Sermon Archives

August 22, 2010
Pastor Dan Selbo

"Standing Straight Up"
Luke 13:10-17

            Dear Friends, greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus.

            This past week I did a little checking on something I’ve never done before. Pastors are somewhat of a strange bunch, (maybe you’ve noticed that), so we end up doing things that most people never even consider. But this past week as I was preparing for today’s message, I went through the gospels and I did a bit of an informal study.

            It wasn’t anything scientific (it only took me about ten minutes), so I don’t want you to draw too many conclusions from it. Nor was it anything that was overly spiritual, so I don’t want you to use it either as something upon which to necessarily build your faith. But I went through and I counted, (just for fun), the number of miracles recorded in the four gospels. (The number of times when Jesus does something that’s considered to be miraculous.)

            Now, as I did it, I was careful not to count any of the miracles more than once. The feeding of the 5000 (for example) appears in all four gospel accounts, so I only counted it as one. And I was careful not to count those times when the Bible simply tells us (things like) Jesus “taught in the synagogues, preached among the people, and healed their diseases.” I only counted the times when specific miracles were mentioned.

            Do you know what I found? In the four gospels, I counted a total of 31 miracles; thirty-one different times when a specific miracle (of Jesus’) is mentioned. Interestingly, twenty-five out of those thirty-one were healing miracles. Only six times were miracles mentioned that didn’t involve a healing. Twenty-five times, a person’s physical ailment was healed.

            Now, perhaps that doesn’t seem like a study that’s worth too much. I told you that it wasn’t anything scientific, not even overly spiritual. (And so maybe it’s not.) And perhaps it’s not the best way to start this sermon. (I’ll let you be the judge of how well it fits.)

            But the fact is, no matter how well it works as an introduction (or not), that Jesus (during his earthly life) cared deeply about the wellbeing of people. (All throughout his ministry, Jesus is found healing and caring for and finding ways to help those in need.) And the fact is (also) that he continues to care for and find ways to help and to provide healing even today. (And that’s what today’s story is all about.)

            “Standing Straight Up.” The story we read today is as simple and as bare-bones as it gets. In terms of detail, it doesn’t tell us too much. It’s a story about a woman who was all bent over in her body. For eighteen long years she had lived with this condition (and apparently) with little or no relief.

            Now, I’ve never experienced anything like that myself. I’ve had some back pain (at times) that has slowed me down for a few days (and a few other minor inconveniences). But nothing like what this woman had experienced. (I can only imagine.) It must have been an embarrassing, inconvenient, undesirable and (no doubt) painful way to live. Bent over as she was, it must have been hard for her to look people in the eye, without lifting up and straining her neck.

            But it’s interesting (in the story) that in spite of her condition she was in the synagogue. It was a day of worship. It was the Sabbath. Jesus sees her. He calls her forward. He heals her of her infirmity. And her immediate response is praise and thanks to God.

            It’s also interesting that Luke even records this event in the first place. And the reason I say that is because none of the other gospel writers do. It’s one of the few miracles found in only one of the four gospels. Interesting that Luke is the only one (of the four) who tells the story. Interesting, but not surprising. After all, (as you know), Luke was a physician. He was a man of science. And he cared about the healing power of Christ, as well as about the struggles of people.

            In fact, if you compare some of the healing stories that are found in more than one of the gospels, Luke is the one who (often times) tells us details none of the others do. For example, in the story of the man with the withered hand, Matthew and Mark tell us the man’s hand was withered. But Luke tells us it was his right hand that needed healing. And remember the story of Jesus being arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, and of how Peter drew his sword and cut off the man’s ear? (All four gospels tell the story.) But only Luke tells us that Jesus touched the man’s ear and healed him. Luke was a physician. He made a point of keeping track of the detail.

            In today’s story, strangely enough, there isn’t much detail (at least when it comes to the healing). A simple story (Luke tells us) about a woman who was bent over for eighteen years and then healed. But what was lacking in detail (in the healing story) is made up for in the story that follows.

            (You remember.) The second half of the text (today) deals with the objections raised by the ruler of the synagogue who, according to his understanding of the Jewish religious laws, truly believed that a healing (such as this) was not to be done on a holy day. It was the Sabbath; a day set aside for rest and renewal. In his mind, it was not a day to work, not even to heal.

            But in response, Jesus uses his objection to speak about the proper observing of the Sabbath, about the inconsistency in the minds of some concerning the laws of God, and about the urgency of meeting human need wherever and whenever it’s found.

            Before talking about the objections raised (and what Jesus said in response), let’s talk for a few moments about this woman. Not much detail in the story (as we’ve said), but there’s enough to begin to put it together. (Try to picture it in your mind.) Because there she was, part of the crowd that had gathered on the Sabbath. Certainly not the first time this woman was in the synagogue. She was probably there every week. But probably (in some ways) seen, but not seen.

            Have you ever seen that happen? Someone who’s there, but who’s treated as if they weren’t? Someone with a condition that’s not normal, with an affliction (of some kind) that sets them apart. It not only makes that person (themselves) uncomfortable, but also those around them. (     Not always, but often.) People have a tendency to shy away (from someone who’s different), to go out of their way to not make much contact.

            I heard an expression this past week that I’d never heard before. (I don’t know if it’s new or not.) When someone’s different, or seemingly inconsequential, or (for whatever reason) ignored, the expression is that they’re “treed.” (They’re “treed.”)

            Have you ever been “treed” by another person, treated like an object, like a tree, like you weren’t even there? It hurts to be “treed,” to be treated as second-class. “She's just a waitress, so I can tree her.” “He’s only a janitor, so I can tree him.” “He’s of a different race, or a different economic level, or a different sexual orientation, so I don’t even have to acknowledge he exists.” It hurts to be “treed,” to be treated as if you don’t really count.

            Now, we don’t know what happened (that day) with this woman, how she was treated by others. Luke doesn’t tell us. (Maybe she had many friends.) Maybe she had none.

            But Jesus really saw her. (He really saw her.) In a moment, he identified with her, he empathized with her pain. And he thought to himself, “What a shame if she suffers even one additional moment, if a cure can be given.” (And so he gave it, and she was healed, and it changed her life.)

            “Standing Straight Up.” Today’s story is a healing miracle. It’s a story of a physical healing that took place in this (particular) woman’s life. But it’s also a story that can applied (in a spiritual way) to the lives of people in every day, including ours.

            Just think about it. For one, (Luke tells us) this woman was “bent over.” (She was “bent-over.”) Now, I don’t want to push this story where it isn’t meant to go, but there are many “bent-over” people in our day; people who are bent over with all kinds of personal problems; burdens of family or health or employment.

            We see it all around us. Every day, in the courts, the jails and prisons, the hospitals, psychiatric wards, government agencies, they’re all dealing with millions of people whose live are bent-over or twisted in some form or another. (And those are only the obvious examples); to say nothing of the many, (including to an extent all of us), who may never show any outward evidence of it, but who are still living and walking bent-over for one reason or another. Jesus came to cure all of this (to cure all of us). And he’ll do it today as he did then.

            Let me give you another (spiritual application) from this woman’s healing. Luke tells us this woman was bent over...and could not “straighten herself up.” Now, I can imagine how she must have tried. For eighteen years, (she must have tried). But no matter what she did, it didn’t happen. But then along comes Jesus, and it does.

            Now, take that example and apply it to your life (and to the burdens of your life), and it’s the same thing. There’s a profound lesson in today’s story (for all of us), beginning with the sin in our lives that can bend us over and keep us from standing straight before God, to the burdens we carry (in our lives) that won’t go away. There’s nothing we can do, on our own, to straighten ourselves up. What needs to be done has to come from outside ourselves, and in Jesus it does.

            In Jesus, not only is the burden of our sin lifted, (no matter how great it is and no matter how long it has been weighing us down), but also those burdens and struggles we’ve been carrying on our own. He’ll take them. He’ll carry them. (Now, they may not go away), but they’ll be manageable and able to be carried, but only if they’re given to Christ.

            There’s a freedom (in the Christian life) that comes in Jesus. There’s a freedom (in life) that can be yours in Christ. But you can’t do it on your own, you can’t get past your sin, carry the burdens of your life, by yourself. You need someone who can free you from your sin, someone who can carry those burdens for you. And he did it for that woman. And he’ll do it for you.

            Luke says, “Jesus put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” Now, talk about a spiritual connection. Talk about a message our world today needs to hear. For all those who are bent over, still wanting (or waiting) to hear a word of forgiveness from God, and for a society (like ours) that is crippled (and burdened) in so many ways, Jesus stands ready to lay his hands on us and to heal.

            Today’s lesson is a lesson in good posture. It’s a lesson in how to stand straight up and to move and to walk unburdened by the weight of our sin. As long as we try to straighten ourselves up, (make ourselves right with God on our own), it won’t happen. There’s nothing we can do (on our own) to become right with God. But in Jesus, it can happen. In Jesus, it does happen.

            That’s what was missing in the life of that ruler of the synagogue (who objected to the fact that this woman was healed on the Sabbath). Now, he was a good man. He was a religious man. And he was committed to what he believed.

            Just think about it. (Who could blame him?) After all, it was the Sabbath. It was a day set aside for remembering and rest. And it was a special day. It was a holy day. And therefore, (at least), according to the law, it was right for this ruler to be concerned.

            My fear is (to push it the other direction for a moment) that (perhaps today) we’re not concerned enough. For many, it’s only that one hour each week that gets set aside (at best). Our world would do well (the church would do well) to recover what it means for a day to be holy, set aside to honor and give thanks to God. To be free from the law does not free us from responsibility. If the ruler erred by being too legalistic, it’s possible also to err by being too casual.

            But the ruler did err. And he erred on the side of letting the laws of his religion, rather than his relationship with God, rule his life. And so he “treed” this woman. He failed to see her need. And in so doing, he failed to stand straight before God.

            Just imagine if Jesus had taken a 50-pound weight and placed it on the woman’s back. Rather than healing her and setting her free, what if he had placed an added burden on top of what she was already carrying?

            That’s what happens when people try to become right with God on their own, (like that religious leader). Another law to follow? Another rule and regulation to keep right? What happens is that the burden only becomes greater. The weight, instead of being removed, is made even heavier. And it never goes away. It’s never removed. And it never will be, without Christ.

            Jesus came to help us stand straight up. Sometimes physically, as happened with this woman. (We’ve hardly even talked today about the physical healing God continues to give.) Every day, people are healed by God. Every moment of every day, people are given a new outlook on life. Sometimes physically, as happened with this woman. But more often spiritually (and with the burdens of life) given to Jesus, as can happen with you and with me.

            In closing today, I’ll never forget the conversation I overheard (years ago) between a woman who, for a good part of her life was able to get around only with the aid of crutches, and a young little girl who was simply trying to understand. The little girl asked the woman (with child-like innocence), she said, “Are you crippled?” (Do you know what the woman said?) She said, “No, I’m not crippled. I only need crutches to help me walk.”

            My friends, I can’t promise you that Jesus will heal all of your physical needs. What he’s promised is that someday we will all be healed. In heaven, a new body, a new life, free from all of the burdens that weigh us down. What I can promise you is that Jesus will help you to stand straight up. And not just in heaven, but here and now.

            After all, he knows your needs. He knows your life. And he loves what he knows, all the way to the cross. “Standing Straight Up.” Only in Jesus. Amen.