the synagogue official, indignant, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the multitude in response, ‘There are six days in which work should be done, therefore come during them and get healed, but not on the Sabbath day.’ 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?’ And as He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated, and the entire multitude was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him” (Luke 13:10-17, NASB).

The late Christian pastor and philosopher Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984) was in conversation with his wife Edith concerning the state of the modern church. He asked a question that is still relevant after the decades since he went to be with the LORD. The question is, “If the Holy Spirit were to leave the earth, would the church still be carrying on with its programs and plans as if nothing happened?”

Stop and consider that for a moment. Have the churches become so entangled in programs, finances, and business practices that it has forgotten or neglected to remember that the “church” is not a building, but people who have been transformed and made new by the redeeming power of Jesus Christ? Have we forgotten that the Spirit of God and His will take precedence over anything we might believe is important or vital?

Have we forgotten what it is like when God genuinely moves among His people, drawing sinners to the Savior and revival breaks out? Do we still rejoice when our prayers are heard by Him and lives are changed, and wonders occur that can only be explained by a move among His people? When did being with the brethren become a chore or ingrained habit and worship become a dead formality? When did routine and legalism take the place of an intimate time of joy and fellowship with the Sovereign God of all creation and the Author of our salvation? We see this situation unfold and how Jesus reacted to it as we read this story and learn from it.

In writing this account of Jesus’ ministry, Luke points out that this is the final time that the LORD does a mighty work within the confines of a synagogue. Every time He has been in a house of worship, it has resulted in disarray and anger from the members, and contempt from the religious leaders. And even though a definite act of God occurred either from His teachings or working of a miracle, hearts were hardened; their way of thinking and routine had been disrupted, and the apostasy among God’s chosen was imbedded deeply into the fabric of the nation (Matt. 9:15, 12:9, 13:54, 23:34; Mark 1:21, 29, 39; 3:1; 6:2; Luke 4:28, 33, 44; 13:10; John 6:59; 18:20).

I suppose a modern equivalent of this type of reaction would be if a Spirit-filled preacher got behind a pulpit and started preaching the truths of Scripture to an indifferent, apathetic church, declaring that they needed to repent and put their faith in Christ or else they were going to hell for eternity. Those same church members would call for the preacher to be quiet, get angry, or run him out of town for disturbing their self-righteousness and esteem. There might be some hearts genuinely changed, but it would not be a large number. Even the people who heard the words of Jesus directly were indifferent at best, save for a few.

Jesus is teaching the truths of Scripture with the authority He has as God in the flesh, not adding any human opinion or interpretation to His words, as if He needed any input from us. In the synagogue, a woman bent over from oppression due to an evil spirit has come to worship God and perhaps to hear the young carpenter from Galilee and the wisdom and compassion He displays as He presents the words of God to a people who have become comfortable with their ritual and religious apathy. Also in the congregation is the synagogue official, who meticulously keeps watch on all routine, Scripture reading, prayer time, and any violation of the Sabbath that may be at hand, ready to correct anything that might upset the orderliness of the service.

Jesus stops what He is doing and shows everyone who is present that God is still at work in the hearts and lives of His people by calling out the poor woman and immediately healing her of her crippling condition. She is now able to stand up straight and move normally, praising God for His miraculous power and act of love. The people have witnessed a genuine miracle from God that cannot be denied or explained away. There is rejoicing by some; but for the official, it is a cause for anger and frustration over what is seen as a disruption of formalities and a violation of the Sabbath. He complains to Jesus about it, telling Him that there are other days in which to ask God for healing, as if he has the authority to tell Him what He can and cannot do in His own house of worship and learning. Seriously?

Jesus turns to give attention to this religious “legal eagle” and correct the official on some issues that he has seemed to forget in his zeal to keep the national interpretation of the day of rest that God had ordained.

First, a house of worship is just that – a place to gather and give praises to God and to be in loving fellowship with one another as brethren in Christ (Hebrews 10:25). We gather to learn His word and to grow in spiritual maturity, lovingly correcting behavior that is not in line with what is expected of a true child of God, and to support the pastor/elder who has charge over the flock. We meet because we want to do so, and not because it is an expected routine that must be obeyed or else face scorn or other consequences.

God gave His people a Sabbath not out of legality and strictness, but out of love and the desire of God to put aside a day not just from our regular jobs and work, but to set aside a time to reflect on the goodness and blessings that God has provided for us. We are not to work ourselves into a state of weariness or loss of real priorities, such as one’s family. The Israelites allowed their animals to rest a day after a week of bearing burdens out of love and concern for the animal’s well-being. The same goes for us as well. If you do not have to work, take some time off and rest. Even Jesus told His disciples to do the same (Mark 6:31).

I wish that churches would remember this when it comes to the responsibilities that they want to place on pastors and expect them to be able to do all that they request or even demand. Statistics have been recorded that show pastors and other church workers leave the ministry at an estimated rate of 1,500 per month due to burnout, overwork, unrealistic expectations put on them by members and committees, family breakdown, infidelity, and other issues.

Who said that we had to have services and meetings nearly every night of the week? Who said that we must have programs for every age group? Who said that we need committees for every little function and procedure? Why do we have to justify the need for a pastor and his family to be there nearly every time the doors open for some reason that is not that important or necessary?

If we are to meet as a church as Scripture teaches us, then let us do so with an attitude of love and the expectation that God will do a mighty work in the lives of His people and that of the ones who surrender to the Lordship and guidance of the Lord Jesus Christ – not because we have to do some expected routine and legality that essentially tires and frustrates even the most devout member. When we witness a genuine work of God in our midst, let us not be as this official who was rightfully rebuked by Jesus for his callousness and indifference, but to rejoice in His glory, grace, mercy, love, compassion, and sovereignty in the lives of His people.

Let us welcome Jesus into the church again and let Him have His way, whether it upsets our ecclesiastical apple cart or not. Let His inerrant, all-sufficient Word be our guide, not cold routine and callous dogma void of love and concern for the souls of the brethren. Amen.

donaldwhitchard@gmail.com

www.donaldwhitchard.com

Guest writers on this website and other prophecy websites have tried to connect the perils that seem to follow when meddling with a peace agreement on Israel’s behalf. Like gathering facts for a high school essay, I thought I would do my own wiki fact-finding to see if this is an accurate conclusion. This is, after all, what is on everyone’s mind with the newly announced Abraham Accord.

We begin with the forgotten Camp David Accords during Jimmy Carter’s presidency and the Madrid Conference that President George H. W. Bush put on his record of accomplishments in 1991. However, it was William Jefferson Clinton who became POTUS in January of 1993 and who was, I believe, overly credited with the work of the Oslo Accords when we had the “rubber meets the road” moment. If George H. W. had won a second term, the credit would have gone to him, since the work on this document began before that fall election. Instead, President Clinton was in the famous photo with PLO Leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the White House on August 20, 1993.

Hence came a Category 3 tropical depression that began forming on August 17 (oddly, that hurricane was named Hurricane Hilary). At that time, we did not have 30 years of destructive weather patterns to connect the dots, but I am jumping ahead of myself. I should note that Mexico, California, and Iowa were most effected by that hurricane. Also forming on August 22 was Hurricane Emily, heavily affecting the North Carolina Coastline. Lastly, you could call it a warning if you wanted to make a case, but on August 6, leading up to the Accords, there was a tornado outbreak in Virginia. This outbreak recorded 24 confirmed tornadoes. Again, this is nothing compared to what we in 2020 have seen happen, but this was quite alarming in 1993.

Fast forward to 2005 when President George W. Bush supported what is called the Israeli Disengagement Agreement when, beginning at midnight on August 14, the Gaza Strip was officially closed for entrance by Israeli citizens living there. House by house removal of those who did not comply, many by force, commenced soon afterward. The demolition of some 2,800 homes and 26 synagogues followed. This included removing graves and relocating them.

On August 23, a Category 5 hurricane was forming in the Gulf that later would simply be known as Katrina. This is when many in the prophecy world started taking notice.

President Barack Obama never brokered an official accord or treaty while in office and is only credited with the Mitchell Talks during 2010-11 and the Kerry Talks during the 2013-14 timeframe. The short story on the Mitchell Talks is numerous visits to various Middle East areas, and before any real work was done, he resigned. The short story on the Kerry Talks is Israel had to release over a hundred Palestinian prisoners just to talk to the PA.

If you read the Wiki summary of the Kerry Talk years, I cannot help but imagine the blood pressure readings of John Kerry. The frustrating story mostly went like this: Gaza or West Bank commits a terror act against Israel, and the PA downplays it to nothing less than a misunderstanding. Israel responds in defense of their own people, to which the PA claims fowl. John Kerry tries to appease the PA. This goes on just about every day for two years.

The real damage by the Obama Administration begins with the Cairo speech; progresses to the disgusting Benghazi event; then either by accident or heaven forbid, on purpose, the U.S. ends up helping fund ISIS, and ends his era of presidency with the Iran nuclear deal. It is an understatement to say the security of Israel was jeopardized during these once unimaginable moments. I say it is unimaginable because no one would dare touch an American Ambassador, but then again, it was once unimaginable to see lawlessness at levels seen in aggressive nations here on American streets either.

But this is 2020.

Throughout the Obama years, there were too many natural disasters to even document. Fire, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes all continued, leading to a conditioning of sorts that we all are accustomed to in 2020.

Then you have President Donald J. Trump who miraculously wins the presidency 2016. The history books will record him as the greatest U. S. president to the Israeli nation ever, declaring Jerusalem the forever capital and moving our embassy to Jerusalem as well. The “cure-all” to all our disasters. Right?

However, according to this website https://www.nola.com/news/weather/article_99ac151d-aa22-57a9-802e-45413efc9c1c.html, five of the top 10’s most expensive hurricanes in U.S. history have occurred under the Trump Administration. So no, the disasters persist, as well as fires, floods, and earthquakes. In fact, while we were watching the Abraham Accords live, there was a hurricane and a damaging derecho occurring in the U.S.

So why even write this article, you may be asking?

Because I think many are too “U.S.” focused and that we would all be better to focus on the fact that Jesus said there would be birth pains, and Romans expands to say that the whole of creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth. Christians muddy the waters when we try to say this one was a judgment and that one was not. Prophecy writers can end up sounding like the National Enquirer, sensationalizing events too often.

This website link https://www.weather.gov/mob/events does show an increase in natural disasters beginning in the 1990s. This link https://timelines.ws/subjects/Disasters.HTML is better because it is worldwide in its documenting.

Am I glad we have President Trump sitting in the Oval Office at this time in history? Yes. I think God is using him to shine a light on some dark places and on all the evil that has been living at the bottom of a swamp, the universal swamp. It will leave many without excuse.

DJT recently eluded that not only those in the Democratic Party wish him ill, but also many powerful people in the world wish to harm him. I believe it to be true, and we should be praying for the rulers, the authorities, like no other time in our lives. Not just for DJT, but again, for all those who seek after righteousness.

Am I saying that none of the above disasters could qualify as judgments against the U.S. for using its superpower to make the trembling cup of Israel tremble just a bit more? Not only am I not scholarly, but I also do not claim to hear from God like the prophets of the Old Testament who warned God’s people of the coming judgments beforehand. We do have God’s word that says he will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel.

It will be wonderful to someday have these times all clarified to us by God when we read about these times in what I believe will be a Third Testament. The Old and New Testament outline the prophecies of the first and second coming of our Lord Jesus. The New Testament bears witness to the prophecies of His first coming. It is only natural to assume that there will be a Third Testament for those in the 1,000-year reign to study.

I will conclude my essay on the U.S. standing with God with the worn-out saying by those in the prophecy realm. I think that all nations are headed to that Valley of Jehoshaphat like “moths to a flame.”

God’s blessings, and continue to pray while there is still light in the world.