"More Than Just the Rules"   2010

Psalm 72:1-7             Luke 13:10-19

 

Psalm 72 (NRSV)

1Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son. 2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice. 3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. 4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. 5May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. 7In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

 

Luke 13:10-19 (NRSV)

10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? 16And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. 18He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? 19It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

 

One evening in January of 1935,

       New York Mayor LaGuardia turned up to preside at night court.

                                    He dismissed the judge to go home for the night

                                                and took over the bench for himself.

 

And old woman in tattered clothes was brought before him,

            she was charged with stealing a loaf of bread.

She explained to LaGuardia,

            that her daughter's husband had deserted the family.

                        Her daughter was sick,

                                    and her two grandchildren were starving.

 

The shopkeeper, from whom the bread had been stolen,

            was asked, but refused to drop the charges, saying:

     "She broke the law.

               She's got to be punished to teach other people a lesson."

 

It's reported that LaGuardia looked disappointed and sighed,

            then turning to the old woman he said:

                        "I've got to punish you.

                                    It's the law and the law makes no exceptions.

                                                Ten dollars or ten days in jail."

 

As he spoke, the mayor reached into his own pocket,

            took out a $10 bill and tossed it into his hat saying:

                        "Here's the $10 fine, which I am paying.  In addition,

                                    I am fining everyone in this courtroom fifty cents,

                                                for living in a town

                                                            where a person has to steal bread

                                                                        so that her grandchildren can eat.

* Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant."

 

The mayor let mercy and compassion take precedence over the law …

            because he made that the woman's need    his priority.

 

In the story we read in Luke 13, grace prevails because

            Jesus let mercy & compassion take precedence over the law …

                        … and he made the suffering woman's need   his priority.

 

    However, I think there was more going on than just that.

           

This woman had not been able to stand up straight for 18 years.

            In those days, it was generally assumed that

                        illness and suffering were a sign of God's punishment;

                                    so she would have been shunned and excluded,à

            probably lots of looks, and people ill at ease around her.

 

Jesus notices her all stooped over at the edge of the synagogue.

            He cares about her, and calls her out from the shadows.

                        Then placing his hands upon her,

                             Jesus sets her free from the bondage of her ailment-

            - and what a glorious and amazing moment that must have been.

 

vs. 13-14

  But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.”

 

This is why I think
            there is more going on than just a simple healing story.

 

Truth is, Jesus could have waited until sundown to heal her.

            Compared to eighteen years, what's just a few hours more…

                just that small sliver of time – a minor delayà

                    would have easily avoided the conflict and controversy.

 

Also, it's interesting that the leader of the synagogue

            doesn't actually speak or complain directly to Jesus,

                        but it's more like

                                    he's trying to incite the crowd against Jesus.

 

And, perhaps the scary thing,

      is that the synagogue leader thought he was doing God's will.

 

Have you ever felt indignant about a perceived wrong or offense,

            and assumed that allowing that harsh and judging attitude,

                        was somehow   pleasing to the Lord?

 

I believe that Jesus uses this Sabbath situation to highlight

            a significant disparity between the religious authorities

                        and the truth that Jesus knew about God the Father …

      … and that Jesus intends for this event, this Sabbath healing

                  to teach and reveal something very important about God.

 

The leader of the synagogue envisioned a God whose priority

            was faithful obedience, religious rituals

                        and careful attention to the letter of the law.

 

In contrast, the God   and Kingdom of God   that Jesus proclaimed,

            were driven by grace,  by love, mercy and compassion ---

                        - as a father

                                    who rushes out to embrace his prodigal son;

                        - as a shepherd

                                    who searches and carries home the lost sheep.

 

The whole life and ministry of Jesus were

            about proclaiming our God's love, who already accepts us;

                        our relational God, our invitational God,

                                    who wants to bless us with life in abundance,

             --  and whose purpose is not to judge and punish us harshly.

 

Clearly, Jesus is angry that the leader of the synagogue

            is intending to use Sabbath Law as a club to oppress

                                                rather than any focus on announcing God's compassion.

           

Do you remember that the whole point of the Sabbath observance

            is a weekly reminder that

                        we do not have to be productive every day of our lives,à

                because God loves us and has created this world

                          with abundance enough   that we can have a day of rest

                              as a time to focus on the relationships of our lives.                             

The Sabbath is a gift and blessing from God,

     that by all their rules & rituals,   the religious authorities

            have ritualized the Sabbath celebration   into a bondage,

                to which even the synagogue leaders  do not adhere.

vs. 15-16

            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 manger, and lead it away to give it water?  And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”

           

The word, 'hypocrite', specifically referred to

            an actor who held up a mask that covered his face,

                        while playing a role  different than who he really was.

 

The leader of the synagogue, was holding up the Sabbath rules

            as if   he himself obeyed them all without exception…

                        … though as Jesus pointed out, behind that mask,

                              he and the others routinely broke the Sabbath rules;

            for they had no problem with caring for their ox and donkey,

                even on the Sabbath.

 

But how cold and hypocritical to then object to healing,

            to caring for a beloved and suffering daughter of Abraham

                        because of Sabbath rules and human rituals.

It's Ok to feed and water your animal on the Sabbath,

            but unacceptable to heal miraculously

                        and end a woman's suffering on the Sabbath?

**           Obviously, something is very wrong with that picture.

 

Perfection & judgment. I think it comes down to really believing

            that God loves us and wants good for us ----

                                    or is there lurking in the back of our minds

                                          a little fear, that we must do the right thing,

                                                or maybe, God might not still loves us as much.

 

One time, not long after her husband’s funeral,

            his widow came by my office because she wanted me to know

                        why she didn’t expect to be back in church for a while.

 

Her concern was that not sitting with her husband and missingà ,

        hearing his voice and the way that he held the hymnal for her,

                        and even just being in the sanctuary during worship,

            she might start to cry a bit,   and she didn’t want her tears

                        to disturb or disrupt our Sunday worship service.

 

I couldn't imagine anything more wrong and tragic than if à

    among   her own  family of God,  of all places and all people,

        that her tears as a grieving widow   be seen as out of place;

    or that a church could be so rigid

          and so bound by a cold sterile sense of formality,

              that someone feeling lonely or hurting  not be acceptable;

                        or that anyone might not feel welcome in worship à   

                to experience the gracious and loving nurture of the Lord.

 

The story of the religious authority objecting

            when Jesus healed a suffering woman on the Sabbath,

                        or a widow's concern

                                    that her tears might be disruptive or unwelcome;

            raises the critical question    and calls us to consider,

                just what sort of a place and people are we going to be

                        when we gather to honor and worship the Lord our God?

 

Is this a place where a person can cry  without embarrassment?

     Can we smile?  Can we hug or laugh?  Can we show compassion?

 

  Can we tell the truth here, can we admit that we fail and fall?

            … or do we always be nice, and wear our ‘happy church-face’

                   as if everything in our lives were always perfect & fine?

 

If we are hurting, or if we’ve made a huge mistake or failed,

            or if we are feeling lost, alone, disappointed or troubled …

                            … is that OK, and can we let someone share our burden?

                                    … can this be a place of hope,  of healing & comfort?

 

As the people of God, and this body of Christ, His Church,

            I believe that's what this text demands of us, today…

                        … as we are called to be a people of grace and mercy.

And as those loved and claimed by God through Jesus Christ,

                        more than just obeying religious rules and rituals,

                                    our task is to be a community; a people and place

                                                where God’s healing and compassion happens,

                                         and where the blessing of God’s love and mercy                                                                                           are faithfully lived and displayed…

 

                        and where, imperfect though we are, here we all belong,

                                    for here we are all loved, affirmed and all needed,

                                           and here we do love and can forgive one another.

 

As Jesus explains,

   it comes down to just two simplified instructions, Mat. 22:37-40

            “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

 

I hope our church leaders,

  especially those being ordained today clearly understand this,

                        that being an elder or a deacon is much more than

                                    just blind obedience to rules and procedures,

                                                because love, mercy and grace also matter,

*                      compassion and human needs must always be factored in.

 

The truth is,

            Christian leadership is rarely clear-cut and simple,

                        or a matter of blind obedience to sets of written rules,

                                    or quoting the right section of the Book of Order.

 

Faithful leadership is complex, requiring

            the best of our combined experience, wisdom and balance,

                        and know that integrity and authentic love

                                    count for far more than perfection under the law…

 

… which means that our decisions and application of the rules

            must always be guided and tempered by love and compassion.

This mean we've got to be careful that we don't

            start to love our traditions, our systems and Books of Order

                        more than we love God,

                                    and all the people He's entrusted to our care.

 

In 1^st Corinthians 13,

            the Apostle Paul explains how this all works together:

vs. 1, 4, 5 & 13

            If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.   …  Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.  It does not insist on its own way; …  And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;  and the greatest of these is love.