Proper 16.C.25
Luke 13:10-17
Melanie L. McCarley

It sometimes happens that the rules we are given fail to make reasonable sense. As most of us have learned at some point in our lives, we challenge them at our peril. Take a moment and try to recall a time when you were faced with a rule that made no sense—and how it made you feel.

About the time I entered ninth grade, my parents announced that I would be signed up for typing class. Upon entering the classroom, I beheld a sea of manual typewriters. Mind you, the age of electricity was upon us, and IBM Selectric typewriters were all the rage. Our school had two of them. These modern-day wonders possessed the coveted “correction key.” For the rest of us, we had little plastic sheets covered with a white powder, which (after a mistake) you would backspace and type the incorrect letter once again and then backspace again to type your correction. Then there was our teacher, who informed us of her rule, which was that we were to use the eraser—a dreaded implement requiring unrolling the sheet, erasing the mistake (without damaging the paper) re-rolling and re-typing. Each of us in that class knew that the days of erasing mistakes had long since departed. We put away our handy-dandy plastic correction sheets and she handed out pencils with hard, white erasers. The rule, it made no sense. Typing erasers were obsolete…as would soon be our plastic sheets with white powder. I couldn’t help myself. I pointed this out—gamely trying to explain that the sheets with white powder were not only what everyone used, they were easier and quicker. She informed us she didn’t care how businesses operated in the modern age—she wanted us to learn to erase—and erase we would—with marks taken off if a piece of paper was damaged. So, erase we did. Even those sitting at the IBM Selectrics were forbidden to use the correction key—they too had to roll, erase, roll back and correct. What did I learn from this experience? I learned that some adults were focused less on the goal of their subject of teaching and more on enforcing rules that made no sense.

Which brings us to the Gospel lesson for this morning. In today’s reading Jesus challenges the status quo—specifically, the rule requiring that no work be done on the sabbath. The issue in today’s lesson isn’t about whether the woman, who had suffered for eighteen years should be healed—it was the question of whether she should be healed on the Sabbath day.

As the reading begins, we find Jesus teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath, and a woman, crippled and bent over, enters. Jesus sees her plight, calls her over and says: “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” And upon laying his hands upon her she stands up straight and begins to praise God. This is wonderful—right? It’s a blessing for the woman who has suffered for so long, and also for the people who can see the miracle before them. But another person also sees—the leader of the synagogue. And this individual doesn’t see a woman who has been healed of an infirmity which has beset her life for eighteen years. What this person sees is an act of work being done on the sabbath. A broken rule

Which raises a question. Is healing work? How sad that this synagogue leader doesn’t behold a miracle, a blessing or a grace. This person doesn’t see a reason for rejoicing, or a cause for praising God, but a broken rule.

It’s ironic, isn’t it, given that the Sabbath is a gift to humanity from God—a call to rest so that we might live lives of thanksgiving and praise.

So, sit with this scene for a moment in your imagination. The bent-over woman, whose eyes are focused on the floor because she cannot lift them to heaven. She’s made the effort to come to the synagogue to be with others. What kind of faith and hope must she possess to keep coming to this place of worship despite the physical pain and discomfort she must have been in. She hears Jesus calling to her and suddenly, the pain is gone, her spine is straight, she can look before her and see the eyes of her Savior face-to-face. And what does she do? She celebrates, as do the people around her.

Which brings me to another point of this story—the other people—who are there to hear Jesus. They are rejoicing as well. They know something tremendous has happened in their midst. Goodness, they’ve seen it! And they are clear about who to thank—God! Looking around, it seems that the only person who is unhappy is the leader of the synagogue who feels that the woman could have been healed on any of the other six days.

And Jesus looses his temper and points out the obvious. Even on the sabbath, oxen and donkeys (beasts of burden) are untied so that they can be led to drink water. Why, he asks, would God wish for us to be kinder to our animals, providing them what they need, than we are to each other?

All of which raises the question as to what is the point of the sabbath—a day of rest, instituted by God. There are three primary reasons for honoring the sabbath and keeping it holy. The first is to remind us that God is the point of our lives—the beginning and end of our hope. The sabbath is a day to recognize that God didn’t create us simply to accomplish tasks, but to love God and love one another. That is our purpose…love. We weren’t created simply for our ability to produce. We were created for God. Second, to remind us that God is the provider for our lives. By honoring the Sabbath, we are making a counter-cultural declaration of trust. We rest, not because everything has gotten done—but because God has promised that in resting, we will find ourselves renewed. And finally, we keep the Sabbath day holy to remind us that God is the Savior of our lives. Just as God saved the people of Israel in the Exodus from a life of slavery, so God, through Jesus, has saved us from sin and death through his resurrection.

Given all this—the healing of the woman on the Sabbath makes perfect sense. What Jesus is pointing out in today’s lesson is that the rule of the leaders of the synagogue, wasn’t in keeping with the goal and purpose of the Sabbath. It was a rule that didn’t make sense. It was a rule that caused pain and suffering rather than liberation and joy.

So, what do you look for in a place of worship? Is it a place where nothing is out of step, and all things are done with precision, or something more? How many of us have been in places of worship where we were afraid of doing something wrong that would incur the judgement or wrath of others? How many people have left churches because they haven’t found the grace and joy they were seeking, but found only judgment and condemnation. As we gather on our Christian sabbath, it’s worth considering how worship, joy and even healing aren’t mutually exclusive, they are part of a larger whole to which God is calling us, a God who calls us into community with a common purpose, to love and serve our God and one another, with joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.