What Matters To You?
Luke 13:10-17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
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I'm a fan of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. There's something about the thought of exploring the stars that captivates the imagination. But there's something else that is intriguing about the world Roddenberry created, and that is the utopia like earth. In Roddenberry's universe, there is no more war among nations (well, there aren't any nations at all), and things like poverty and illnesses don't appear to be a concern anymore. But the progress that was made by the people of earth didn't happen overnight. It took another world war and constant work, generations of work, to build a society that benefited all people.
There's one episode I want to point out this morning because I find that it speaks to what is at the heart of today's reading from the Gospel According to Luke. The episode takes place in the city of San Francisco in the year 2024. It focuses on what are called "sanctuary districts." Ironically these districts didn't provide anything you would expect to find in a sanctuary but instead were places where those who were mentally ill and those who were without jobs were tucked away and hidden from society. The point that really strikes home for me is a quote that comes from an observer of these districts who says, "Causing people to suffer because you hate them... is terrible. But causing people to suffer because you have forgotten how to care... that's really hard to understand."
That is where we find ourselves this morning. We see ourselves coming face to face with the tension that arises between what we think to be essential, and what God tells us is important. The things that matter to us are a reflection of our core values. So it's vital that we take the opportunity to stop and assess the things that make us who we are. We need to ask ourselves, "Do we care more about following the letter of the law and every rule, or is it our love and ability to care that matters more?" It's a question that we need to ask ourselves not because we set out with bad intentions or want to beat others over the head with a rulebook, but because we are hardwired to find comfort in a set of rules and regulations that make sense to us as we make our way through an unknown world. And sometimes we are in need of a catalyst that will mix things up for us in unexpected ways.
But as modern readers of this text, and as people who don't necessarily come from a background of in-depth knowledge of Judaism, we should take a step back and reflect briefly on the conflict that we find in this morning's reading. The stage appears to be set for another round of Jesus v. The Synagogue Leaders and we would expect a fight to happen, but if we look below the surface of what is going on, we'll find that there is something more to the synagogue leaders indignation. To the synagogue leader, healing was work, and it was a day of rest that was given to them by God. The woman who was bent over had an ample number of opportunities to come and seek relief from her pain, so she shouldn't try to circumnavigate or bypass the law.
But Jesus challenges the realities in which the synagogue leader and we ourselves have become accustomed too; which is unsettling, and perhaps scary as well because it means the rules we thought we knew have changed. For Jesus, the question isn’t about what is and isn’t considered working on the sabbath. For Jesus, the issue at hand is that there is a “daughter of Abraham,” who is suffering from afflictions so great it becomes a debilitating way of life. While we might not think of it as a glamorous argument Jesus uses a simple example to reorient our hearts and minds, “Each of you would take care of your animals on the sabbath; otherwise, they would die! So why then would you not do the same for a daughter of Abraham who was bound by the death?”
They say that sunshine is the most effective disinfectant, and I would add that the same is true for how we adjust our lives as well. Sometimes it takes a moment of clear revelation to jolt us into setting us on the path in which we align the things that are important to us in a more constructive way. Assessing the things that matter to us isn’t easy, because it means that we’ll find some things that need a little or a lot of adjusting. Pulling from my earlier allusion to the sanctuary districts in Roddenberry’s universe, they weren’t disbanded and torn down until the people living in them protested and gained national attention. Many things may startle us, shake us, make us feel challenged or attacked, and Jesus pushes all those buttons in an attempt to get our attention.
When we’ve caused suffering because we’ve forgotten how to care, it’s a sign that we need to need to step away and take stock of the things that are in our lives. The past few weeks, I’ve emphasized what it means to care for our neighbors and our community, but this week we’re given a chance to look inside ourselves. I mean, how can we help others if we don’t know what it is that makes our hearts and passions beat? If we don’t purposefully dedicate time to assess ourselves than we’ll only continue living on in the same way, perhaps even unintentionally hurting others along the way. But the fruit that is produced from such labor is priceless and something bridges the gap between how we think the world works and how God had intended us to live.
I read a story this week reinforced my hope in humanity and the importance of taking the time to look within our hearts. This article talked about a White police officer who arrived in front of a Cincinnati barbershop to find a group of Black men standing outside. The officer approached and shook his head, and when one of the men asked what was wrong, the officer said someone had made a false report. There was a moment of silence as both sides acknowledge what had happened, but then the group of Black men asked if the officer wanted to come inside, the barbershop had won an award and grant money that would be used to benefit the local community.
The officer at first declined, saying that he didn’t want to spoil the celebration, but one of the men told the officer that someone has to take the first step in healing these relationships. The same man continued to say to the officer that former pro-football player Jerome Bettis was inside. When the officer heard that he lit up with a smile. It was a moment of camaraderie, a moment of fellowship, a moment of healing, a moment that was only able to take place because people were able to take a look inside and find something that went beyond themselves and took them to a place of discomfort and growth. (When We Remove The Masks We Wear)
We have to start somewhere! This is a truth that we cannot ignore. Some things are about rules and traditions, but most of the time we find that we need to stretch ourselves so that we might catch a glimpse of what it means to be in harmony with one another and with God. When we choose to see each other, and ourselves as human beings created in the image of God, the rules don’t seem to matter as much anymore, and our priority instead becomes grounded on how we protect that spark of the divine.
This week I’m going to ask that you dedicate some time in prayer and meditation looking inward, and to consider doing the following (I know I don’t always encourage you to write things down, but it may be helpful if you are like me, which is forgetful):
Spend some time in prayer just talking with God… It doesn’t have to be formal or anything like that, you can just sit in a quiet place with your eyes closed or go out for a walk and have a conversation with God about the things that are important to you.
Consider the passage for today in light of all the pleas for help we hear. More important consider this passage in light of the fact that Jesus took the time and energy to be with people of all walks of life. You may be surprised how God replies to your previous conversation or you may find that you have more questions, which is totally okay as well.
And lastly take care of yourselves… Take time for a break from the busy-ness of life and unplug. If you are someone who needs permission for that kind of thing I’m giving it to you now and you say that it’s my fault you didn’t answer the phone, text, or email right away in that very moment. We know we need to take care of our bodies, but we don’t always pay attention to what our souls need.
You and I are daughters, sons, and beloved children of the living God. A God who placed themselves on a cross because God’s very nature was grounded on love and care for those who cry out in prayer. There’s a power to be found in taking the effort to take stock of what matters most in ourselves. And that inward spirit of ours has the ability to break out into the world around us, enabling us to work with hands that heal instead of harm, and it can start with a simple look at what lies at the center of our hearts. I’m always up for having my world turned around by Jesus. What about you?