I am still trying to get my hands around the Gospel text for this Sunday (13th Sunday after Pentecost) which is Luke 13:10-17.  The story is about Jesus healing a woman in the synagogue, in full view of the synagogue leader, on the sabbath day.  The woman was bent of over; afflicted by Satan, for 18 years.  Instead of delaying love and mercy Jesus "violated" the Law and healed her.  When the synagogue leader saw this he began speaking to the crowd about the appropriate use of the sabbath day.  NOTICE:  The synagogue leader did not even have the courage to direct his comments toward Jesus himself.

Following the leader’s rebuke of Jesus, Jesus fires back and puts the powers that be to shame through the very Law they hold so dear (they would show mercy to an animal over a daughter of Abraham).  At this, the people joined the woman formerly know as the woman who had been afflicted by God for 18 years (it was believed that this woman was being punished by God for her sins) in "rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he (Jesus) was doing.  While this rejoicing was going on the powers that be were wallowing in their shame.

So what do we take from this?  How does one preach this text?  A couple thoughts come to mind:
(1) Priorities:  Maybe a question to ask is, "What are your priorities?"  For the leaders of the synagogue their priority was the Law and following the rules over people.  They choose the letter of the law over the spirit of the law.  How many time have WE done that?  Maybe, as we preach this or study this text, we go so far as to ponder what is important in our lives today.  What does your priority list look like:  God – Family – Friends – Job/career (for example).  Maybe the priority list looks like many people where I serve: Sports/Family (these can be interchanged) — Job/career — God — <Something, something>…  Is serving God really number one in our lives?

(2) Freedom:  When I look at the language about the woman being "set free" and the "untying" of the donkey I see a similar action going on.  The woman has been bound and now set free and so with the donkey as it is lead to water.  In both cases someone needed to intervene.  Who around or among us is "bound" and needs to be "set free" through the Gospel?  What binds you and/or others?  Are we placing rules and societal expectations before the needs of people?  The Gospel sets us free yet we can be very stingy in the proclamation of it.

(3) Anointed:  In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus quotes these verses from Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor.  He sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."  Jesus did the very thing that he said he was anointed to do; he gave freedom to the woman.  Aren’t we all "anointed" through our baptism to do the very same thing — to proclaim freedom? But do we?  Maybe this connection can be made with people as a call to live out who we are created to be through the wonderful gift of baptism.

This text is more than a simple healing story.  I am excited to see where the Spirit will lead me this week.  Either way, though, what sticks with me is that we need to continue to "proclaim freedom" to people through the Gospel in whatever ever form that may take.

God bless and rejoice in all the wonderful things Jesus has done and continues to do for you every single day.  Amen!
-edh-