Last
week in Chicago near the Art Institute, a friend and I came across an apparent street person lying face down on a bridge sidewalk. He was twitching, seemingly having a seizure. Another passerby already had his phone out and was calling 911. While the call was being made, the person on the ground stopped his odd movements, reached behind his back, and carefully adjusted his trousers. The three of us decided he was not in as much distress as it had seemed. However, we were gratified to see two Chicago emergency vehicles arrive on the scene in less than 5 minutes (this despite recent criticism of Chicago’s emergency medical response time). We left the fellow to their care.
Some situations are simply urgent. We try to have systems in place to offer emergency assistance, especially in medically dire circumstances, whenever possible. However, like our reaction to the man on the ground once it was clear our first impressions of his distress were overblown, we are also inclined to inaction when matters feel less urgent.
Such was the situation in a synagogue in which Jesus was teaching on the Sabbath, as told in Luke 13:10-17. A woman appeared with a serious and debilitating medical condition. However, as verse 11 explains, it had afflicted her for nearly two decades, 18 years. She was totally bent over and could not stand up straight.
In verses 12 and 13, we see Jesus take swift action as soon as He saw this poor woman. He called her over, spoke to her and laid His hands on her, healing her straightaway, if you will forgive the pun. She stood up straight immediately and began to praise God.
The leader of the synagogue saw the whole thing as less urgent than Jesus did. He deemed an 18-year-old condition not dire enough to warrant the breaking of Sabbath restrictions against work. In effect, he was asking why Jesus did not tell her to “Come back tomorrow,” during business hours.
Jesus saw it differently. In verse 16 He argues that 18 years is more than long enough. Why should this woman, daughter of Abraham, thus child of God, wait a moment longer to be set free from her affliction?
Our current western Christian culture has pretty much done away with any restrictions on what may be done on the Sabbath (a subject for another time), but we still need to learn from Jesus here about the urgent nature of His message and work. With so much need around us, both in our streets and throughout the world, are we guilty of, in effect, telling God’s sons and daughters to “Come back tomorrow” in order to receive help?
Let’s think again together about what our Lord shows us is the sort of thing which demands our urgent attention.