October 30: Luke 13:10-17
Key Verse: Luke 13:17
When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Devotion:
Sorry for the sporadic appearances of the devotions, but I’ve been off sick for most of the week and just now beginning to think straight again. Having a story about healing seems somewhat appropriate. This is another case of Jesus showing mercy over and above the rules of the synagogue and showing us that there is always time to do good, no matter what day it is!
This woman had been crippled for eighteen years, not just through some birth defect, but by the evil one who does not care for anyone but itself. Jesus called the woman forward and released her from the grip of the evil spirit which had done this to her for so very long; immediately she was released and was able to stand properly once again!
The synagogue leader reprimanded Jesus because He dared to do some work on the Sabbath. Jesus in return reprimanded him for not caring about the people on the Sabbath! God has given us times to work and times to rest and times to praise Him. He has done this to give us a better life, one where we will not lose focus on what is important and still have time to manage things.
When we take rules and regulations too far and turn our backs on people, we are turning our backs on God’s people and hence on God Himself! This is one of the reasons why Jesus said the most important rules are to love God and to love one another!
Points to Ponder:
Do you stop work just because the rules say so?
When was the last time you went above and beyond to help someone?