Necessary

Thank you for reading this sermon from Christ Fellowship. I hope and pray that this sermon will be a blessing of grace and truth to you. With that said, let me encourage you not to use this sermon as a replacement for your local church. Christ Jesus did not establish his Church simply for us to consume content. Instead, He calls us to be part of a real, covenant family. 

We’re in Luke 13. At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus teaches about the importance of repentance. He gives a warning and a sense of urgency. Trees that don’t bear fruit will be cut down and cast out.

And now Luke gives us an example of Israel’s lack of fruit.

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.

11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself.

This woman has some kind of severe disability, but she still shows up to worship after 18 years! By itself, that is an incredible testimony. This is someone everyone in town probably knows. And she’s proving the point Jesus made earlier in the chapter – she’s not suffering because she’s a worse sinner than everyone else.

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.”

13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

Jesus sees her, stops preaching, calls her to the front, and heals her on the spot. Notice two things. First, Jesus uses the word freedom. You are freed from your disability. Second, notice that she immediately worships God.

Jesus sees this as an act of freedom. And it results in worship. Freedom. And worship.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

This is an absurd accusation, only because Jesus did not break the Sabbath by healing this woman. He’s wrong about this situation, but he’s not wrong for trying to keep the Sabbath.

The Sabbath is a serious thing. Listen to how God explains it in Exodus 31:

13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you.
14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death.

16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever.

17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”

If someone works on the Sabbath, put them to death. That’s serious business. And so, the ruler of the synagogue has a right to be upset with Jesus IF he really broke the Sabbath.

But that’s not what’s going on in the man’s heart. Very likely, this man is upset because Jesus has upstaged him. He’s not truly concerned with God’s law.

Jesus healed at least seven people on the Sabbath, according to the Gospels. In every case, the religious leaders were quick to condemn him. They obviously considered healing to be a violation of Sabbath law.

But Jesus did not break God’s law. He broke their interpretation of God’s law.

15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it?

He points out their inconsistency. They make exceptions for necessary tasks. The animals still need to be watered. And that’s ok! God did not forbid such things. What God forbids is our normal labor practices. We are commanded to rest and worship. But some tasks cannot be avoided, and God permits these things.

But Jesus adds a category of tasks that are acceptable on the Sabbath – works of mercy.

16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

“Ought not” is a bit weak. In Greek, it says “must she not be”. In other words, Jesus sees this healing as a necessary task. If watering an animal is necessary, surely this counts! Surely, providing freedom for this sister, under the bondage of disability for 18 years, is an act of necessity!

The Sabbath is the day of freedom! It was established to teach us how to depend on God – to rest in Him, with Him.

It’s absurd that the religious leaders don’t understand this. The “church” was not working correctly if this is what it had become.

17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Jesus not only frees this woman from the oppression of Satan. He frees the people from the oppressive rules of their spiritual leaders, rules that go beyond the written Word of God.

Now we come to the end of our text for today – two short parables that further explain something Jesus wants us to know about God’s kingdom.

18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

A mustard seed is tiny. The image of a man trying to even sow a single mustard seed is funny, if you think about it. I would most likely lose it before getting it in the garden.

But the mustard tree (which is a real thing in the Middle East) grows to be 20-30 feet tall.

20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?

21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

Yeast is even smaller than a mustard seed – a single-celled microorganism, smaller than a grain of sand. But three measures of flour is a lot of flour! That would make enough bread to feed the whole town!

These parables both illustrate something small that is packed with enormous latent energy. Think of an acorn. There’s a whole forest in one acorn. This can become a tree that produces hundreds of acorns that will produce more trees and more acorns – that’s the idea.

Likewise, the kingdom of God is bound up in these small events. A woman experiencing freedom from physical bondage on the day of worship… that’s the kingdom of God breaking into our world. It’s the kind of evidence God provides that Jesus reigns – right here and right now in the lives of His people.

One action. One person. On one Sabbath. And Jesus says this is what the kingdom of God looks like.

Do not take for granted the little things that God calls us to do for His glory. The little things matter.

When I became a Christian in college, it was the little things that meant the most. Someone invited me into their home to share a meal with their family. Someone asked me how they could pray for me. Someone asked me to help serve the church.

We have no idea how much of an impact these small kingdom moments might have…

Seeing someone new and welcoming them to church.
Seeing someone alone and going over to greet them.
Praying for people on the prayer list.
Providing a meal.
Serving in the nursery.
Serving on the tech team.
Showing up to family night and loving each other.
Showing up to worship faithfully, even when it’s not easy – like the woman in our text.

Do not underestimate the small things. Listen to what Jesus said in Mark 9:

41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

A cup of water! Somehow, in God’s good providence, little acts of mercy – even the most basic actions – can have ripple effects in the kingdom of God. A need is met, providing rest and freedom for the person being served.

In the case of a cup of water, freedom from thirst. In the case of the disabled woman, freedom from physical bondage. In every case – relationships… help… love…

Derek Redmond was a British sprinter competing in the 400 meters at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He was a favorite to win a medal.

But during the semifinal race, Derek tore his hamstring and fell to the ground in pain. Despite the injury, he was determined to finish the race. He struggled to his feet and began hobbling toward the finish line. But something even more amazing happened.

Seeing his son’s determination and agony, Derek’s father Jim ran onto the track from the stands, brushing off security.

Jim wrapped his arm around Derek and supported him as they walked together to the finish line. The whole crowd, moved by this display of love and perseverance, gave them a standing ovation. No one remembers who won that race. But everyone watching the Olympics that year remembers Derek and his father.

And any father would do the same. This just happened to be an Olympic race. And I think what Jesus is suggesting in these parables is that we don’t understand the reality of our circumstances.

The universe is watching God’s kingdom come and it’s happening in all the small moments where love and freedom are breaking into this dark and chaotic world. The angels are rejoicing!

Every small act of service or compassion for the glory of Christ is making the highlight reel of the kingdom! Love one another. Support one another. Stay in the race together. It may not feel important, but it is.

When Jesus makes it to Jerusalem, He’s going to be crucified. And no one will see it for what it really was. They will see defeat and shame. They won’t see the victory, the freedom, and the Sabbath rest accomplished by Jesus for countless people in that one act of love.

His body was bent under the weight of our curse so that we can be free. And in Christ, we are free.