Jesus was teaching in the synagogues and there in the synagogue was a woman with an infirmity that had her bent over for 18 long years. The Bible says that Jesus called her to himself; laid his hands on her and said, "Woman, you are free from your infirmity." And immediately she straightened up and began praising the Lord. But one of the officials of the synagogue began to complain and saying, "Now, there are six days on which healing ought to be done but the seventh day is holy unto God. Come back on one of the six days but the Sabbath belongs to God."
How easy it is this morning to identify with this unnamed bent over woman. To identify with Jesus on the side of this unknown woman. And how easy it is to suck in our teeth in horror at this synagogue official. We might say now, in the comfort of centuries of hindsight, "How could anyone be so insensitive, so stuck in tradition, so enslaved to protocol, to protest this afflicted woman an opportunity to be healed." Had this man no compassion? We now ask. Had he no pity, no empathy for this poor woman. How easy it is for us NOW in the comfort of pews and four Gospels to prove to us that He is who He says He is. It is easy for us to identify with the woman and with Jesus and suck in our teeth at the synagogue official. Didn’t this man know who Jesus was!? Didn’t he know that Jesus came to heal!? Didn’t he know that Jesus came to set at liberty those who were captive; to bind-up the brokenhearted; and came that we might all have life and have it more abundantly. Didn’t he know that Jesus came with power over unclean spirits; to trade over serpents; to loose things and to bind things! Didn’t he know that the man he invited to preach in the pulpit on that Sabbath was the Son of the Living God. Everybody ought to know who Jesus is: He’s the Lilly of the valley, the bright and the morning star. Of course we, informed modern readers with books of knowing and centuries of tradition under our belts, we know who Jesus is. We know exactly who we are to identify with in this story. With 2000 years of hindsight we know who is wrong and who is wronged in this Gospel message. It’s easy, this morning, to identify with the bent over woman and distance ourselves from the obtuse official. But are we really so different from the synagogue official? Put yourself in the audience on that Sabbath morning. Are you certain that you wouldn’t have been just a bit annoyed and indigent as a stranger in your pulpit, a guest preacher, invited -- doesn’t really belong, overstepped his bounders, ignored your traditions and proceeded contrary to your expectations. This synagogue official was peeved and rightly so -- this visitor proceeded to act contrary to his expectation and make an "on the spur of the moment" decision -- HOW DARE HE! He had completely ignored the traditions and the customs of this community; not mention, defying the law. He had interrupted the preaching and teaching session to go beyond the boundaries of the traditions of this synagogue to presume to have a healing service.
Now, we don’t play that. He was invited to teach but He presumed to heal. He was invited to speak and expound and to exegete but He presumed to heal somebody. He was invited to be articulate and eloquent and in a short amount of time but he presumed to call somebody out (You. . .God wants to heal you today). Now, who do he think he is, we don’t do that up in here! Ah, it’s easy to identify with Jesus 2000 years later but how would you acted if someone came in and did something contrary to your expectations. He calls this woman to the front of this synagogue, how dare he! How dare he call a woman up and insist that all these men look at this woman. He called a woman up with a physical infirmity. It’s one thing to call a good looking woman up but it’s another thing to call up a woman that don’t look mighty pretty this morning. And she had an infirmity. And you know how we are about people with infirmities -- they don’t walk straight; what’s wrong with their skin; one hand is shorter than the other; some other kind of deformity. And you know how we are when they are in our midst: we’re fascinated and repulsed; we are curious and yet we are ashamed. And to ask us to sit here while she makes her way down the aisle and we’ve got to fidget. Can’t decide whether we should look or not look. How could he do this to us? Oh Lord, how long is it gonna take for her to get down there!? Ah, everybody like to identify with Jesus. But there isn’t very much difference between us and the synagogue official.
To make us sit and endure this woman’s hesitant steps, looking down at the ground, bent over body; doesn’t look attractive according to the worlds standards; forcing us to endure the sight of her awkward, tortuous, unsightly, protracted walk to the front of the aisle. The synagogue official was outraged -- like many of us would be outraged. Outraged that Jesus would be presumptuous enough to call an infirmed woman to the front of the synagogue and daring enough to defy the fourth commandment: Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. Such things were simply not tolerated and were expressly forbidden on the Sabbath.
But this is a story about the rules and the traditions. This is a story about protocol. Yes, this is a story about human order. All of the things that make for a civilized people. Things that might make life livable and predictable. That everything proceeds the way it is suppose to. And that we have a way of doing things. And we have a procedure, we have a policy and we have expectations, we have human order. That is why we have appointment books. Why we have calendars. Why we have caller ID. We want to know what to expect and how we should act and react. That is why we consult our horoscope, we just wanna have an idea of what to expect. We don’t believe in it but just in case there was a little bit of truth in it, we want to proceed accordingly. That is why we ask people; where are you from?, what school did you attend?, what side of town do you live in? We just want to know what to expect. We want order. We need to have this thing figured out. We are creatures of habit. We prefer what is comfortable and what we know. And we certainly expect this from our religion. If there is one place that we won’t tolerate disorder and unpredictability it’s in our religion. In fact that is why we turn to religion; precisely because we expect God and faith to make an otherwise unpredictable existence seem predictable.
Isn’t that why we have this Sunday bulletin? Last I checked on this Sunday bulletin there was no place for hysterical preachers changing the order of worship (READ FROM THE BULLETIN) I mean it was type-set it wasn’t Xeroxed it was type-set. And we have an order of worship and we proceed accordingly. There’s not to be any spontaneous interruptions and distractions and divergences from the order of worship. I don’t care if you’re hurting. I don’t care if you’re crying. I don’t care if your momma just died. If it ain’t on the program, we ain’t doing it. If you don’t get it from the sermon then you need to go down to one those other churches where they do unpredictable things. If you don’t get it from the great prayer that we pray then you need to go to those other people who make noise and who don’t mind distractions -- we get out of here at 1:30! Don’t heal nobody here. If you got a sickness, there are several medical centers all around here. You want somebody to pray for you, go back to your radio and lay your hands on your radio as a point of contact. We don’t do that up in here.
The synagogue official was more concerned with protocol and rules, the letter of the law, Robert’s rules of order, than he was with this woman’s healing and deliverance. More concerned with tradition than outreach. More concerned with order than breakthrough. His job was to preserve the status quo. We can see it because we know that there is always someone in the service who feels that it is their job to protect the integrity of the service. That’s human order. But thanks be unto God that there is a Holy Order. Jesus said to his distracters, "Human beings were not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for human beings." The Sabbath is the right time to be prayed for. The Sabbath is suppose to be a blessing to the people of God. The Sabbath is suppose to be a day were we have unimpeded access to the living God. The Sabbath is to make sure that what the enemy took from us Monday through Saturday you can get it back on Sunday. The Sabbath is the day when we can just bask in the glory of God!
Oh, I wouldn’t go to church where I didn’t feel the presence of God every-now-and-then. I wouldn’t go to a worship service where a goose-bump didn’t run up and down my spine once in awhile. I wouldn’t go to a place where I couldn’t raise my hand and not have someone look at me funny all the time. I won’t go anywhere I couldn’t say, "Thank you, Jesus!" out loud. This is the Lord’s house and bulletins are designed to help guide us in the flow of the service but they are not designed to box us in. They say, "Should the Holy Ghost not appear this is how we shall proceed. But if the Holy Ghost shows up . . .it’s subject to change without notice; without your vote; without your permission. Hallelujah to Jesus! I am so glad that I serve a God who does not consult you. Did not ask your permission to call my name. "What do you think brother, should I call Brother Brown to preach or not?" I am so glad that I serve a God that sits high and . . .help me out somebody.
Oh, we swear we know the mind of God. Can’t remember where you put your keys but you know the mind of God. Got PhDs but kindergarten theology. You don’t know who God will choose. You don’t know who and when God will bless. Often the best moments in life are those we did not plan. But when things aren’t going the way you planned, when you don’t have all the answers, when you have to let go of human order and hold on to Holy order then Holy healing can happen.
The Bible says that Jesus was teaching and preaching in the synagogue and He saw a woman. It’s one thing to be articulate and eloquent but it’s another thing to see people. It’s one thing sit in your study on Saturday night and pull together great sermons that are well thought out and reasoned: you got your introduction, your historical background, your three major point and your supporting minor points but it’s another thing to touch people where they live. It’s one thing to sit in the pulpit and be emanate. It’s one thing to be articulate; it’s another thing to be able to now how to pray. I often say, that if I’m ever laying on my death-bed don’t send anybody with a PhD to see about me. Because they are going to be worried about there noun and subject agreeing but just send me one of the old saints of the church who’s on speaking terms with God. Somebody who will say, "God, you is a good god" and "You is been better to me than I’s been to myself." The Bible says that Jesus saw her. It’s one thing to preach. It’s another thing to see that someone is hurting this morning. Let me give you one of the secretes of preachers. We have learned how not to really look at congregations. Because if you look at folks, folks will intimidate you while you are speaking. They’ll make you get nervous because you got somebody who is looking at their watch; somebody who is scowling the whole time like "you can’t tell me nothing cause you ain’t the pastor;" then you got somebody over there who is doing their nails and somebody over there who is kinda nodding to the side. And if we really looked at you we would be trying to hurry up and finish and sit down. So we just kinda scan the audience, we don’t really see you.
But my Bible says, "He saw her," and Jesus was presumptuous enough not only to make eye contact but he was also presumptuous enough to put the bulletin aside, without consulting the deacons, Jesus called her to himself. And after 18 long years she kept coming. She kept coming even when folks didn’t want to look at her. She kept coming even when folks didn’t want to speak to her. Didn’t want to touch her. She kept coming anyhow. And one day (and all it takes is one day) one day Jesus saw her. Even if your sitting behind the woman with the big hat; even if your sitting up in the balcony; Jesus sees you. And he told her to come and thanks be unto God, she came. And the Bible says that He laid his hand on her. He could have just said, "Sister, back there... you are free." But no, he said, "Come here."
Why does Jesus make us endure the sight of this woman? Maybe it was his way of saying, "She, who has been kept out all these years, now will be publicly blessed." The scripture says, "He prepares a table before me in the presence on my enemies." God has a way of making the folks who shut you out, stand there and watch you get blessed. The very same folks who ignored you, who talked about you are the very folks you can walk up to and say, "Look what the Lord done done for me." We come into some services and there is no chance for us to turn to each other and see each other.
I know many of you dislike churches that make you "turn to your neighbor and say..." And if you stubborn like I am, you say, “Well I don’t wanna talk to them.” Or the preacher says, "Have I got a witness!?" And you know what you are supposed to say. Why? Because we are trying to make some kind of connection. Why? Because you come and sit next to folks and you never even said, good morning. It is because you come into church and you don’t even see that the person sitting next to you is grieving in their heart. So we make you turn to your neighbor as a way of making a connection and saying neighbor, I see you. I know you’re here and we’re both standing in the need of prayer. But even if you don’t look, even if I don’t see you, Jesus does! The Bible says that Jesus says not that "you are healed" but that "you are free."
See, you can be healed and not free. Because there’s something about being sick and if you’ve been sick a long time, that takes its toil on you emotionally, psychologically. If you grew up poor and then you get a little money. . .your mind is still enslaved to poverty. You lost weight but your mind is still overweight. God has given you a new relationship but you mind is still enslaved to that last pain. But Jesus said that, "You are free." Free from what people think about you. Free from what folks say about you. Free from family ignoring you. Free from what this disease has done to you. Free from what mamma said. Free from what daddy did. Free from what the world told you that you couldn’t be. And immediately! she began to praise God. Immediately.
I assure you that if you ever been sick, if you ever been up under something that has had your whole mind, your whole body, your whole emotion bent over for 18 long years I assure you that on that day when the Lord sees you and touches you and says that from now on my brother, from now on my sister -- God wants you know that that which has kept you bent over, you are free. I assure you that your response will not be, "Oh, that’s nice." "Oh, thank you."
Nah, immediately! She began to praise God. Some of you don’t know what is it like to be crippled by a physical aliment. Some you have never been crippled emotionally or psychologically. Some of you may have just a little too much money in the bank. Some you have not been desperate enough to keep praying and pressing your way. But those of us who know what it means to stay up all night long; crying all night long. For those of us who know what it means to cry like Jesus on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” When we get in here after six days of being in the hustle and bustle of a hell-strung world -- we don’t know what you’ve come do but we come to praise the Lord. We come to shout hallelujah! We come to clap our hands. We come to stomp our feet. We come to say, "SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD FALL FRESH ON ME!"
Now what shall we say to these things. What does the Lord want us to know about His awesome power this morning? What is it that we must understand and realize about this passage of Scripture? The first thing is; "Have faith in God." After 18 long years this woman kept praying and pressing her way to the church. Some of you haven’t even been in despair that long and you wanna give up and throw in the towel. But this woman kept praying and pressing her way singing: "All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give." She kept on singing, "I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live." Romans 10 and 9 puts it this way, “That if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, thou shall be saved.” She; like Job; said, “All of my appointed days I am gonna serve the Lord. And I am gonna hold out to my change comes.” Do you ever just feel Him? Has He ever stolen into your secret room and told you, “Child of God, just hold on a little while longer.”
The second thing that this woman causes us to realize is that if you keep on praying and keep on trusting, the Lord will see you. "Why should I feel discouraged and why should the shadows come, why should my heart feel lonely and long for heaven and home, when Jesus is my portion..." God’s got piercing eyesight, He can see your sorrow, He can see your pain, even if you hide in the balcony...His eye is on the sparrow and I know He’s watching you and He’s watching me. Thanks be unto God that we serve a God who sits high and looks low.
But the final thing is, the most important thing is that not only will you be made whole but you will be set free. You keep coming. You keep praying. You keep believing. And one day the Lord will see you and when He does He will set you free.
Don’t you know that the Lord loves you so much that not only is He gonna heal you but He’s gonna lift you out of your despair...He’s gonna lift you out of your depression...He gonna lift you out of your sorrow...He gonna lift you out of you out of your sin...He’s gonna lift you up out of your situation. Won’t He do it? Won’t lift you up? Turn you around? Place your feet on solid ground? Won’t He walk with you? Won’t He talk with you? Won’t He guide your hand? He’ll put clapping in your hands. Stomping in your feet. Praises in your mouth. Has He lifted you? Has He heard your cry?
I’ve got a confession; one Sunday morning, I heard someone say, “lift up your head preacher.” And I opened-up the doors of my heart and allowed the King of Glory to come in. (singing) And ever since that wonderful day. My soul has been satisfied. I want you to know this morning that I serve a risen Savior. He’s in the world today, whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy.
I hear His voice of cheer. And just the time I need Him He’s always near. You know what? He walks with me and He talks with me. And every now and then He tells me that I am His own. And the joy, the joy we share, as we tarry there none other has ever known. Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Christ the Lord is risen today! Hallelujah!
