Luke 14:7-14

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7 When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9 If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11 For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” 12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” ~ Luke 14:7-14

The Lord Jesus is at lunch at the home of a Pharisee. This lunch began as the Lord Jesus healed the man who had a severe swelling issue in his body. The religious leaders were looking for a way to discredit the Lord Jesus, but there is no prohibition in the Bible against healing on the Sabbath. 

Having unmasked the pride of the religious leaders, the Lord Jesus speaks in v.8 which reads, "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited." The Lord Jesus is zeroing in on the problem of the human heart that has been infiltrated by the one who turned from God before time began. It was pride that inaugurated sin.

There are always “status symbols” that help us enhance and protect our standing in society. If we are invited to the “right luncheon” and to the “right places,” then people would know how important we really are. There is always the temptation to place more emphasis on our reputation, rather than our character. For most, it was more important to sit in the right places than to live the right kind of life.

In New Testament times, the closer you sat to the host, the higher you stood on the social ladder and the more attention you would receive from others. Naturally, many people rushed to the head table when the doors were opened because they wanted to appear important.

Success that comes only from self-promotion is temporary, and is in danger of embarrassment because we may be asked to move to a different table for all to see.

When the Lord Jesus advised the guests to take the lowest places, He was not giving them a formula that guaranteed promotion. There is a false humility that takes the lowest place and it is just as spiteful to God as the pride that takes the highest place. God is not impressed by our status in this world. He is not influenced by what people say or think about us, because He sees and knows all. God has been known to humble the proud and exalt the humble. In both cases, He does us a favor.

In biblical times, it was not considered proper to ask the poor and the down and outers to public banquets. But the Lord Jesus implores us to put such at the head table because they are not in a position to pay us back. 

In an effort to get prominence before God most think to elevate themselves. We are elevated in the eyes of God as we embrace humility, as indicated in v.9-11. Taking the last place is one way to embrace humility. The Bible is replete with this message: Humble yourself and God will lift you up.

And then in v.12, the Lord Jesus turns to the host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid." 

This is rare in our world because it is a spiritual reality.  The Lord Jesus wasn't a drop-in guest, this luncheon was all set up to trap Him. Yet, He was there to give those who wanted to do Him harm, grace and mercy.

In v.13-14 we read, "13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." 

Being a blessing to those who cannot bless in return reveals the base motivation in the soul of a man. When we humble ourselves, it will be evident that we have the kind of heart that has entered the kingdom.

The humble will benefit at the resurrection after we have admitted that we are unworthy of God's kindness. Such kindness finds safety in the heart of the believer who has passed from the darkness into the light of the Lord. In the light, we are no better than the lowest of the low. And, it is God who is both the humbler and the exalter at the same time.

Humility is most often accessed through humiliating circumstances. No one is naturally humble. For most, humility comes only by wounds suffered from foolish falls. We are resistant to humiliation, yet we needn’t be. There’s a communion that comes with it, if we have the eyes to see it. There’s a nearness of God that, at first, may feel like death, but is working to get death out of us.

The sweet part is, in humiliation, we can sense his humiliation for us. There’s a mystery here that brings us near the cross and we share in his sufferings. As Henri Nouwen wrote, “A pruned branch does not look beautiful, but during harvest time it produces much fruit.”

Luke 14:1-6

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1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. 2 There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body. 3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?” 4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way. 5 Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?” 6 And they had nothing to say. ~ Luke 14:1-6

Sabbath day hospitality was an important part of Jewish life, so it was not unusual for the Lord Jesus to be invited to a home for a meal after Sabbath services.

In v.1 we read, "One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched." The previous chapter ended with a judgment. The people, by and large, chose their religion, which made their bondage to their sinfulness strong. They were choosing their religion over the Lord Jesus. It was the religious leaders who had duped the people. The Bible warns us about false teachers and the deadly, eternally destructive impact they have on people.

They were extremely religious and moral, and righteous on the outside. The Jews were sure they were the favorites of God and knew the way to heaven. They believed the good people are going to go to heaven and the bad people are going to hell.

They saw the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as an attack on them and their system.

The Lord Jesus was not reluctant to confront religion. One day in an unnamed town, He goes to a luncheon with a Pharisee, according to v.1. Since the Sabbath was the high point of their week in terms of law keeping, it was also the potential high point of their week for law breaking. Law breaking or law keeping reached its apex on the Sabbath when an endless array of regulations made the effort to comply exhausting so that it became anything but a day of rest.  They wanted Jesus to violate the Sabbath to give proof that He was not from God.

In v.2 we read, "There in front of him was a man suffering from abnormal swelling of his body." This man had a problem with water retention, a symptom of some kind of a disease. It could have been a serious compromise in his liver or his kidneys or his heart. It indicated perhaps congestive heart failure. It could have been liver disease.

How heartless of the Pharisees to use this man as a tool to accomplish their wicked plan, but if we do not love the Lord, neither will we love our neighbor. 

Keep in mind the Lord Jesus had supposedly already “violated” their Sabbath traditions on at least seven different occasions. On the Sabbath day, He had cast out a demon (Luke 4:31–37), healed a fever (Luke 4:38–39), allowed His disciples to pluck grain (Luke 6:1–5), healed a lame man (John 5:1–9), healed a man with a paralyzed hand (Luke 6:6–10), delivered a crippled woman who was afflicted by a demon (Luke 13:10–17), and healed a man born blind (John 9).

This was a set up by the Pharisees, otherwise this man in his condition would not have been there. They were hoping the Lord Jesus would perform a miracle and heal the man on the Sabbath so that they could catch Him breaking the Law on the Sabbath and use it against Him.

In v.4 we read, "But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him on his way." That verb translated, "taking hold of him" means to literally wrapped this man up in His arms and squeezing him tightly, as if to force the fluid out him and giving him a new body and a new beginning.

In v.5 we read, "Then he asked them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into a well on the Sabbath day, will you not immediately pull it out?" Wells were everywhere in Israel and people fell into them often. So did animals. The Lord knew this legalistic crowd was dangerous for the man who was healed so He let him go. 

In addition, He knew that on the Sabbath day, it was common for the Jews to deliver their farm animals from wells, so what was wrong with delivering this man who was made in the likeness of God?  

While healing this man, the Lord Jesus exposed the false piety of the religious leaders. They claimed to be defending God’s word, when in reality they were rejecting God by the way they abused people and accused the Savior.

It was obvious these religious leaders had no signs of the life of God in them. They lacked compassion, mercy and kindness.  They were self-righteous. They loved money. They were spiritually proud. They were hypocrites. And then, they sought ever so much more to kill the very Son of the living God.

Luke 13:34-35

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34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. ~ Luke 13:34-35

The Lord Jesus' heart was grieved as He saw the unbelief of the people, and in v.34, He broke out in a lamentation over the sad plight of the Jewish nation. It was the expression of a broken heart. The people had been given many opportunities to believe and be saved, but they had refused His message. 

In v.34 we read, "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing." For years God had sent to Jerusalem prophet after prophet, the Old Testament shows the history, and so many of them were mistreated and killed by Jerusalem. 

The Lord went on to say, "how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings." The metaphor is of a protective hen gathering her young. What an insight into the heart of the Lord Jesus. He had the best intended for them, not the worst, but they were unwilling. 

In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, "The thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of good and peace, to give you a future and a hope." That's the heart of the Lord Jesus. 

The word “desolate” in v.35 literally means "Left to you." The Lord Jesus was saying, "Your house is left to you."  That's another way of saying you're on your own. As we see in Romans 1:24,26,28, one expression of God's wrath is He lets us go our own way. 

In v.35 we read, "Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

The word “until” teaches us God is not done with Israel, even though they had largely rejected Him. This “until” tells us that sometime in the future Israel will acknowledge the Lord Jesus as Messiah. The Lord Jesus quotes Psalm 118:26 in v.35 of our text. And, with this quote, we conclude God keeps His promises. 

In the Old Testament God promised a son who would be a king with a kingdom, and the kingdom would be worldwide and everlasting. And, Israel will one day trust in their Messiah, the Lord Jesus, and they, one day, will receive the land that God promised them. And one day they will be a blessing to the whole world. 

One of the major divine purposes for the tribulation in relation to Israel is the conversion of the Jewish remnant to faith in Jesus as their Messiah. This will take place throughout the tribulation, but by the end of that seven-year period the entire number of the elect remnant will become converted to the Lord Jesus. 

This is the point of Daniel's seventieth seven in Daniel 9:27. At the beginning of the prophecy in Daniel 9:24, God is clear to tell us this prophecy is for Daniel's people, the Jews. This seventieth seven is referred to by Jeremiah in Jeremiah 30:7 as a time of Jacob's trouble. We know that Jacob is Israel in unbelief, so this means that during the seven year time of tribulation God will draw Israel back to Himself even though it will be a volatile period of time. 

In fact, in Matthew 24:15 the Lord Jesus refers to this Daniel 9 prophecy proving it is yet in the future to take place. The Lord Jesus brought attention to the fact that in the middle of this seven year period, the antichrist would be revealed. It is a time of Jacob's trouble when God will fulfill all of the unfulfilled prophecies concerning Israel. By this we can be buoyed once again that God's promises are true and can be trusted.

We are following a God today who is faithful and true, whose will is sovereign. Yet, He doesn't force His will on anyone. And, therefore, we can trust Him with our lives. Let me encourage you today, my friends, go all out for Him today and watch the miraculous things He will do for and through you as you trust in Him.

Luke 13:31-33

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31 At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.” 32 He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.’ 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! ~ Luke 13:31-33

From His birth, the Lord Jesus was the target for death. In fact, by the end of His earthly life, it seems like almost everybody wanted Him dead.  

It began with Herod the Great, who ruled Israel during the time of Christ. So threatened by anyone who might take his throne, Herod slaughtered any threat, even his own family members. He was so paranoid that when he heard from the wise men that there was a child born in Bethlehem that was the king, his paranoia led him to massacre every male child two and under in the whole area.

After the Lord Jesus became a Rabbi, He began teaching the people. The response of the people was mixed, some love it and others, well , they were so angry. In fact, in one city they took Him out to the edge of a cliff and tried to throw Him off. 

The religious wanted the Lord Jesus dead. In John 2, He went into the temple during the Passover. After observing the religious and greedy behavior of all, He made a whip out of three cords. He then drove all in the temple out. He emptied the place of thousands of people. Poured out the coins of the money changers, overturned the tables. Then said, "Take these things away.  Stop making my Father's house a house of merchandise."

In John 5, after He had healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day, the Jews were furious that He had healed the man on that day. As a result, the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him.

It is also true that in the end Pilate wanted Him dead because Pilate needed Him dead or he would have a revolution on his hands. The people wanted Him dead, but Pilate found no fault in Him. He wanted to wash His hands of innocent blood, but finally intimidated by the Jews who would report Him to Rome and he would lose His job if another bad decision was made with regard to the way He was treating the Jews and discharging His responsibility on behalf of Rome. So, in fear of losing his job, he acquiesces and orders Him to be put to death.

The Roman soldiers wanted Him dead and here we are introduced to Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great. This is the son of Herod the Great, and his hatred for the Lord Jesus was equal to that of his father.  

In v.31 we read, "At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you." 

This Herod, Herod Antipas, the Jews hated for he was a puppet of Rome. He had murdered John the Baptist. Trying to intimidate Him, the Pharisees tell the Lord Jesus that Herod wants Him dead. They tried everything to get rid of Him.

Right after Jesus' tough words about the Jews missing out on God's salvation, the Jews were even more offended. They want to silence the Lord Jesus. And the way they chose was to threaten Him or intimidate Him with the biggest stick that existed, Herod Antipas.

In v.32 we read, "Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal." In the ancient times, the fox was viewed as an insignificant third-rate nuisance. To call somebody a fox would be demeaning and contemptuous. Antipas was just a nuisance, neither great nor powerful. He doesn't have the strength to kill. 

In v.33 we read, "In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem." The Lord Jesus lived on the divine timetable. I often think of the fact that nothing can thwart the will of God. In this passage the Lord Jesus hints at the final three days of His life. And, oh yeah, we delay God's will, in accordance with His permissible will, but in the end His will will prevail.

I think of the many times when something monumental has happened in my life, the timing was always key. The key is following the Lord's lead. And, if we are not being prepared to follow by being in His word, we are in danger of missing the ability to follow Him and His lead. Of course, His will is sovereign, but I wonder how often I've missed being a part of something significant. Living on the divine timetable is made possible by having our world framed up by His word. When we read His word, we must make it our goal to meet with Him. This is what enables us more and more to follow Him in our daily lives.

Luke 13:22-30

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22 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ 28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”  ~ Luke 13:22-30

No Bible spokesman places more stress on hell as the final consequence of God’s judgment than the Lord Jesus. In today's text, someone asked if only a few people would be saved. The question reveals the man's knowledge of the most popular topic of the Lord Jesus. 

And as He passed through one city to another, He taught the people about the kingdom of God, the opposite of hell. The essence of ministry is disseminating the truth about the rule of God in our lives. The kingdom of God begins in us with understanding the truth. Not all of the truth. We begin with the truth about the identity of the Lord Jesus. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Due to His teaching and miracles, there were massive crowds who followed the Lord Jesus. But, at this point the numbers were changing due to the successful campaign of the religious leaders who were saying the Lord Jesus performed His miracles by the power of Satan.

In v.24 we read, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to." The Lord Jesus draws attention to the real issue: whether or not we are saved! When we get that settled, then we can discuss others being saved.

The words "Make every effort" comes from a Greek word that describes an athlete giving his best to win the contest. Our English word agonize comes from this Greek word. It literally means "to fight." 

The battle is largely within us, but it is not about what we do. It is a battle of trusting the Lord Jesus to do in us what we can't do. The narrow gate is the Lord Jesus who is enough for us to be saved from ourselves, sin and death.

These people were lost because they depended on their ancient religion to save them. It takes more than reverence for tradition to get into God’s kingdom! 

In v.25 we read, "Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from."

This is a scary reality. The door is narrow because it is the Lord Jesus. And, what determines whether we are in or out is that we positively respond to the gospel before the owner of the house closes the door. Once closed, the door will never be opened again. 

And v.25 says, “Lord, open up to us.” They didn't "make any effort."  They didn't battle. They never entrusted themselves to the Lord to have His way. They kept their lives and so they lost their opportunity, eternally.  And so, there they are standing outside banging on the door, pleading for it to be opened, but it is too late. 

Part of the remorse of hell is going to be the shock of it. Hell is populated by people who are stunned to find themselves there.  They feel like they've been cheated, like they've been overlooked, like they've been forgotten, like something's wrong, like they're innocent. But, they are not because they procrastinated.

According to v.25,  when they cried, “Sir, open the door for us,” the owner responds, "I don't know you." Of course, God knows all things, yet He says, "I don't know you." These who are knocking never had a personal relationship with God. Salvation requires a shared life. There will be those who had the opportunity and they didn't take it, because they trusted in their own self-righteousness. This is part of their remorse and the agony of hell. 

In v.26 we read, "Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets." In Matthew 7 they said to the Lord, "Lord, Lord." They lacked what is essential, a personal relationship with the Lord. They came into contact with the Lord Jesus but were never connected with Him. They knew of Him, yet they did not know Him personally. 

In v.27 we read, "But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!" We do not know in advance when our opportunity to trust the Lord Jesus will come to an end. We are wise to respond today.

In v.28 we read, "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out." The gospel is not about this life, it's about life in relation to eternity. Those who rejected the free gift of salvation are going to experience weeping and gnashing of teeth. This is the grinding of remorse. It's not just the absence of blessing or the pain of punishment. It's the experience of remorse. 

In v.29-30 we read, "People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." 

These sons of Abraham are going to be in hell realizing that the kingdom of God is partly full of Gentiles. The Jews disdained the Gentiles not realizing the Gentiles were included in the Promise to Abraham all along.

In October of 1981, when I came into the kingdom of God, it was the result coming to the end of me. My efforts were not going to get me anywhere good and I knew that. I came into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ by faith alone through His grace alone. 

In the kingdom, the first is last and the last is first. This means everybody's status is equal. We will be there because of His work on the cross done for us.

Luke 13:18-21

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18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” 20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” ~ Luke 13:18-21

Being fairly convinced the Lord Jesus was the Christ, the disciples had left everything to follow Him. At this point in the narrative, though, His mission appeared to not be all that successful. This is why the Lord Jesus uses two object lessons in today's text to describe His kingdom.

In v.18-19 we read, "Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches."

This first object lesson the Lord Jesus uses here is the mustard seed, the smallest seed in that day. The Lord Jesus tells a short story about a man who planted the seed in his garden, and it became a tree, and the birds nested in it.

There is a species of mustard called the Khardal mustard, which is a shrub. It's a bush, and it can grow pretty tall for a bush, like fifteen feet tall. It's still pretty flimsy, though. But, it is strong enough to support birds that would nest in its branches. 

Now, in another parable, which Jesus, incidentally, called the key to all of the other parables, the parable of the sower and the seed, He said, "Some of the seed fell by the wayside and the birds of the air came and snatched it away."

When the Lord Jesus explained the meaning of the birds of the air, He said, "Whenever the truth is sown in people's hearts, Satan comes and snatches it away." So, in that parable, He equates birds with evil or with Satan. 

In Revelation 18, we read, "Babylon, Babylon has fallen, the dwelling place of demons, the prison of every foul spirit, and the cage of every foul and hated bird." 

Every time birds are used in prophetic or symbolic literature, it's always evil. When it comes to trees growing in unusually large ways, we have only to look at Ezekiel 17 and Daniel 4, where we are given visions describing trees which represent this enormous, worldwide, dominating power, and the growth of worldly nations. 

So, the church will grow, certainly, the kingdom of God won't happen immediately in all its glory, but it will when He comes again. And, that will happen during the Millennium after the seventieth seven of Daniel 9. The seventieth seven is inaccurately called the Tribulation. It will be a seven year time of Tribulation but the Lord never calls it the Tribulation. 

In the meantime, His kingdom is slowly growing. And, it will involve unusual growth. And it's going to grow, certainly, and it's going to be larger, which means that even evil people and evil forces, because of its growth, can lodge in its branches. It's like a warning. If you look at much Christian television today, not all of it's bad, but there's enough of it that isn't good. 

And when I see the Lord Jesus misrepresented by certain programs that I have seen, I think to myself, "Boy, there are some strange birds that have landed in our tree that pass themselves off as spokespeople for the kingdom." So, yes, it will grow, but not all growth is good growth. 

Now, this brings us to the second parable, which is yet again, another description of the kingdom of God. Whereas the first parable accentuated the external nature of the kingdom, this second parable gives us a glance into the internal nature of the kingdom. 

In v.20-21 we read, "20 Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? 21 It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough."

This second object lesson used here is yeast. Yeast was kept and used to bake bread. When we put the yeast saved from the previous loaf, into the loaf, the whole loaf is permeated, causing it to rise up. The old saying is, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump."

The growth of God's kingdom is never fast, but over time He permeates our existence. Whereas the dough is illustrative of the world, the yeast is illustrative of the kingdom. It's hidden in the world. The world, they can't even see it. 

But while they don't see it, God is influencing the world through our lives, through our story the Lord is giving us with Him. Lives being touched, lives being changed, and just like yeast that permeates, the Lord is reaching and changing lives around us through our yielded lives. And sometimes we are aware of it.

The difference between religion and a personal relationship with God is like night and day. Religion is rules-based, harsh and stifling. In contrast, our relationship with the Lord Jesus is personal, open, warm and liberating. An egg broken from the outside is destroyed, but an egg broken from the inside causes life.

God changes a society through hearts that have been changed. He changes our hearts by revealing His heart in and to us. A few years ago there was an article on the quest of American farmer to produce the biggest, reddest, and most luscious-looking strawberries through cross breeding and genetic modification. They succeeded! American growers engineered huge, red strawberries that delighted the eyes, but not the mouth. In the process of focusing so much on the looks of strawberries they sacrificed their flavor and sweetness.

The same is true of the human heart. This process, the winning of the human heart by God, is slow and methodical. In a progressive way God wins our hearts as He reveals His heart to us.

God changes lives one heart at a time. And, He does not put a price tag on His love. This is how He works. In a progressive way, God accomplishes the changing of our hearts by revealing Himself slowly and daily. As we encounter impossible moments and we commune with Him, He works in our lives, all the while revealing Himself to us. As this happens, we grow in our trust of Him and we give Him more and more of our hearts.

Luke 13:10-17

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10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. ~ Luke 13:10-17

When we confront religion, whether in us or someone else, we confront much more, we confront Satan, himself. Religion was Satan's idea from the beginning. It was he who told the couple that they could be like God and man has been following that lead ever since.

According to Luke 13:10, the Lord Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, and it was the Sabbath. It was there the Lord Jesus came into contact with this lady who, for eighteen long, painful years, had an illness caused by a spirit. In fact, according to v.16, Satan was the cause of this woman's illness. She was doubled over and could not stand up straight.  

When the Lord Jesus saw her in v.12, He called for her and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." Without even confronting the demon, the Lord Jesus ended the lady's illness. He initiated this event and nothing is mentioned about her faith. The text doesn't even say she came to be healed. It appears she was going about her day as she always did.

That day, the Lord Jesus healed her independent of her will or her faith. He was known to heal with or without faith. He healed people from demon oppression and possession. And He always healed immediately. He healed this lady, as others, completely, instantaneously, and permanently. 

In v.13 we read, "Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God." He didn't need to put His hands on her. Of course, according to the Law, she was unclean, due to her sickness. He touched her to communicate to her her value.

In v.14 we read, "Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."  

This ruler of the synagogue had the responsibility to oversee the synagogue. He was the religious establishment man. He was the typical legalist who had little or no compassion for people. He had just seen this lady who needed mercy, compassion, tenderness and kindness. But, this ruler was indignant. He displayed intense displeasure for all to see.

This man had no heart. He showed no compassion. This compassionless legalist thought it better that this lady continue in her suffering than to have the Lord Jesus heal her on the Sabbath in his synagogue.

Notice the language the Lord Jesus uses of freedom and bondage. The synagogue leader uses the word therapeuo, the Greek word for healing. The Lord Jesus, on the other hand, keeps coming back to the words luo and apoluo, the Greeks words for releasing or loosing her bonds. This indicates something more than physical healing is going on here. Yes, there is healing, but there is also something more than healing happening here. The synagogue leader talks about the finer points of the Law while the Lord Jesus talks about freedom from bondage. The Apostle Paul wrote "It was for freedom we have been set free." The Lord Jesus came to free us from the bondage of religion.

Miracles do not create faith, they strengthen faith. Only God's Holy Spirit can produce faith. Granted, we must be willing. But, at the end of the day, He does the work. Here's a man who saw a miracle, right before his eyes. Yet, it didn't matter to him at all, because his heart wasn't prepared for it had never been broken.

The religious, trying to make themselves holy through their supposed good behavior, accumulated many rules that they could keep on the Sabbath and convince themselves in spite of the rest of stuff going on in their heart and life, they were OK with God because they kept the Sabbath. The ruler of the synagogue tried to bring a charge against the Lord Jesus. But of course, there's nothing in the law of God that says you can't help somebody on the Sabbath.

So, the Lord Jesus answers this man in v.15-16 where we read, " 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"  

If I had been crippled for eighteen years, I wonder if I would be faithful to worship God week after week in the synagogue. Surely this lady had prayed and asked God for help, and yet she was not delivered, at least for eighteen long years. However, God’s apparent lack of concern did not cause her to become bitter or resentful. 

Ever sensitive to the needs of others, the Lord Jesus saw the woman and called her to come to Him. It may have seemed heartless to the congregation for Him to do this and expose her handicap publicly, but He knew what He was doing. He wanted the woman to help Him teach the people an important lesson about real freedom.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can set the prisoner free. He spoke the word, laid His hands on her, and she was healed and gave glory to God! That was a synagogue service the people never forgot.

The bondage of the ruler of the synagogue was worse than that of the woman. Her bondage affected only her body, but his bondage shackled his mind, heart and spirit. He was so bound and blinded by religion that he ended up serving the purposes of Satan and opposing the Son of God! 

Of course, the Lord Jesus could have healed this lady on any other day of the week. After all, she had been bound for eighteen painful years, and one more day would have made little difference. But He deliberately chose the Sabbath day because He wanted to teach a lesson about freedom. Note the repetition of the word free.

Satan puts people into bondage, but true freedom comes from trusting the Lord Jesus Christ. The Sabbath that God wants to give us is a “heart rest” that comes through His GRACE and not from our attempts to earn His favor. 

Ah, GRACE, I love it! Someone recently said to me, "Christianity is too easy." I said, "For who?" He said, "For us." I said, "Of course it is, because it was most difficult for the Lord Jesus who earned it for us." When we live not being buoyed by God's GRACE, we deny the effectiveness of the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The adventure awaits us, so go and throw caution to the wind and be a display of His GRACE before all to see, today!