Luke 13:10-17

Please read the passage first.

Consider this a reflection on how religious people are often bad advertisements for what God wants in the world.

While teaching on the Sabbath in the synagogue, Jesus saw a crippled woman come in. such an action seems harmless enough. Yet, given some other interactions of Jesus in the synagogue, it hints at the trouble to come. For example, after Jesus taught in the synagogue at Nazareth, the people were so angry they were ready to “hurl him off the cliff” (Luke 4:14-30, esp. vv. 28-29). On another Sabbath, the scribes and Pharisees “were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” after he had healed a man “whose right hand was withered” (Luke 6:6-11; cf. Luke 6:1-5; 14:1-6). In short, verse 10 is a subtle warning of an imminent conflict.

After Jesus healed her, we find it easy to imagine this poor woman as she struggled to move from one place to another with her frail, awkward and uncooperative body — a woman whose daily existence was tortuous and had been that way for 18 long years. Jesus declares that he has set her free from her ailment. After she straightens up, she praises God.

Yet, the synagogue leader stepped in correctively to condemn the behavior. He reminded the crowd of the rules for Sabbath: Work six days and cease on the seventh. Because healing was work, Jesus should have done it only during the six days. At first glance, the leader’s logic was impeccable. His summation of the law and the prophets was accurate, for the Sabbath was sacred, kept strictly for rest. Support for his point of view was extensive, and his argument was irrefutable. It was, to be sure, not just his personal opinion. His judgment was confirmed not only by long-standing traditions but, more importantly, firmly rooted and repeatedly attested in Israel’s Scriptures (cf. Genesis 2:1-3; Exodus 20:8-11; 31:12-17; 35:2-3; Deuteronomy 5:12-15; Jeremiah 17:19-27).

However, Jesus calls him and the other religious leaders a malicious advertisement — “Hypocrites!” to be exact. They would spout their pious rule-worship in public but would have no problem giving their livestock water if they were in need on a Sabbath.

No one, of course, would want his or her behavior characterized as hypocritical. Jesus does not stop there. He also pointed out two critical obstacles with their line of reasoning.

First, because they had no qualms about caring for their animals on the Sabbath — behavior that was apparently acceptable and sanctioned by the religious authorities — Jesus appropriately questioned why they did not have an even greater level of concern for another human being.

In addition, Jesus challenged the religious authorities for their narrow understanding of Israel’s Scriptures. Because their memory of Israel’s rich expansive history was selective and bound up in tradition, they had failed to grasp the full meaning of their own nation’s redemption.

This stout legalism was not only sending the wrong message; it was doing damage to its hearers. Hypocrisy such as this appeared religious but actually infected others with bondage and legalism.

In ancient Greek culture, hypocrites (pokritai) were simply stage actors. The literal meaning of the word derives from the ideas of play-acting, expounding or interpreting. In that day, hypocrite did not have any negative association. It merely referred to someone playing a role or interpreting a poem for the sake of onlookers. Moreover, a Greek hypocrite always wore or carried a mask — especially important, for example, if the role were a female role. Because women were not allowed on stage, the male actor held a mask in front of his face as he acted the part. Therefore, hypocrites were not only actors playing a pretend role on a stage, but they usually covered their faces with masks.

In the New Testament usage and ever after, “hypocrite” takes a negative spin. Jesus uses it to describe Jewish religious leaders several times, speaking of the blatant contradiction between their outer religious life and the motivations in their hearts. 

They play-acted religion, but they did not know the Writer of the script. They had no idea how God wanted the lines embodied. 

Jesus was telling the crowd, “Beware of hypocrites bearing gifts.” Their piety and moralizing seems good at first, but it can get inside of us and foul God’s intent for us. In Matthew 23, he would tell them that explosively:

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Matthew 23:13, 15).

            Jesus uses his power for an unfortunate person. We might read it as a love-story of the redemption of a tormented woman. The episode stresses the view of Jesus that the welfare of people takes precedence over religious obligations such as the Sabbath. The story reveals both the hypocrisy of Jewish leaders and the saving power of God.

            These religious leaders were bad advertisements, giving the wrong message and doing real damage to people God wanted them to help.

            Those who follow Jesus need to be making their own love-stories of redemption.

            One more thing: it should not be that hard.