TEXT: LUKE 13:11-14; 7:13-15,30
Luke 13:11-14
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
Luke 7:13-15,30
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
We have learned in the passages we read earlier how Jesus showed compassion and manifested His power in healing those who needed healing, as we also need healing today. Our bodies, spirits, souls, lives in general need healing just as the vision which has dropped and died needs renewal. An aching and diseased body needs rest, a traumatized soul needs rest, and Sabbath actually means rest and if there is any day we should have rest, in our bodies, restoration in our souls, and renewal in our spirits, it is on the day of rest.
But the Pharisees did not understand, they associated Sabbath with Saturday whereas, the word actually means rest and Jesus wanted them to understand the meaning. “There remaineth therefore a rest at Sabbath for the people of God”. So, anywhere you are, note that God gives rest, restoration and recovery to His people. Actually the whole expanse of His life and ministry was about these three aspects. But they didn’t understand, and He did not bother about their ignorance, because He focused on His mission.
He lived with passion, compassion and disregarded those who were at variance with Him, and did not understand His ministry. We should also be like Jesus, and live with passion and compassion despite the dispassionate people around us. This is what we are looking at today. Living in, like and for Christ.
- CHRIST’S HEALING AND COMPASSION FOR THE SICK
(Matthew 12:10-13; Luke 4:31-36; 13:10-13,16
There was a man with a withered hand in the Synagogue, and the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to heal on a Sabbath. They could predict the characters and actions of Jesus. It is good to be predictable, people should be able to know and predict your good works and actions, otherwise, it means that you are unstable. They were able to predict Jesus as a man of compassion, passion and purpose, so they asked Him if it was lawful to heal on a Sabbath so they could catch Him with His words.
He in turn asked them if they would not rescue their sheep if it falls into a ditch on a because they have others. This shows that the Pharisees had no compassionate hearts. The good things we do on normal days we need to also do on the Sabbath day which is also the Lord’s day, special and sacred day. If there is any day to do good, it should be on a Sabbath day. Therefore, the Lord restored the withered hand.
As believers, we are the hands, eyes, ears and body of Jesus, while He is our Head. Whatever the Head does, we His parts should do today.
- CHRIST COMPASSION FOR THE SICK AND SORROWFUL
(Matthew 14:14; 20:32-34; 9:35-36; Luke 7:12-16)
If you are sick, sorrowful, depressed, disappointed in life, and going through life’s challenges, Christ will have compassion on you today. His compassion fails not, morning by morning we see His faithfulness and goodness and He keeps blessing His people. He has not changed, He is the same today and He still heals and delivers.
As for the Pharisees, they put on different characters/clothes/garments on different days, but Jesus wore the garment of compassion and love everyday whether it was Sabbath, weekday or any special day. This was why whenever He saw those who are sick, He healed them. He had compassion on men and women, oppressed, sick, blind, etc.
Jesus went to all the towns, villages, and synagogues teaching, preaching and healing. Could he teach and preach on the Sabbath day? Yes. Then He should be able to heal on the Sabbath day too. When a multitude gathers, their needs are always varied. Some are sinful, while some are sick, depraved, polluted, trodden down, bent low, dying, near the grave, etc. Whatever their condition, Jesus had compassion on them.
Jesus raised a dead man, who was the only son of his mother. It doesn’t matter what the source of the problem, sorrow or suffering is, compassion was the Lord’s response. As children of God, our response when people are sorrowful, suffering and depressed must be same with Christ’s in one word: Compassion. After the miracle, everyone was glad and fear came upon them and they rejoiced saying, “a great Prophet is risen up among us”, and “God hath visited His people”.
Now, what does the Pharisees and Sadducees want? Is it for God to visit on weekdays and not on Sundays? Are they restricting God to a number of days that He could visit His people? That is not right. God visits and releases them from oppression, He solves and brings solution to their problems on the day of visitation. Allow God to visit His people any day He chooses, He has the right to visit His people any day of the week.
- COMPREHENSIVE CURE FOR SICKNESS ON THE SABBATH
(John 7:23; Matthew 12:10-13; Luke 13:10-13,16;John 5:5-9)
The Pharisees and Sadducees limited the Sabbath day to their rituals and religious ceremonies which did not bring rest or recovery to anyone but Christ came to show us the meaning of Sabbath which is rest. He made it very clear that a man is more valuable than a sheep. He made it known to them that the essence of the Sabbath is rest. When your body is weary tired and worn-out in the night, and you sleep and rest, in the morning, your body is restored. Your brain will be restored and able to think and reason well. This was exactly what Jesus did for the man with the withered hand, He restored his hand. This is what will happen to you on this day of rest in Jesus name.
Luke 13:10-13. In the case of this woman, her infirmity was physical. Other people have moral, spiritual, mental, character infirmity but when we come to Christ, He touches our lives and sets us free depending on the kind of need we have. If you couldn’t walk or talk straight, or you tell lies, His touch changes your heart and you begin to live straight. If you are hypocritical, His touch will make your life and actions to bring glory to God.
vs 16. Jesus reiterated the need to set the woman, who was a daughter of Abraham free. Whatever infirmity you have, a miracle is about to happen. He will take the infirmity away from your body, life and family in Jesus name!
John 5:5-9. No one will take your place or steal the miracle which God has prepared for you in Jesus name. Jesus told the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda to rise up and take up his bed and walk. This miracle happened on a Sabbath day. The religious fanatics did not reason that the man had been with this problem for 38 years and the coming of an Angel could not give him a solution. Now with Christ, the impossible problem of 38 years got solved and the only thing they could think about was that it happened on the Sabbath.
So they told the man that it was not right for him to be healed on the Sabbath day and the man will be wondering why they could not rejoice with him when he had laid down helpless for so long. He told them the man who healed him was the one who told him to rise up and walk. We need to understand that Jesus gives us comprehensive cure, total healing and deliverance even on the sacred, special day and will do it on other days in His name.
- CONSISTENT CONVERSIONS OF SOULS TO THE SAVIOUR
(John 9:35-38; 11:43-45; 20:30-31; Acts 9:32-35,40-42)
Was the ministry of Jesus all about healing and deliverance? Of course not! There were many converts as a result of His evangelism. The 12 disciples were converted before they were sent out to evangelize. Same with the 70 whom He gave power over the enemies. He told them to rejoice, not only because the devils were subject to them but also because their names were written in heaven. They were steady and consistent in the Lord.
The man who was born blind and got his sight through the miracle working power of the Lord believed when he met Him in the temple afterwards. Many people who witnessed the raising of Lazarus from the dead believed. The purpose of miracles is that those who witnessed them will believe on the Lord and be converted.
Many people believed when Aeneas was healed by the power of the Lord after Peter’s ministration to him. We must never minimize the power of the working and effect of miracles, neither must we belittle or cast aspersions on it. The power of God flowed into the body of Tabitha after Peter prayed for her and she rose up from death and as a result, many believed on the Lord.
But the Pharisees were not bothered about the miracles or the result which was conversion of souls because they themselves have not gotten any of the miracle that people received. They kept to their misunderstanding of the Sabbath.
- CONDEMNED HATRED IN CONSIDERATION FOR THE SABBATH
The Pharisses and Sadducees were not bothered about the salvation and miracles that people received because they experienced none of them in their lives. They were glued to their traditions and misunderstanding of the Sabbath, and were not advocates of the salvation and spiritual lives of the people, they cared not for the will and mind of God for the nation. They haboured hatred in their hearts.
- UNJUSTIFIABLE ANGER OF SABBATH ADVOCATES
(Luke 6:10-11; John 15:24-25; Acts 26:10-11; John 5:16-17)
The Pharisees were advocates for the Sabbath, not advocates for Christ or the spiritual lives of the people of God, the will or mind of God for the people, community or the nation. They were angry that Christ was honoured and they could not do anything for people who had needs. Jesus came and manifested the glory and honour of God, and healed the man, and they could not do anything about it.
If you are angry that your wife is obeying God and not you, that anger is unjustified. If your child is converted and his life is changed, and you are angry, that anger is not justified. As a leader in the Church, you gave out something to a brother to do and he turned it down because he was not convinced that it was right and you are angry, why are you angry? He came to church to honour God and not you. Who are you? Are you greater and more than God?
The Pharisees missed their way and lost the reason for living and nursed unjustifiable anger against Christ. Jesus the Son of God is the Lord of the Sabbath. No one can obey the laws of the Sabbath more than the Lord of it. Every Sunday, the desire to focus on, and worship God in spirit and truth must not offend anyone.
- UNREASONABLE ANIMOSITY AGAINST HIS SAVING ACTS
(Jonah 4:4,9-11; Mark 11:18-19; Acts 26-11,14-15,19; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)
All the acts of the Lord were to save people from sin, sickness, satan, earthly and eternal suffering but the Pharisees had unreasonable animosity against them.
Jonah 4:4. God asked Jonah if he did well by getting angry against His plan to save the people of Nineveh. God who created the people of Nineveh wanted them to be healed but Jonah was angry. God is the Judge who knows how to judge and when to judge. He gave the prophet another chance by allowing the whale to vomit him on the seashore. Then he went to preach the message and the people of Nineveh, from the king to their cattle fasted and the people prayed and repented and God forgave them, He gave them the same second chance He gave to Jonah but he became more angry.
Are you like Jonah? After your own salvation, you don’t want the same grace to be extended to others so they will be saved? Now, the method God used in saving you is what He is using for others, the preacher is taking the same time to patiently explain salvation to others as he did to you, and you are angry? God told Jonah that it was not right for him to be angry, so, it is not right for you to be angry.
- UNENDING ANGUISH FOR THE SAVIOUR’S ACCUSERS
(Luke 11:52-54; Revelation 12:10; Matthew 25:41,45; Revelation 14:10-11)
The accusers were always watching the Lord to see what they would accuse Him about. They had anger and animosity and they will have anguish. They had unjustifiable anger, unreasonable animosity, they will have unending, and unceasing anguish.
Anytime they come to the Lord, it was not for salvation or to get healed but to have reasons to gang up against Him. His love, mercy and compassion did not save them. They will have unending anguish because they were the accusers of the Lord.
Matthew 25:41. The Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes never came to the Lord’s right hand to get salvation and be prepared for heaven. Hence, they will end up in hell-fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. The devil is the accuser of the brethren, and since they have taken up the duties of an accuser, they will also end up in the same destination as the devil – the lake of fire forever. They will have everlasting punishment (vs 46).
- COMMENDABLE HARVEST THROUGH CURES FOR SICKNESSES. Matthew 9:35-38; 10:1,7-8
Jesus was not walking about with His eyes closed, or with His head down, He lifted His eyes and saw the multitude. He saw the sinful, sick, traumatized, troubled, demonized and depressed. He saw the sinner, the depraved, helpless and all who were in need and was moved with compassion and not to judge, condemn, criticise, beat them down like Jonah, He did not wish that they would die. He did not blame them but showed compassion, mercy and love to them. They were scattered abroad like sheep without shepherd.
He then told His disciples that the fields are white, the harvest is much but the labourers are few. He already had 12 Apostles, but still saw the labourers as few. When He had 70 disciples, the labourers were still few. There are people who are jealous and injurious like Judas Iscariot, they are jealous like James and John who saw someone casting out devils in Jesus name and forbad him even when Jesus observed that the labourers were few. It is the adarmic nature in man that does not want added hands, labourers, instruments, leaders even when he can’t touch or reach everyone.
There are many other children of God He wants to raise but there are those who are jealous and envious like the Pharisees and Sadducees. These two vices led the Jewish rulers to the third, and they became destructive and injurious. They would rather make other people worthless, useless or destroy them, rather than make way for them to join the harvesters and reapers into the Kingdom of God. Let us have a change of heart and mind, let us open the door for others who can help in the harvesting of souls to come in.
Ch 10:1. Jesus gave His disciples power to heal, and deliver. He gave them power, and didn’t have any feeling of jealousy, He did not keep all the power to Himself in order to be higher than them. Obviously, He was higher than them. Some people are jealous and don’t want other people to experience what they have experienced. We must have the mind and character of Christ and allow other people to know what other people know so that the frontier of the gospel will expand in our time in Jesus name. I pray we will all have the mind of Christ.
- FAITHFUL DEDICATION TO THE HARVEST OF SOULS. John 4:34-38
Jesus said His food, satisfaction and joy is to do the will of Him who sent Him, and to finish His work. He has given that same commitment, dedication and focus to all His disciples, and to you and me. He has sent us just as the Father sent us.
- FREQUENT OR (FEW) DAYS OF HEALING OF THE SICK
(Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Luke 9:1,2,6; 4:18-21)
Did Jesus only heal few days? Did He preach and did not heal, or healed and did not preach? No. The days He preaches, He also healed and the days He taught, He also healed. He went about all Galilee, every city, town and village frequently, not for just a few days, but regularly teaching, preaching and healing in their synagogues. Christ did it frequently, we also will do it frequently. He harvested souls, evangelized, healed the sick, and we will do same in Jesus name.
- FERVENT DISCIPLESHIP OF THE HEAVENS OF SAINTS
(Romans 12:6-8,11; Colossians 1:28; 1 Peter 1:3-5; Ephesians 5:25-27)
Romans 12:6-8
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
vs 8. There is ministry and calling for everyone, so, focus on yours. You cannot accuse me of not doing this or that. Pharisees don’t have any reason to be angry because everyone must focus on what God has called him to do with a fervent heart.
vs 11. This is not talking about monetary business but the one God has called you to. Fire of the Spirit in your soul, fervency in your spirit, and the fire will burn every chaff off your life. When the fire is burning, you will not be indolent, sleeping, but you will be fervent in the Spirit, and have the grace to serve the Lord in Jesus name.
Where are you? Stand on your feet:
As your days, so will your strength, vision and power be in Jesus name. As I focused on my ministry, so will you focus on your ministry. Power and authority will go with you, and no Pharisee will hinder your progress in Jesus name.
To the man, woman, boy or girl who has a calling, you will fulfill it, you will rise, move, walk, minister and the strength, power and anointing of the Lord will confirm your ministry for the glory of God and salvation of souls in Jesus name.
This is the time to forget the past, focus on the future and do what the Lord has called you to do. You will, I will, I must, I can. The Lord go with you. Open your mouth and tell the Lord, “Here am I, I will serve You, Lord”.
