THE HUNCHBACK
Luke 13:10-17
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. While taking a law class in personal injury litigation, I got into a car accident and had to wear a cervical collar. Two weeks later, I tripped over a wire and ended up on crutches.
2. When I hobbled into class shortly after these mishaps, I was greeted by a fellow student. "Welcome back," he said. "Or, are YOU our final exam?"
B. FAMOUS HUNCHBACKS
1. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, written by Victor Hugo, is the intriguing story of Quasimodo, a deformed, almost deaf, hunchback bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France in 1482.
2. When Quasimodo is publicly beaten and left in the sun, Esmeralda, a beautiful Gypsy dancer, kindly gives him water, saving his life, and he falls in love with her.
3. Later, Esmeralda is sentenced to death by hanging, wrongly, for attempted murder. As she is being led to the gallows, Quasimodo swings down by the bell rope of Notre Dame and carries her off to the cathedral under the law of sanctuary.
4. Thousands of the peasants of Paris surround the cathedral to rescue Esmeralda, but Quasimodo assumes they are there to hurt her, so he drives them off by pushing off gargoyles and large stonework pieces.
5. The King, seeing the chaos, vetoes the law of sanctuary and commands his troops to take Esmeralda out and hang her. She dies and Quasimodo cradles her in his arms until he dies of starvation. Sad ending! And that’s the story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
6. Today we’re going to look at another Hunchback story, this one with a good ending, found in the Bible. Read along with me.
C. TEXT
“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” 17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing” Luke 13:10-17.
D. THESIS
Today we're looking at a woman whom Jesus set free. For many years she had been a captive. HER freedom points to how WE also can be set free & healed.
I. THE WOMAN’S TERRIBLE AFFLICTION
A. THE KJV SAYS SHE “WAS BOWED TOGETHER”
1. This describes her condition. She was affected by weakness of the spine, or tightening of the ligaments. She was bent over. She couldn’t look at others but only at herself.
2. David Brooks, in his book, “The Road to Character” (Random House, 2016) describes how Americans have shifted from a culture of humility to a culture called “the Big Me.” Between 1948 and 1954, psychologists asked 10,000 adolescents whether they considered themselves to be a very important person; 12 percent said, ‘yes.’ The same question was asked in 1989, and 80% of boys and 77% of girls said ‘yes.’ Psychologists now call this the “Narcissism test.”
3. Grant Brenner in his “Why Are Narcissistic People Prone to Depression?” [Psychology Today; 2020] shows the connection to depression. She was “BOWED TOWARD HERSELF;” the outward/ physical mirrored the spiritual state within. Her appearance was evidence of long, deep depression.
4. I wonder what each of us would look like, if our inner state was mirrored in our bodies? Would we be:
a. Dead persons? d. Shivering -- hot and cold
b. Blind e. Twisted/paralyzed
c. Maimed f. Subject to fits
4. Depression is real. There are 15-20 million people suffering from depression.
5. JOKE. A man had just had his annual physical exam and was waiting for the doctor's initial report. The doctor came in with his charts in his hand and said: "There's no reason why you can't live a completely normal life -- as long as you don't try to enjoy it!"
B. SHE COULDN’T LIFT UP HERSELF
1. Criticism wouldn't help. Advice? -- "Stand up straight!" "You'll get round shoulders." She was unable to help herself.
2. ILLUSTRATION
a. A BEAR was kept in captivity many years. When it got old they decided to free it. They made it a big "environmental" photo opportunity.
b. Out in the middle of a meadow in the mountains, they opened the cage and pulled it away from the bear. Cameras were flashing, film was whirring.
c. The bear took a few steps and looked around. Then it took its characteristic eight paces -- the size of its cell -- and walked in a square as if it were still in its cage. Eventually they had to shoot it.
d. Point? You don't have to be in TDCJ to be in prison. Many times we can be free from the bars (situations), but in our own minds we’re still captives.
C. RESTRAINED FROM THAT WHICH HER SOUL NEEDED
1. Verse 15; “The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it WATER?”
2. This indicates that she was, like an animal, unable to get a drink. The Word of God possessed the ability to liberate her, deliver her, but she lacked the ability to take it up. Many people are like that.
D. 18 LONG YEARS
1. Her disease was chronic, permanent.
2. 18 years of happiness -- flies by! But 18 years of pain drags like a chain!
E. YET ALL THIS TIME, SHE WAS A DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM
1. The devil could tie her, but not take away her privileged position/relationship.
2. She frequently attended the House of Prayer anyway. She could've said, "It's too painful for me; I ought to be excused."
3. How many perfectly healthy people take advantage of every excuse to skip attendance at church, while those with the greatest hurdles fight their way through to every service!
4. She didn't think it vain to hear the Word, and it was in the House of Prayer she was liberated.
F. SHE WAS BEING PREPARED TO GLORIFY GOD
1. There was a grand purpose behind it all! Nobody in the synagogue could praise God as she, when liberated. The deeper the sorrow, the sweeter the song.
2. The devil must have regretted not leaving her alone all those 18 years -- because her testimony was so loud.
II. THE LIBERATOR AT HIS WORK
A. JESUS SAW HER
1. Jesus’ eyes looked around the Synagogue, reading every heart. At last, he saw the woman. Oh! What a blessing, to have the merciful eyes of the Son of God rest on you! Psalm 33:18, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.” Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” God’s eyes are on the sparrows; how much more on you?
2. When Jesus saw her, He said, "Yes, that’s the one I am seeking." He saw her whole life: a). how long she’d been bound, b). how she got that way, c). What she’d suffered, d). How she’d prayed for healing.
B. “HE CALLED HER TO HIM.”
1. Did he know her name? Yes, He knows all our names -- "Zachaeus!" The Gov’t knows us by our S.S.#, the IRS by our taxpayer #, the police by our driver’s license #, doctors by our patient #. But the Bible says, God, “determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name” Psalms 147:4.
2. Kornreich estimates there are 10 trillion galaxies in the universe, resulting in 100 octillion stars, or 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars, or a "1" with 29 zeros after it. (14 quintillion X # of humans!) Yet God knows the name of each one! He obviously wouldn’t have any difficulty keeping up with the mere 7+ billion humans, how many hairs they have on their heads, and our thoughts.
3. The politicians don’t know you, nor does the pope, nor the actors & actresses in Hollywood, nor the bankers on Wall Street; nor am you known at the Ivy League schools, at the Pentagon, nor at the NFL, NBA, or the PGA – BUT GOD KNOWS YOUR NAME! Jesus said, “And the sheep listen to the voice of the Shepherd. He calls his own sheep, using their names, and He leads them out.” Jn. 10:3, ERV.
C. JESUS SET HER FREE, STRAIGHTENED HER
1. He said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." How could that be true? She was still as bent as she was before. He meant that the spell of Satan, the power which had kept her bent over for so long, was broken. She believed, even though she had not yet experienced any difference in appearance.
2. I hope that some of you today will have faith to believe that the end of your trial has come; your years of doubts and despondency are over! Accept it by faith!
3. He put His hands on her -- pouring life into her.
D. SHE PLAYED A PART IN THE HEALING
1. She “lifted herself up.” As far as the miracle, she was passive, but in action she was active. This was a DOUBLE MIRACLE -- because even if the disease was removed, the deformity would remain.
2. EXAMPLE. The Fakirs in India. Sometimes a man would hold up his hand for years, to fulfill a vow. But when the time was over -- his arm was fixed and immovable.
E. SHE GLORIFIED GOD Can you imagine her joy?
III. MIGHT JESUS DO THE SAME FOR YOU? YES!
A. GOD’S MERCY GREATER THAN OURS
1. Jesus’ motivation? Mercy or human kindness was His reason for setting this woman free.
2. He said in verse 15, "Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?" If God pities animals, how much more you?
B. GOD’S MADE HIMSELF RESPONSIBLE FOR US
1. The Lord said, "Untie HIS ox or donkey." It's not your duty to loose someone else's, but when it's yours.
2. Will God not liberate His own child?
C. GOD’S ENEMY HAS WORKED THE WRONG
1. The DEVIL had tied her up. Jesus came to "undo the works of the devil" (1 Jn. 3:8) wherever He finds them.
2. Not only did Jesus LOVE her, but He was determined to destroy the works of the devil wherever He found them. We should be too!
D. LONG SUFFERING INCREASES LIKELIHOOD
1. The synagogue ruler said, "She can wait until tomorrow to be loosed." But Jesus said, "No, today is the day of salvation! She’s waited long enough!"
2. IMPORTANT LESSON: Don’t argue from the length of time -- that your prayer won’t be answered; rather, argue that its length makes your soon release more likely!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: I Am the Source
1. In the Dominican Republic, a young woman named Maria had taken her sick baby to the doctor. The doctor wrote a prescription for the baby, but she was so poor she didn’t have the money for the prescription.
2. Maria held the slip of paper in her hand; the medicine was the source of her baby’s healing, but she had none. She went to see missionaries Nelson and Rennae de Freitas.
3. “Please, can you help me?” Maria held her little baby out to missionaries. The baby’s fever was very high. He lay limp and still in her arms. Rennae looked at the prescription. She was about to get the money when the Holy Spirit spoke to her; “I am the source; you are not.” Rennae realized that God wanted to show Maria how to trust in Him. Rennae said, “Let’s pray.” She placed her hand on the baby’s forehead and prayed for his healing. Afterward he was still hot with fever.
4. Rennae asked Maria about her relationship with God. Maria told her that she had fallen away from God and that her soul was not at peace with Him. So Rennae prayed with Maria and asked God to be the source of her forgiveness and of salvation and healing.
5. When Rennae said, “Amen,” the baby lifted his head from his mother’s shoulder. Rennae touched his forehead once again, and the fever was gone! The baby smiled, and so did Maria. In that moment, they had experienced a personal encounter with the “Source.”
[Source: Nelson and Rennae de Freitas and the Assemblies of God World Missions]
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you need a healing this morning? Raise your hands. Come forward. (Call for prayer partners)
2. The first step is to accept Jesus as your Source. PRAYER.
