Have you ever noticed that every time you turn around, there seems to be another rule for you to obey? Have you ever noticed that some of these rules seem to be foolish? Well, I certainly have in both cases. To make matters worse, there are cases where no exceptions can be made to these rules, even when the exception is justified.
For example, Greyhound bus lines had a rule that no pets were allowed on their buses. One late night at a rural truck stop in Florida, a Greyhound bus driver kicked an 87 year old woman off his bus. Her crime was that she was returning from her birthday party with her present: a tiny puppy named Cookie. The driver refused to make an exception, and so this poor elderly woman was left about 80 miles from her home at 3 in the morning. Can’t you hear the driver justifying his actions? “We have a rule. We have a rule”.
A security guard who was summoned by the driver called the police to escort her away, and that only added to the woman’s fright. What could have been a terrifying ordeal for the woman, who walks with a crutch and has trouble seeing and hearing, instead became an inspiration. After getting her a sandwich and something to drink, police from five different jurisdictions teamed up to ferry her home. “I’ve never seen so many people so nice with me, an old lady,” she said. “They gave me love, respect, attention. Love has a lot of names, “she continued, “compassion, respect, friendliness”. Greyhound apologized and gave her a refund. The unidentified driver, who was a 20 year Greyhound veteran, was suspended.
The synagogue leader in today’s Gospel reading was also obsessed with obeying rules; specifically, the rule about keeping the Sabbath holy. The Jews, especially the Pharisees, were so obsessed with keeping God’s Commandments that they came up with all sorts of rules that governed what they could and could not do on the Sabbath. Included in the list of things that could not be done on the Sabbath was healing a sick person. Healing was considered work, and a good Jew could not do that type of work.
The Law did allow animals to be untied for a few hours on the Sabbath, but the synagogue leader objected to Jesus’ freeing of the bent woman from her bondage on the Sabbath. In other words, in the mind of the synagogue leader, freeing animals from bondage was more important than freeing people from the bondage of sin and illness. By healing the woman on the Sabbath, Jesus’ actions are considered to be within the intention or spirit of the Sabbath, and they enhance Sabbath observance instead of destroying it.
Physical ailments can do far more than bend a back. They can rob us of our livelihoods and cause bankruptcy. They can take us away from our families. They can even cause severe depression. For example, in 1971, in Plano, Texas, a woman by the name of Linda gave birth to a boy she named Lance. She did what many mothers do with boys. She molded his character and temperament by involving him in a variety of sports. He soon showed an aptitude as an athlete and by the age of 13 his skills were confirmed when he won the Iron Kids triathlon-a combination of swimming, biking and running. Three years later at the tender age of 16 he became a professional triathlon athlete. When most children were trying to compete at their local high schools, and entering amateur competitions, Linda’s boy was making money as an athlete.
He worked hard and sometimes his training would take him to the edge of the state to the Oklahoma border where he would call his mom and ask her to come and get him. In one of the three skills of the triathlon-biking-he was excelling beyond the skills of men twice his age and experience. At the age of 18 he qualified to train with the U.S. Olympic team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His behaviour nearly cost him his high school diploma but private classes were arranged which enabled him to graduate. He continued to excel in his chosen sport and gained recognition around the world, until something happened that made him change his focus.
In 1996, he was forced by pain to quit a race. Tests revealed advanced testicular cancer which had spread to his lungs and brain. The once athletic and vibrant young man underwent three operations and the most aggressive form of chemotherapy. Now his career was the least of his worries. Doctors said he had a 50/50 chance of survival and the cancer left him scarred physically and emotionally. He said that the ailment completely changed his life and his priorities. Sickness, real sickness, rearranges life. But there is more to the story. That young man won his battle with testicular cancer and rekindled his passion for biking. In case you haven’t figured it out, I have just told you the story of Lance Armstrong, seven time winner of the Tour de France biking race.
One of the key points of the Gospel reading is the issue of keeping the Sabbath holy. What does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? Does it mean keeping the entire day free from doing anything but worshipping God, as the synagogue leader would argue, or does it mean setting aside one hour for worshiping God and then spending the rest of the day doing what we please, as our modern society might argue? The synagogue leader was like the Pharisees in that he was so caught up in obeying the letter of the Law of Moses and the Jewish rules that he could not see the spirit of God’s Law-namely, caring for others. When we care more for following rules that than we do for the welfare of people, especially those who are made in God’s image, we miss the whole point of repentance. Romans 13:10 explains, “Love is the fulfillment of the law”.
Acts of compassion are holy work, and holy work was allowed on the Sabbath. After all, if holy work was not allowed on the Sabbath, what would the synagogue leader do? His work was holy. Our lay readers and priests have to do holy work on the Sabbath as well, so what would we do for worship services if they could not work on the Sabbath? In Mark 2:27, Jesus argues that “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath”. In other words, we must not lose sight of the person in need. For example, what do you think would happen to the sick, if paramedics or people in the medical profession did not work on the Sabbath? What would happen if firefighters or police officers refused to answer emergency calls on the Sabbath?
Resting on the Sabbath is a good idea. It is a necessity in our hurting world, especially when restaurants, stores and gas stations are often open 24 hours a day. It is common for people to work 60 or more hours a week. Many families don’t even eat meals together any more-they eat in shifts. Even children feel the hectic pace of our modern society. They are so busy with sports, school, part-time jobs and extra-curricular activities that they need Blackberries or day planners! No wonder therapists and counselors are so busy these days. We all need time to sit back, relax and catch our breath. That’s why our rector is on vacation as I speak.
In my opinion, the worst thing that has happened in our society, especially in this province, was the legalization of Sunday shopping a few years ago. Most stores are open six days and six nights a week. If people are so busy that they can’t get their shopping done during that time, then they need to take a long, hard look at their lives. Sunday has become just another day in people’s lives, and our churches have become a casualty. One only has to look at the financial challenges that many of the churches in our area face to see that this is true. In fact, this is one reason why there is only one Anglican parish in this area now instead of two.
The Gospel reading is also a comment on how authority can be so rigid at times. Ordinary people often suffer at the hands of rigid authority, especially in countries such as North Korea, Cuba or China. They have felt the sting of authoritarian pronouncement from on high. They are delighted relieved and freed when those in authority are put in their place. For example, many of you may remember the celebrations that took place in Iraq when Saddam Hussein’s government was overthrown by U.S.-led forces a few years ago.
Jesus was not breaking any of the Old Testament commandments. In the eyes of the Jews, especially the synagogue leader, Jesus broke the commandments and rules they had set to make certain that they did not break any of the commandments, especially the one about keeping the Sabbath holy. These laws allowed the Pharisees to avoid love’s obligations. Jesus argued that people’s needs are more important that rules and regulations. We are encouraged to take time to help others, even if it means compromising our public image.
In the eyes of the Jews, Jesus was a radical. What he was saying and doing went against their rules and traditions-rules and traditions that they used to hide themselves from the true meaning of God’s laws and love. Jesus was arguing against the status quo. He was trying to upset the routines that the Jews enjoyed. The Jews were in a rut, and Jesus was trying to push them out of the rut toward a loving relationship with God.
We are the same way. Sometimes we get very comfortable with our lives and we don’t want to change. It’s like wearing a comfortable pair of shoes-IT JUST FEELS SO GOOD! We often don’t want change or like change because we like things the way they are. Change can be hard no matter what the change is-even if it is as simple as buying a new car. It takes time for the buyer to adjust to the locations of the gauges, levers and buttons on the new car. Change can be painful, but sometimes it is necessary. Our own parish is a good example. The amalgamation of our former parishes and the resulting changes that were necessary were painful for some, but they were necessary for us to survive as a part of God’s family.
The Jews confused their rules with true worship. We are the same. We often feel that we can’t worship God unless we obey the liturgy to the letter or use the liturgy from the Book of Alternative Services or the liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer. In our Gospel reading, the synagogue leader appears to have confused religion with Christianity. I’m sure most of you have heard of the late Pastor Perry F. Rockwood or have heard the radio programs “Prophecy for Today” or “The People’s Gospel Hour”. Now I personally disagree with most of what he says, but I do agree with one comment that ne made during one program. He said, “Religion is man’s attempt to reach God. Christianity is God’s attempt to reach man”.
By concentrating on religion and the laws, the Jews lost the ability to reach God. God had to reach man by coming to earth in the form of Jesus Christ. He emphasized that in order to have a relationship with God only two rules had to be obeyed-love God and love people. We are called upon to obey the same two laws if we want to have a relationship with God. We will have restored our relationship with God if we love people, and show it by doing things in faith such as comforting the less fortunate (even on the Sabbath. By doing these holy things, we will be obeying the commandment to “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”.
This story is about freedom. For the woman, she was freed from the disease that left her crippled and bent over for eighteen years. For us, it represents freedom from tyranny, oppression, abuse, discrimination, inferiority and other forms of sin and slavery. In the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty!! I’m free at last!” This freedom brings about the transformation we need to become children of God. The only way we can be transformed and freed is through faith in Christ. That faith will transform us and free us by giving us power to do God’s work in our world-and that is the true spirit of the Sabbath.
