This Sunday service Pastor (Mrs) Silvia Lia Leigh preached another sermon in the series titled ‘The Ten Commandments’. Her main scriptures were taken from the book Exodus 20:1-26; Lk 13:10-17

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS – INTRODUCTION

The Ten Commandments are ten laws that God Himself gave to the ancient nation of Israel thru His servant Moses. These Biblical principles apply to men’s relationship with God and with one another. If all people on earth keep at least one of these commandments, the world will be a better place. These Commandments were spoken directly by God at Mount Sinai and written by God’s finger on tablets of stone and given to Moses. This act makes them unique in the Bible. These Ten Laws are commands and not suggestions. They are personal, spoken to individuals.

GOD’S LAW IS GIVEN TO BLESS AND PROSPER MAN

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper” (Ps 1:1-3).

God reveals the purpose of giving His Law. He wants man to be blessed!!! Selah! The word ‘blessed’ means to be happy, to be congratulated because you are a champion. This godly man is first described in negative words. He does not walk… not stand… nor sit with unbelievers. He is not slowing down to please the haters of God. He has no close relationship with lawbreakers. He loves God and His Law. God loves the man by giving Him His Law, to study it and prosper by obeying it. In other words, God delights in the prosperity of His children. Do you believe that?

GOD’S WORD IS PURE AND IT PURIFIES THE HEART

“The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Ps 12:6). “Your word is very pure; Therefore, Your servant loves it” (Ps 119:140). In Hebrew, The word ‘pure’ means to be tried in the fire and proven to be true. “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him” (Ps 18:30). “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him” (PV 30:5). God’s Word is pure. Even when it passes thru the fire of affliction, God’s Word always remains true. There are no impurities made of lies. What God says, He will surely perform. Men’s words, even when they speak the truth, are mixed with flattery, lies, deception, and foolishness. Not so with God. The Bible is a Book that has passed thru the fire of hatred, persecution, scientific doubts, and literary criticism. But the Bible has lost nothing from its power and purity. The Word of God is faithful. Generation upon generation of saints have proved the truth of the Bible. God’s Word received in faith purifies the heart and makes you spiritually mature! Selah!

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it” (Ex 20:8-11).

“Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore, the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day” (Deut 5:12-15)

The fourth commandment applies to keeping the seventh day holy and dedicated to God. It is the most misunderstood and argued about Commandment. The word ‘Sabbath’ comes from a Hebrew word that means “to rest from labor.” The word ‘holy’ means something that is sacred or dedicated to God. The first time the Sabbath day is mentioned is at the beginning of creation. Elohim finished the work of creation and rested on the 7^th day. God blessed that day. “Thus, the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Gen 2:1-3). The idea of combining work and rest is God’s idea. It is part of His perfect will for man. When God gave the people Manna, He told them to collect their ‘daily bread’ for six days. They are all to rest from labor on the 7^th day. That day was called Sabbath. “And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.’ ” So they laid it up till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. Then Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.” Now it happened that some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather, but they found none. And the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws? See! For the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore, He gives you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let every man remain in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.” So the people rested on the seventh day. 31 And the house of Israel called its name Manna” (Ex 16:22-31). Breaking the Sabbath made God angry. Initially, the Sabbath was not religious. Later, people used the rest to gather, to worship God and study His Word. This commandment is also connected with the Exodus of God’s people from Egypt, from the land of slavery. Celebrating the Sabbath day reminds them that God freed them by His mighty hand (Deut 5:12-15).

When Jesus came, He exposed and broke the legalism associated with the Sabbath. He called Himself the Lord of the Sabbath. He changed the law of rest from a day in the week to the eternal rest found in Him alone. There are 37 recorded miracles that Jesus did. He did seven miracles during the Sabbath. For Israel, Sabbath is Saturday, the last day in the week. Some Christian denominations like Seventh-day Adventists Church, follow the Jewish pattern and they worship God on Saturday. But for the majority of the Christians, our Sabbath is Sunday, the first day of the week, when we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! Halleluiah! God wants us to make Sunday feel different from the other days of the week by resting from our normal daily routine and dedicating our thoughts and time to Him. The Lord has given the Sabbath day for our benefit and has commanded us to keep it holy. Observing the Sabbath shows our commitment to honor and worship God. It will bring us closer to the Lord and to our family. The Sabbath allows us to rest from our daily routine physical labors and remember the Lord, to worship Him. This is the only commandment that starts with the word ‘remember’. God knows that we tend to forget Him, His Word, and our gathering together in His holy presence. Our memory must be activated to remember God’s Word every Sunday! In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was connected and celebrated God’s work of creation. In The New Testament, Sunday is now the Christian Sabbath. It is the first day of the week. It celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and the New Creation in Christ! The Bible does not say that the Sabbath day (Saturday) should be moved to Sunday. Who changed the day? In 321 A. D. Emperor Constantine the Great issued a law that all people in the Roman Empire should rest from labor on Sunday. In the 4th century, the Council of Laodicea urged Christians to honor Sunday by abstaining from work on that day. Since then, almost all Christians attend church on Sundays.

THE BREAKING OF SABBATH WAS PUNISHED BY DEATH

In the Old Testament the breaking of Sabbath day is punished by death. “Now while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron, and to all the congregation. They put him under guard, because it had not been explained what should be done to him. Then the Lord said to Moses, “The man must surely be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” So, as the Lord commanded Moses, all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him with stones, and he died” (Nu 15:32-36). This Law does not apply to the believers in Christ anymore. But it

is a reminder of the importance God gives to our gathering together, to rest from labor and worship Him.

HOW DO WE KEEP THE SABBATH DAY HOLY?

1-Prepare for Sunday!

From Monday to Saturday, we work, taking care of our responsibilities and paying our bills. God commanded man to work. God made the Garden, but Adam was to work in it (Gen 2:15). This command was given before sin entered. After the fall, God repeated the command that Adam should work (Gen 3:17-19). Because of sin, work now is more difficult. But work is still honorable. Refusing to work is sin, laziness, and rebellion. “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1Tim 5:8). As believers, we prepare for Sunday. This is a spiritual and mental preparation. As we think about going to church on Sunday, we get excited about it. We pray. We clean the house, cook, and prepare our clothes, at the latest on Saturday evening. Sunday lunch after church must be more special than any other lunch. We put off the worries about our daily work. We sleep on time so that we are not tired.

2-We go to church on Sunday morning ready to pray, praise, listen to God’s Word and give offerings. Watching the service online is second-best.

3-We rest from regular work that brings money. We have a different mindset. We keep God at the center of our minds, We are grateful for the gift of rest. We relax at home. We do things as a family. We visit neighbors and friends. We recharge our spiritual and physical batteries.

THE BENEFITS OF REST DURING THE SABBATH DAY

It is observed that people who rest on Sunday live happier and healthier lives. We all need rest from labor. To work without rest is ‘a slave mentality’. A slave always works and never enjoys his life. Working 40-50 hours every week is more than enough to make money. This includes the hours you spend going to and coming from your office and the times you worry about your business. Because of stress, working more than 50 hours a week will bring sickness and decrease your profit. God wants us to work and to enjoy the fruit of our labor. It is true that we rest daily in the evenings, but Sabbath rest is different. It is God’s command and must be obeyed. The rest on Sunday is complete and lasts for a whole day. It is a rest for the body and for the mind. Even the house-helps and the domestic animals rest on Sunday. Observing the Sabbath day becomes a principle of life. It is part of man’s understanding of godly success and prosperity. As we rest on Sunday, we learn that man is more important than his labor. The rest breaks the routine of labor, gives us the fresh desire and the strength to start work again. The rest on Sunday makes the family stronger. But the greatest gain is spiritual. We think of God and remember Him more on Sunday than any other day. God commands His people to rest and think of Him! “Be still, and know that I am God… Stop striving… Stop fighting… Calm down, and learn that I am God… Let go [of your concerns]! Then you will know that I am God… Be in awe and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). Selah!

SABBATH DAY IS A DELIGHT

“If you turn back your foot from [unnecessary travel on] the Sabbath, from doing your own pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a [spiritual] delight, and the holy day of the Lord honorable, and honor it, not going your own way or engaging in your own pleasure or speaking your own [idle] words, Then you will take pleasure in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the high places of the earth, and I will feed you with the [promised] heritage of Jacob your father; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Is 58:13, 14; AMP). We should avoid traveling on Sundays. Sabbath is to worship God and improve your family life. On Sunday, more than any other day, we must make God happy. Sunday should be called a spiritual delight, a feast and satisfaction to our souls. We honor God by coming to church. We can fast Monday to Saturday. But we feast on Sundays. This pattern is healthy for the body and the soul. God promises to promote in life those who honor Him on Sundays!

Wicked religious people hate the Sabbath day. They see it as a day when they are cheated in their business. They oppress the needy. God hates that and He promises to punish them. “Hear this, you who trample down the needy, and do away with the poor of the land, saying, “When will the New Moon [festival] be over so that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath ended so that we may open the wheat market, making the ephah [measure] smaller and the shekel bigger [that is, selling less for a higher price] and to cheat by falsifying the scales, so that we may buy the poor [as slaves] for silver [since they are unable to support themselves] and the needy for a pair of sandals, and that we may sell the leftovers of the wheat [as if it were a good grade of grain]?” The Lord has sworn [an oath] by the pride of Jacob, “Surely I shall never forget [nor leave unpunished] any of their [rebellious] acts” (Amos 8:4-7; AMP). To go to church by force, grumbling against your pastor or the sermon, thinking about your business during the Sunday service, is sin. God judges the bad attitude against His holy delightful Sabbath day. Selah!

SOME WORKS PROHIBITED BY THE JEWS DURING THE SABBATH

The Pharisees prohibited many types of work during the Sabbath day. Even today, the orthodox religious Jews abide by these regulations.

1-Carrying items in public

This law prohibits carrying objects in public. They said it is the first and most important law concerning the Sabbath. They say you leave the house with only the clothes on you. They forbid you carrying any bag, or even your house keys. The law does not affect you work indoors. They made this law because God forbade His people to go out and collect (carry) manna during the 7th day (Ex 16:22-31). Jesus healed a lame man during the Sabbath. He told him to carry his matt and walk (Jn 5:8-17). The Pharisees rebuked the man for carrying his matt on Sabbath. They did not rejoice with the miracle. They grumbled about breaking the law. This is a religious legalistic evil spirit.

2-Burning fire

This prohibition was taken from the Book of Exodus. “These are the words which the Lord has commanded you to do: Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh day shall be a holy day for you, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your dwellings on the Sabbath day” (Ex 35:1-3). The Jews say that striking a match, putting on a fire, or smoking a cigar is forbidden during the Sabbath. Because a car burns fuel to move, no Jew drives a car during the Sabbath. A bulb burns a filament to produce light. Therefore, no bulb should be put on during the Sabbath (they leave the light on from Friday). A Jew does not use any electrical appliances during the Sabbath. That also includes using the phone. 

According to them, other works forbidden during the Sabbath: Marrying, divorcing; all writing, erasing, typing; all cooking and baking; washing clothes; sewing; digging in the garden, watering the plants, sowing, reaping; harvesting, building, demolishing a building; slaughtering of any animal. For example, if a mosquito bites you on the Sabbath, you must allow it to do so.  You could not rescue a drowning person on the Sabbath. If a man’s ox fell into the ditch, he could pull it out, but if the man fell in, he had to stay there. This is legalistic interpretation of the law.

SABBATH WAS MADE FOR MAN/ JESUS IS LORD OF THE SABBATH/ EATING ON SABBATH DAY (Matt 12:1-8)

“At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless? Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Matt 12:1-8). “And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mk 2:27, 28).

The Pharisees accused Jesus’s disciples of breaking the Sabbath Day law by plucking and eating grain from a field. They said this is ‘harvesting’. Jesus confronted them saying that God desires mercy and no sacrifice. The Pharisees did not care about men in need. They were not merciful. They changed the spiritual meaning of the Law for religious ceremonies and burdensome laws. Claiming to love God, they hated people. Jesus says that mercy is supreme. God created man and God takes care of man. God provides for the hungry. Religious spirits misunderstand the Sabbath. God did not forbid all work on the Sabbath day. He forbade only the work that is seen as business, with the intent to make money. That applies to all the Christians, including the pastors. Lesson: No pastor should preach for money, but to honor God who has called him to service and to feed God’s flock. No Christian should think about making money on Sunday. The Pharisees wrongly interpreted the law. Jesus directs them to a story in the Old Testament when David and his followers ate the showbread from the holy place. That bread was to be eaten only by the priests. But the priests gave the holy bread to David and his followers to eat (1 Sam 21:1-6). God did not punish them. Jesus confirms this story saying that what the priests did was right. David was hungry and in need. God is merciful. God knows when people are hungry. He blesses people in need. He feeds them. On Sunday, God feeds His people with His Word. As we see from the miracles Jesus performed on the Sabbath, this is a day we rest from regular labor, we come to church to serve God, and we show mercy to men!

In Egypt, for 400 years, as slaves, God’s people never had a day of rest. God introduced the Sabbath to bless and help men. Sabbath is a lifting of the yoke of labor, not to be an added burden. By eating grains, the disciples did not break the Sabbath Law. It was the wrong legalistic interpretation of the Pharisees who made Sabbath to be an added burden. The problem with the Pharisees is that they did not know the purpose of the law. They enforced external obedience and ignored the internal motivation. They protected the Sabbath day against protecting and helping men, who are created by God. Jesus thought that helping men on the Sabbath is more important than any ceremonial law of behavior during that day. Jesus Himself declared that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. He created it and He has the right to use it as He wishes. This is a matter of authority. Man must submit to the authority of Jesus.

The Sabbath law applies to the Jews of the Old Testament more than any other of the Ten commandments. By healing and helping the needy, Jesus intended to abolish it. The Sabbath Law does not apply to the Christians. It was a “sign” of the Mosaic covenant, as the rainbow was a “sign” of Noah’ covenant and male circumcision was to Abrahamic covenant. By criticizing Jesus, the Pharisees proved to be rebellious against His authority. Lesson: going to church on Sunday is to encounter God’s presence, where there is fullness of joy and liberty. Going to church is not another difficult day in a week, to experience pain, oppression, and depression. Jesus is the Lord of Sabbath. He is God, in charge of our lives every day, including the Sabbath. Jesus is the Lawgiver. He gave the Law of Sabbath. God’s people should rest from labor. He is the Judge of all. He alone understands and interprets the Law of Sabbath. When you come to Jesus, you come to the Supreme Court of the whole universe! The Pharisees accused the Lawgiver of breaking the Law. Their reaction proves that they did not believe in Jesus and did not submit to him. Religion is still the number one enemy to true Christianity!

HEALING THE MAN WITH A WITHERED RIGHT HAND ON THE SABBATH (Matt 12:9-14).

“Now when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And behold, there was a man who had a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—that they might accuse Him. Then He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored as whole as the other. 14 Then the Pharisees went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Matt 12:9-14).

This is a story of miraculous healing of a man whose right hand was paralyzed (Lk 6:6). The man could not work. By healing him, the man can now go back to work. Jesus “looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts” (Mk 3:5). This is the only place we read that Jesus is angry and grieved at the same time. He loves the sinner but hates his sin. The Pharisees were watching Jesus to see if He will heal that man on the Sabbath. They knew that Jesus is merciful, and He may do that. Their law said that healing is possible during the Sabbath but only if it is a matter of life and death. Healing a withered hand was not an emergency according to them. Religious spirits are oppressors. They hate mercy and grace. Lesson: religious spirits hinder your miracle. They waste your time. Jesus is asking them to be reasonable. They say that they can rescue a fallen sheep without breaking the Sabbath law. But a sick man can wait. Jesus said that man is more important than a sheep. He asked them: “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” (Mk 3:4). With all their religion, they were planning to kill Jesus. There was murder in their hearts even on the Sabbath. Jesus commands the sick man: “Step forward… stretch out your hand” (Mk 3:3, 5). He wanted all people to see the miracle. He commanded the man to do what was impossible for him. The man obeyed. His obedient faith manifested. Jesus healed the man without any direct touch, by His sovereign will. Lesson: As the Lord of the Sabbath Jesus can do anything He wants to do during any Sunday service. The effect of the miracle was instant. The sick man rejoiced in his healing. But the Pharisees became crazy with anger and “discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus” (Lk 6:11). This anger is different than the anger of the Lord. This was a sinful anger of jealousy. Their hatred eventually ended in them crucifying Jesus. After this incident, Jesus withdraws to the hills, away from His enemies, to commune with God the Father. Lesson: the withered hand is a symbol of what sin has done to us. It has disfigured us. It has weakened us. We cannot work well. The One whose hands we have pierced is the only One who can save and heal us! Praise the Lord!

WHY WAS THE SABBATH GIVEN?

The Sabbath was given as a sign between God and Israel to mark the exodus from Egypt. It was a sign of His covenant with Israel made through Moses, which was a covenant unique and peculiar to Israel. It has nothing to do with the church. For that reason, the Sabbath day law is never repeated in the listings of the commandments when they are given to the church. The Sabbath Day does not belong to the church age, nor to the New Testament. As Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus did away with it for those living under grace! He fulfilled the Law by replacing the Law of Sabbath with Himself. The rest of one Day a week was replaced with the eternal rest in Christ alone. The Sabbath Day always fell on the Seventh Day. But after Calvary, things were different. Jesus arose from the dead on the FIRST day of the week. The day of Pentecost fell on the FIRST day of the week. The Holy Spirit came on the FIRST day of the week. The early church met to worship on the FIRST day of the week. As Christians, we worship the Lord on the first day, not seventh, which is Sunday. The Sabbath is strictly a Jewish custom and law. It belongs to the dispensation of the Law. Sign between God and Israel, and not the church. It began with Moses but ended with Christ.

CHRIST IS OUR TRUE SABBATH REST

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls. For My yoke is easy [to bear] and My burden is light” (Matt 11:28-39; AMP).

Sabbath was given for men to have rest from physical labor. Spiritually, Jesus gives us the perfect rest of salvation. He paid the price on the Cross so that we don’t have to work for our salvation. This rest is a Grace gift. It is received by faith. The religious rulers keep the Sabbath, but they do not have the rest in Christ. They believe that salvation is gained by their works. They believe that you can lose your salvation by not doing all the religious works. This is a common error even among the Christians today.  Leave religious arguments behind and come to Jesus! Be careful of the danger of hypocrisy! Our rest is not in a day but in a Person, our Lord Jesus Christ! We are not under Law, but under Grace. In other words, let’s all of us remember that in the mind of Christ people and their needs come before religious ceremonies. People matter to God. We should understand that God is primarily a God of love, and not a God of Law. Lesson: Love God and love one another!

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God” (Col 2:16-19). Paul lowers the importance of the Sabbath. He places it next to pagan festivals. He says that for the children of God, the Jewish Sabbath is no longer important. The Law of the Sabbath is the shadow of the reality which is Christ Himself. The Pharisees had a spirit of religion. They forbade many things during the Sabbath day, making it a burden. People hated the Sabbath day because of so many restrictions. Christ came to fulfill the Law, including the Law of the Sabbath. The Jews still celebrate the Sabbath every Saturday. From the time Jesus died and resurrected the Christians changed the Sabbath to Sunday, the first day of the week, when they celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. The Sabbath for Christians is more spiritual.

A CROOKED LIFE MADE STRAIGHT (Lk 13:10-17)

This is a beautiful story of faith and healing during the Sabbath. This woman was very sick, bent over, completely overcame. She could not look up. Her sickness could not be hidden. She was in serious physical pain. Her sickness had spiritual roots. Satan bound her. The word ‘bound’ means to force her and tie her down. She cannot free herself. She was ‘a daughter of Abraham’. In other words, she was a child of God. A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon. But a demon can afflict a child of God with sickness, poverty, or other infirmities, making his life harder. This woman was sick for the past 18 years. If she came to the Synagogue every Sabbath, she came to ‘church’ almost 1000 times before her miracle came. She had not been healed but she still believes in God. She comes to every service even when nobody misses her. She remained faithful and committed to God! Just imagine if that day when Jesus came as a guest, she did not attend the service. Lesson: If you seek God, if you are faithful, God will one day meet you at the point of your need. She had a spirit of infirmity. This word means bodily weakness, like dying. To ‘loose from an infirmity’ is a medical word. Luke, who wrote this story, was a medical doctor. The words describe two steps in a healing: The contracted ligaments of the body became loose, or softer. Then the curved spine, gets straight and strong at once. The miracle restores the body back to normal. What was tight becomes loose, and what was soft becomes strong. Lesson: Our Lord said that by faith we too can bind and lose to bring situations to normal. “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt 18:18). Amen!

This is God’s promise: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Is 40:3-5). By healing this woman with a crooked spine, the glory of God was revealed thru Christ! Halleluiah!  We are to be free from the deception and crookedness of the world. That “you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil 2:15).

Once Jesus healed her, the people in the synagogue started rejoicing. But like the Pharisees, the ruler of the synagogue got angry. He did not care about this woman, if she walks bent over or she is straight, if she comes to church or not. He told the people that if they want a miracle, they have six days to come. He did not want to insult Jesus directly, that is why he abused the crowd. What did the ruler have in mind? The Jewish doctors do not work during the Sabbath except for extreme cases of emergency. But this woman had a chronic problem. She was sick for 18 years. According to their law, she should have waited until the next day to ask Doctor Jesus for a miracle. Lesson: religious spirits see miracles as work. They do not know God’s mercy and grace. They say that Sunday is no time for miracles. They bring doubt in people’s hearts. They grieve the Holy Spirit blocking the way of the supernatural. The ruler of the synagogue did not care for the needs of the people. All he cared about was the religious ceremony and the money in the offering box. Jesus said that Sabbath was created by God as a gift to needy men. Jesus rebuked him calling him a religious hypocrite. This man was this woman’s pastor! No wonder she waited for so long for her miracle! Her pastor did not care for her. Others in the synagogue did not care for her. They saw her as a monster, a cripple, a hopeless case, a woman with an incurable sickness. She had no value in society. This woman suffered much. Now, she does not care anymore if people laugh at her or not. She was looking for her Savior and Healer.

The woman did not speak a word before the miracle. She had a silent deep faith. No need for words. “But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity. And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God” (Lk 13:12, 13). Immediately she was made straight and Worshipped God! Jesus saw her with the eyes of love. Sin and sickness bent her over. Jesus was her Creator, Elohim; Jehovah El Shaddai, the God who loves like a mother, loves her crippled baby. What she could not do by herself for 18 years, Jesus did with just one word. Once healed, the first thing the woman did was to praise God. Lesson: Sin bends us down. A sinner has no vision of heaven. The child of God looks up, to Jesus! Like Elijah, he stands before God and man, to praise the living God. The story ends with joy! It is a total victory. God’s name is exulted. The woman joined the choir praising God. God’s enemies (that includes the pastor) were put to shame. And all believers lifted their voices in praise in one accord to God! Hallelujah! Worship the Lord!