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.” vss. 10-11
Luke 13:10-14
When Jesus saw the bent woman in the synagogue crowd as he was teaching on the sabbath, he couldn’t contain himself. Even though he knew there was a law against healing on the sabbath, he called her over, laid hands on her and told her to straighten up. And she did! And the leader of the synagogue was indignant! Jesus should have told the woman to make an appointment for another day. We can’t be too upset with the man–in his world the law was sacred, and his job was to protect it from even the slightest infractions. If offenses were permitted, then it wouldn’t be long before the whole legal system would be in jeopardy. Soon people will be making their own decisions about right and wrong and there will be chaos. But Jesus was operating by a different code, one that valued compassion and kindness about all else. It’s important to remember this when we are the ones getting bent out of shape by the careless behavior of others. Sometimes those things that we hold so dearly aren’t nearly so important as we think they are. And if our judgments are keeping us from loving the hurting, perhaps we need to take another look at Jesus.
Thought for the Day: What kind of things get me bent out of shape?
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