Luke 13:10-17 (New Living Translation)

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

¹⁰ One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, ¹¹ he saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” ¹³ Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

¹⁴ But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? ¹⁶ This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

¹⁷ This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.

How many of you have had a great, fantastic, epic, fun, legendary road trip? Anyone had a good one? Road trips are fun. Road trips are great ‘cause you load up a few friends, a few supplies, and you head out. You don’t know exactly who you’re gonna meet along the way, what might happen, but you know it’s gonna be interesting, exciting. At some point, you’re gonna get annoyed. Somebody’s gonna do or say something they shouldn’t, but you’ll make a few good memories, and at the end, you’ll have fantastic stories to tell.

Where we find ourselves in Luke’s gospel is in the middle of Jesus’ road trip. That’s where we find ourselves. Up through chapter 9, he was ministering in the region of Galilee, around the Sea of Galilee, with fishermen and farmers. And ultimately, proceeding toward chapter 20, he’s making his way on his road trip via foot to Jerusalem, the big city, where he’s gonna die and rise as our savior. Along the way, Jesus has his disciples with him for the road trip and they pick up an interesting cast of characters and all kinds of interesting things happen. Demonic people come out, sick people get healed, stories get taught, Jesus gets in fights, and every once in a while a religious person gets a ground and pound from their Lord and Savior. So it’s a very interesting story. It’s a true, historical account from Luke.

Jesus Heals a Demonized Woman

And so today we’re going to meet primarily two people. We’re gonna meet a woman who is suffering and a religious man who will suffer. We’ll start with a woman who is suffering. Here’s her story regarding Jesus healing a demonized woman. Luke 13:10–13: “Now he,” that is Jesus, “was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your disability.’ And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.”

Here’s the story. Jesus is traveling along, he’s probably near a smaller town. There was a synagogue there, which is the Old Covenant equivalent of a church. The Christian church is in many ways patterned after the synagogue. People would get together in a building on the day of Sabbath to hear the Bible read, to pray, to hear teaching, to sing songs. God’s people have been doing this for thousands and thousands of years. And so Jesus is passing through town and the equivalent of the pastor of that local church, the synagogue, invites Jesus in to be the guest preacher for the day.

So Jesus is up preaching and teaching. Odds are in this area, it’s probably not a big congregation, maybe dozens of people. Maybe that day the attendance has swelled, but it’s probably not a large congregation. And as Jesus is teaching, he looks out and he sees a woman. And she is disabled. She’s crippled. And she’s been that way for eighteen years, eighteen long, painful, arduous years. And her physical ailment is caused by a spiritual attack.

We are spirit and body, and sometimes our physical suffering is exclusively physical. You get an injury, an accident, cancer, a genetic condition. Something happens and you’re sick, hurting, disabled. Sometimes, however, it is a spiritual cause, which results in physical complications. Luke, who is writing this for us, is by vocation a medical doctor, so he believes in medicine, he believes in wellness, he believes in nutrition. He has no problem with medicine.

And here what we see is no amount of medical attention could relieve her condition because it was spiritual in causation. She’s being attacked by an unclean spirit, a demon, and has suffered for eighteen years. And we need to see this woman in our mind. We’re told she’s hunched and bent over. This likely indicates severe back problems and lots of discomfort and pain. This is a woman who has not jumped or ran or danced, stood upright, or looked anyone in the eye for eighteen years. She’s suffering from chronic pain. Some of you know what this is like. Some of you have chronic pain. Some of you have, as she did, chronic back pain.

And Jesus looks at her, and here’s what’s interesting. She doesn’t speak to Jesus; Jesus speaks to her. She doesn’t approach Jesus; Jesus approaches her. What we’ve seen thus far in Luke’s gospel is when people are suffering and hurting, if Jesus is nearby, they tend to press through a crowd toward him to touch him, to unleash his healing power. She doesn’t do that. She doesn’t say or do anything. I don’t know why. Maybe she thought Jesus was busy and important and she didn’t want to trouble him, or perhaps she’d given up hope altogether. I do not know.

Jesus approaches her and what does he do? He lays hands on her. He touches her. Now this would be unusual in that culture for a man to touch a woman. But there’s no sin here, just affection. He didn’t have to touch her. Why did he touch her? Because Jesus wanted her to know that he loved her and he identified with her physical suffering and pain. He commands the unclean spirit away from her.

Her whole life is changed. This is wonderful. Immediately, she was made straight and she glorified God. It doesn’t take this woman long to worship.

Jesus Rebukes a Religious Man

And it would be fantastic if the story ended right there. The next word, however, is troublesome. “But.” “But.” Luke 13:14–17, “But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? ¹⁶ This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”

¹⁷ This shamed his enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things he did.”

Jesus shows up, does something wonderful. The woman is really happy, and the religious people are critical. Why? Now, firmly it’s a debate over the law. The Bible has laws. The first five books of the Old Testament have 613 laws, rules, and commands. And God’s commands are good. God’s laws are good and they’re all fulfilled in Christ.

But let me say this. The law in and of itself will be something that troubles you unless you know who God is. Jesus tells us that God is a loving father. So when your loving father tells you to do something or not do something, you have to presume and assume he loves you, he’s trying to protect you. He’s not trying to rob you of joy and freedom and expression. He’s trying to save you from harm and suffering and death.

I’ll give you an analogy;

The first home we purchased had a wonderful in ground pool in the backyard.  We didn’t have any kids at the time but when Therone was born he loved to play outside, as kids do. And so what should a parent do when they move into a home that has a pool in the backyard?  What do you do first? Set up rules and if you can afford it you set up a fence. Tell the kids, “Enjoy the whole yard. Dig, run, play, hit a baseball, and find a worm, whatever. Please just don’t go near the pool without either your mom or me outside ‘cause it’s dangerous and I don’t want you to get hurt. So I know this seems like a barrier and a restriction. Actually, it’s life-giving. It’s life-preserving.”

God’s laws are like a fence, just trying to keep God’s kids from falling into the pool and getting hurt by Satan and sin. And what God would tell us is, “You have the whole yard. I’m gonna fill you with my Holy Spirit. He’ll direct, lead, and guide according to conscience. Hey kids, enjoy all your freedom. Explore the whole yard. Please just don’t hop the fence. I don’t want you to get hurt.” That’s a good dad.

What happens then, religious people come along and they say, “Well, God doesn’t want us to hop the fence. To make sure that no one hops the fence, we should build another fence within the fence, maybe a little higher than the first fence, just to make sure that no one even has an opportunity to hop the fence.” Little while later, somebody else more religious comes along and says, “That second fence is pretty nice, but I think we need to build a third fence in a little further and a little higher.” Before long, you don’t have a yard. You have a prison. And the kids can’t run out and play. That’s why the most rebellious kids tend to be those kids who were raised in the most religious home. Eventually, they just hop all the fences.

And that’s what had happened, and this is what always happens, is that religious people took God’s laws and made lots of additional rules and laws to the point where something as good as the Sabbath became a burden and not a blessing. And the Sabbath was a gift that God gave. The Sabbath in the Old Testament was on Saturday, not Sunday. Christians moved it to Sunday, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, ‘cause all things are made new and it’s a whole new era in human history with the resurrection of Jesus. But the Sabbath day in the Old Covenant was patterned after Genesis 1 and 2, where God works six days and on the seventh day, he rested.

So the Sabbath is a gift that God gives us. Take a day off, rest, worship, gather with God’s people, take a break. And it’s an act of faith that even while you have a day off, God is still in control. And they started making rules and rules about the rules, and rules about the rules about the rules. And next thing you know, the Sabbath is not a yard to play in; it’s a prison you can’t escape. And they’re arguing with Jesus about the law in general, but about the Sabbath law in particular. That’s the issue.

As a general rule, religious people believe, “Some people are right, some people are wrong. And I’m always right. And if you disagree with me, you’re always wrong.” Everyone’s wrong about something. So we all need to be humble and teachable. And double-check according to the Scriptures, just in case we miss something before we advertise it to the world, declare war, criticize others, fight unnecessarily. He doesn’t do that. He stands up in front of his church, “Jesus is wrong.” Wow.

And so Jesus says, essentially, “Yes, treat the animals well. Treat the pets well. But people who bear the image and likeness of God, treat them even better.” He says, “How dare you treat your livestock better than you would treat this woman?” She’s waited eighteen years. Why is today not a good day for abundant grace to be poured out on her? He’s tender with the woman. He’s tough with the pastor.

What Is the Kingdom of God Like?

The question then is how do you get religious? If religion is such a bad thing, manmade works and traditions and pride and arrogance and haughtiness and unhelpful judgmentalism, how do you avoid that kind of religiosity? To answer that question Jesus is going to tell two parables. They’re cousins, not twins. They have resemblances, though they’re not identical. I told you last week, when Jesus tells a parable usually it’s an answering of a question. The question he’s going to answer is, “What is the kingdom of God like?”

So we’ll read Jesus’ parable. “He said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like?’” There’s the question. And again, a parable is a little story that teaches a big truth. “‘And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’ And again he said, ‘To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.’”

Some of you say, “What is Jesus talking about? What the—what happened? He healed a woman, rebuked a guy, and then started reading fortune cookies. Like, he lost me. What? Where did Jesus go?” Here’s the point: you will become religious if you don’t remember the kingdom of God, that one of the underlying causes of religiosity is not understanding and remembering the kingdom of God.

So let me unpack this. We tend to have a troublesome time with the kingdom of God because we’re a democracy. And in a democracy, in theory—it doesn’t really work this way. I don’t know if you know that. But in theory everybody gets to vote. Everybody gets to vote and majority wins. And the way we have our government structured is necessary because we’re in a fallen, sinful world. We don’t like the idea of a king. Because we’re all sinners and if someone has absolute power and is a sinner, injustice, tyranny, oppression and abuse can and will ensue. If someone is an absolutely authoritarian king and they hold all the power and they’re a sinner, we’re all in danger. So we have checks and balances in our governmental system to deal with sin and sinners.

Religious People Replace Christ with Cause

Now let me say this: the way you become religious is when you’re about your small-k kingdom instead of God’s capital-K Kingdom. That’s why Jesus brings it back to a theology of the kingdom. He looks and says, “Here’s how you get in trouble and become religious. Your kingdom, not mine. Your name, not mine. Your fame, not mine. Your glory, not mine.” It’s not about us, it’s all about Jesus. And what happens for those who are into their own kingdom, they replace Christ with cause. Okay, for the religious people here, they were into their kingdom, not Jesus’ kingdom. They were into their cause, not Christ. That’s the problem.

What’s your cause? What’s your thing? Some of you really only care deeply about one thing. Some of you have causes that are more “Christian” in orientation. Children, midwives, homeschooling, Christian schooling, public schooling, school choice, conservative politics, pro-life. Certain kind of student ministry, youth ministry, family ministry. Certain kind of musical style. Certain theological system. Certain author. What’s your cause? Others of you, your cause is not necessarily Christian.

Recycling, small carbon footprint, biking to work, feeding hungry people, giving clean water to those who are poor and sick and needy and diseased. Healthcare for those who are in need, affordable housing for those who are poor, liberation for those who are in the sex trade.

See, everyone’s religious. Some of you have more Christian causes. Others of you have just moral causes, but we all have causes. And some of you would say, “Don’t attack my cause. I have a good cause.” And I would say, “You probably do. But what about Christ?” What about Christ?

For this religious pastor and religious people in general, their cause is tradition. Their cause is rules. Their cause is law. Their cause is morality. Their cause is our culture. Their cause is our way of life. Their cause is we’re honoring the past. And Christ comes along and says, “I don’t think that’s the most important thing.” And they say then, “You must die because our cause is more important than our Christ, because our kingdom is more important than his kingdom.” And what happens in churches is that they become cause oriented, not Christ oriented.

We’re about Christ. We need to remain continually about Christ. Put your cause down. We have one cause: Christ. Christ is our cause. And if Christ is continually our cause we’ll get lots of other causes. You’ll go out and feed hungry people. You know why? Jesus was poor and Jesus cares about the poor. But you’ll do it for Christ, not your cause. You’ll do it for his kingdom, not your own. You’ll take care of those who are abused and oppressed, those who have been violated and raped and destroyed. Why? Because that’s your cause and it’s your kingdom? No, because your Christ cares. Your Christ suffered, your Christ comes to set captives free and to really help them takes more than a cause. It takes the cause of Christ. Churches and Christians who remain Christ centered, they’re the most active, fruitful, cause-oriented people and when everyone asks, “Why are you doing this?” the answer is always the same. “You need to get to know my king. You need to get to see his kingdom. His name is Christ. He loves you and he sent me here to embrace you on his behalf.”

Galatians 6:11-18

¹¹ Notice what large letters I use as I write these closing words in my own handwriting.

¹² Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don’t want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. ¹³ And even those who advocate circumcision don’t keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples.

¹⁴ As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross,^[a] my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died. ¹⁵ It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. ¹⁶ May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.^[b]

¹⁷ From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.

¹⁸ Dear brothers and sisters,^[c] may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

Once there was a brier growing in a ditch and there came along a gardener with his spade. As he dug around it and lifted it up the brier said to itself, “What is he doing? Doesn’t he know I am a worthless brier?” But the gardener took it into his garden and planted it amid his flowers, while the brier said, “What a mistake he has made planting me among these beautiful roses.” Then the gardener came once more and made a slit in the brier with his sharp knife. He grafted it with a rose and when summer came lovely roses were blooming on that old brier. Then the gardener said, “Your beauty is not due to what came out but to what I put in.”

When reading the epistle to the Galatians, what should I look for to see if the message of Galatians has begun to take root in our hearts? What I would like to do to answer that question is to notice with you how Paul in these last verses of his letter develops a contrast between two mindsets. The one is what he has been trying to drive out of the Galatian churches. The other is the one he seeks to live by and teach. He calls this second mindset a canon or a rule and says that those who are in sync with this rule receive God’s mercy and enjoy God’s peace.

Suppose I had the power to hold out to you two hands for your choosing. In the one hand is the mercy of God to forgive all your sins and the peace of God for your eternal enjoyment. And in the other hand was every desirable thing the world could offer you (money, leisure, health, popularity, big business savvy, a spouse—you name it)—but no mercy from God and no final peace with him. Which would you want? “What does it profit you if you gain the whole world and lose your soul?” Only in the grip of a great satanic delusion do people choose the world over the mercy and peace of God. But surely the Holy Spirit is here this morning to break that delusion and to help us feel the utter foolishness of desiring the pleasures of the world for a season at the expense of God’s mercy and the beauty of his peace. And so verse 16 becomes a big freeway sign to tell us how to leave the road of foolishness and get on the road of God’s mercy and peace, and stay on it.

“Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God.” God’s mercy and peace belong to those whose lives conform to a certain rule. And since only a foolish delusion keeps us from wanting God’s mercy and peace, therefore we should be very eager to know what this rule is.

The Mindset of the Legalist

In verse 11 Paul seems to take the pen from his secretary and finish the letter with his own big distinctive writing: “See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand.” Then with pen in hand Paul describes the two mindsets that have been at war throughout the letter. The first one is evil. The second one is good. The second one is the rule we should follow. Let’s look at them in that order. The evil mindset is described in verses 12 and 13:

It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that would compel you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For even those who receive circumcision do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.

Well, here it is let’s look at it carefully: the mindset of the legalist. A person who uses the law as a vehicle of pride is a legalist.

Paul takes the issue of circumcision for example: do the Gentile believers have to be circumcised to enjoy full acceptance with God? Paul said no and suffered for it. The Judaizers say yes. But what is the motive behind this demand? Compare the end of verses 12 and 13. Verse 12: “They compel you to be circumcised that they might not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.” Verse 13: “They desire to have you circumcised that they may glory in your flesh.” The motive was twofold: to avoid pokes and win strokes. When all is said and done and the pen is in his own hand, the two things he wants to warn us against most are these: the fear of human opposition and the love of human praise.

Why are these so dangerous? Because if your mindset is governed by the fear of being rejected and the love of being praised, you cannot embrace Christ crucified. Legalists have to substitute morality for the cross of Christ because the cross puts an end to all pride and lays you open to persecution. But according to these two verses they want to avoid persecution and they are proud of their religious zeal. And so they reject the cross. The cross of Christ is a great stumbling block for people who do not have the grace to humble themselves before God and man.

Before God the effect of Christ crucified is to strip us naked of all merit and reveal our utter desperation and dependence on mercy. The love of God comes to us through Christ crucified so that we can see what our sin really deserved. It is morally impossible to be proud at the foot of the cross. And so for those who don’t want to humble themselves before God, the cross remains an offense and a scandal.

But there is another reason legalists reject the cross. It not only humbles us before God; it humbles us before men. “Except a man take up his cross and follow me, he cannot be my disciple.” You cannot cherish the Christ of Calvary without joining him on the Calvary road. But the Calvary road is where people jeer and spit and laugh. Therefore, no one who is enslaved to the praise of men will join Christ on the Calvary road. O, how many people are like these Judaizers, who say in effect, “I cannot take my stand with the crucified Christ because I’m afraid of what people will say or do.”

So we can say at least this: if the message of Galatians has begun to bear fruit among us, then this first mindset of legalism that uses morality as a vehicle of pride, and fears human rejection, and craves human praise—this mindset will be on the wane.

The Mindset of the New Creation

But now let’s look at the alternative mindset in verses 14 and 15 which Paul aims to have in himself and to teach others. Remember verse 16 said that God’s peace and mercy belong to people who live by this rule. The rule, I think, is the mindset of verses 14 and 15. “But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.”

What is this “new creation” that counts for everything? The new creation is what exists when the old mindset is crucified with Christ. Paul speaks in Galatians 2:20 of being crucified with Christ; yet somehow he lives and so the “he” that lives must be new—a new creation raised, as it were, from the dead. A new birth (John 3:3). Newness of life (Romans 6:4).

There are some parallels that help us see what this new creation really is. The closest isGalatians 5:6. Note that 6:15 says, “Neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” Galatians 5:6 says, “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.” So I would infer that the “new Paul” who is created when the “old Paul” is crucified with Christ is a Paul who lives by faith which works through love. This is confirmed back in 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” In a sense Paul doesn’t live anymore. Christ lives through him. But he does live, and the “new Paul” is the Paul who depends so much on Christ day by day that it is as though Christ were doing the living through Paul. So the new creation of Galatians 6:15 is the mindset of utter reliance on Christ day by day. Or we could say that the new creation is the power of Christ’s life unleashed in us when we lean on him.

But notice in verse 14 that Paul’s last effort in this letter to describe the mindset of the new creation does not mention faith. It mentions glorifying or exulting: “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The history of the Christian Church is marred by groups who have ripped the heart out of faith by making it a dry, formal intellectual assent to certain truths. Paul prevents us from doing that by the way he ends his letter. The mindset of the new creation does not just agree that Christ died for sinners; it glories in the cross. It boasts in the wonder of the cross. It cherishes the benefits of the cross. The cross is the pride and joy of the new creation. It’s the present you show off first when friends come over Christmas afternoon.

Glorying in the Cross

Paul has a double way of showing what it means to glory only in the cross. He says in verse 14, “By the cross the world has been crucified to me, and I have been crucified to the world.” I think he means something like this. Since I met Christ, the world has come to look like a despised, worthless, cursed thing. When a thing is crucified, it is rejected and scorned. That’s what became of the world when Paul met Christ. He said, “I count everything as loss (crucified!) for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Paul was so swallowed up by the love of Christ that the benefits of the world looked to him as cold and ashen as a crucified corpse.

But he says it another way, too. He says, “I am crucified to the world.” When the world looks at me, it sees nothing very attractive, either. I am like a corpse as far as the world is concerned. Christians who believe in self-denial for Christ’s sake are crazy. They are like dead people—fools at best, scorned and persecuted at worst. Remember how Paul described his ministry in 2 Corinthians 6:8, 9, “We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, yet well-known; as dying, and behold we live; as punished, and yet not killed.” As far as the world is concerned, a life devoted to a crucified Christ is a throw-away life. Paul put it like this in 1 Corinthians 4:13, “We have become, and are now, the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.” So another way of saying that the world is crucified to me and I to the world is to say the world has become refuse to me and I have become refuse to the world.

But don’t miss the main point. The only reason Paul mentions his rejection of the world and the world’s rejection of him is to accent the value of Christ crucified. The status and pleasures that the world of Greek hedonism or the Pharisaic legalism held out to Paul were like a big garbage heap compared to Jesus Christ. Paul was ravished by the love of Christ. He was utterly mastered, held captive, by one great scene in history: a cross on Golgotha, and on it the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.

Self-Exalters Versus Christ-Exalters

When Paul says in verse 16, “Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule,” I think the rule is the mindset described in verses 14 and 15 in contrast to the mindset of verses 12 and 13. So let’s conclude by laying out the contrasts in summary, one by one. Let’s call one the mindset of self-exaltation (whether legalist or libertine) and the other the mindset of Christ-exaltation. I’ll mention four contrasts. First, the self-exalters desire to make a good show in religious rituals (6:12) because they crave the applause of key people. But Christ-exalters regard the pleasure of human applause as a pile of garbage compared to the pleasure of knowing Christ; and so they are not men-pleasers (Galatians 1:10; Ephesians 6:6).

Second, self-exalters fear persecution and rejection from men more than they cherish the cross of Christ (6:12). But Christ-exalters expect and accept persecution from a world that crucified Christ (5:11). In fact, they say with Paul, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Christ-exalters don’t fear men. Christ is their refuge and shield and great reward.

Third, self-exalters regard outward forms (like circumcision) as the essence of religious life (6:13). But Christ-exalters regard an inner new creation as the essence of religious life. Self-exalters can manage to clean up the outside while leaving the root of pride untouched, and so religion and morality are useful outlets for their uncrucified self-reliance. But Christ-exalters know that for Christ to be king they must die and a brand new creation of humility and Christ-reliance has to replace pride and self-reliance.

Fourth, self-exalters remove the stumbling block of the cross by ignoring or despising its implications. Self-exalters have to avoid the cross because the splinters of the old rugged cross always pop the balloon of self-exaltation. But Christ-exalters glory in the cross; they cherish it above all things.

None of us will be saved because we are perfect or because anything we do earns God’s approval. The peace of God and the mercy of God are free gifts purchased on Calvary for all who walk by this rule—the rule of Christ-exaltation, not self-exaltation. Right standing with God is not merited by works. It is given freely to those who glory in the work of Christ on the cross. Therefore, I urge you to come to the cross. And if you are there, I urge you to glory in the cross. Christ crucified is the basis of all our prayers, the assurance of all God’s love, the certainty of full forgiveness, the ground of all our hope, and the fountain of midnight peace and morning mercies forever and ever. Amen.

Piety, or being pious, has a long history in the Christian worldview.  In its purest for it is simply a commendable or admirable devotion to God, but in our world today it has to some extent been marked with contradiction and stress.  Dictionaries define piety as professing or exhibiting a strict, traditional sense of virtue and morality, but it has also been defined as marked by false devoutness; solemnly hypocritical and rules oriented.  Here in lies the contradiction and our study will focus on the need to challenge the pharisitical piety in the face of the Gospel.

Luke 11:37-44

³⁷ As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.^{[a] 38} His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom. ³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! ⁴⁰ Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside? ⁴¹ So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.

⁴² “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens,^[b] but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

⁴³ “What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴ Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.

The Pharisees

The Pharisees were a sect of Judaism, made up largely of laymen rather than priests or religious professionals. Their burden is a zeal to obey every minute law that God has given, and so please him fully.

Though the Pharisees are not the only sect of Judaism at the time, they are a very important one. And they are not all wrong. We find that Jesus takes their position on a number of points. For example, Jesus agrees with the Pharisees about the resurrection of the dead, while the Sadducees — made up largely of priests and their followers — deny a resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees also believe in the existence of angels, as does Jesus.

To the Pharisees, the Law, the Torah, is preeminent, and they take it extremely seriously. But they have developed a kind of system to obey the commands of the Law. Usually their obedience isn’t to the very Law itself, but to an accepted interpretation of that Law called “the Tradition of the Elders.” This tradition forms a sort of “hedge” or “fence” around the provisions of the actual Torah, so that by obeying the Tradition of the Elders one wouldn’t break the Law itself.

These Pharisees are not a little proud of themselves for their careful observance of the Law, and look down on other Jews as “sinners” who don’t observe the Law as carefully as they do. Contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, who considers himself a Pharisee, describes them this way:

“The Pharisees have delivered to the people a great many observances by succession from their fathers, which are not written in the laws of Moses; and for that reason it is that the Sadducees reject them, and say that we are to esteem those observances to be obligatory which are in the written word, but are not to observe what are derived from the tradition of our forefathers. And concerning these things it is that great disputes and differences have arisen among them, while the Sadducees are able to persuade none but the rich, and have not the populace obsequious to them, but the Pharisees have the multitude on their side.”[1]

There is much that is admirable about the Pharisees. They don’t take their religion casually. No, they are very serious about it indeed. Their particular slant is a devotion to the Law, and a belief that full observance of the Law will justify them before God. They, like their present-day descendents, the Hassidic Jews, are the epitome of what we sometimes call a “works-righteousness” approach to religion. And in that they have a lot in common with some very serious and very holy Christians today.

The Pharisee who invites Jesus to dinner is quite concerned about holiness. Yes, Jesus will make a very interesting dinner guest indeed.

Eating at a Pharisee’s Home (11:37)

“As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table.” (11:37)

The Pharisee invites Jesus and his disciples to dinner that day, and doubtless invites several Pharisees and scribes to join them. In a more affluent home the table is likely to be low, 18 inches (45 cm) off the floor or less. Guests recline on cushions, leaning on their left elbow and eating with their right hand.

Ritual Washing (11:38)

“His host was amazed to see that he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom.” (11:38)

The word translated “wash” is Greek baptizo, which means “dip, immerse” or, in the middle voice, “dip oneself, wash,” and is used of Jewish ritual washings as well as of baptism.[2]

The Pharisees took ritual cleansings very seriously. For example, at the wedding at Cana that Jesus attended, six stone water jars were present “the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons” (John 2:6).

When we read about Jesus not washing his hands before eating we want to hide this from our children. We teach our children to wash their hands thoroughly before eating in order to prevent diseases. But the Pharisees didn’t wash in order to get rid of germs. They washed as required by the “tradition of the elders” in order to cleanse their hands from spiritual defilement that might be taken into the body (Mark 7:3, 5). The actual washing didn’t involve soap or scrubbing, but rather dribbling some water over the hands. It was an act of spiritual cleansing, not physical cleansing.[3]

But Jesus and his disciples don’t participate in the ritual at the table that day. And their Pharisee host — in a most inhospitable manner — shows surprise. The Greek word suggests, “wonder, marvel, be astonished.”[4] He probably remarks to Jesus on his surprise, and is met with a sharp response.

Cleansing the Outside, Not the Inside (11:39-41)

“Then the Lord said to him, “You Pharisees are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and wickedness! ⁴⁰ Fools! Didn’t God make the inside as well as the outside?⁴¹ So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over..’ “(11:39-41)

His host is surprised that Jesus doesn’t ritually wash his hands before eating, as if to keep defilement from entering his body. Jesus retorts that their practice of cleansing the outside of a cup and dish is just as external. Apparently the cleanliness of the outside of the pottery was distinguished from, and considered more important for ritual purposes than, the inside.[5]

Jesus uses cups and dishes as an analogy regarding the Pharisees’ character. They are very concerned with outward purity and observance, but their hearts are full of greed and wickedness.

I am sure that all Pharisees are not wicked and selfish. I am sure that some are sincere, godly people. But Jesus is characterizing the whole movement to expose its essential flaws. The Pharisees’ understanding of religion is essentially selfish, too — performing every requirement of the law in order to justify themselves before God and receive salvation. Good works are performed not for the sake of others necessarily, but to ensure one’s own salvation. What looks pious to outsiders can easily mask intense selfishness and self-centeredness. A person who is motivated by greed, an inner longing for greater wealth, more “things,” has a serious problem. If greed is a root sin, then everything gets twisted to meet the person’s desire. People become a means to an end, not important in themselves, but only in what they can do for the greedy person.

Jesus calls on the Pharisees to see the obvious — that cleaning must include the outside AND the inside.  God made both, the outer person and the inner person. Both need cleansing.

What he said next was a powerful criticism of the Pharisees as a whole.

Showing Mercy to the Poor (11:41)

“So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.” (11:41)

I am most familiar with the part of this conversation recorded in Matthew’s Gospel which emphasizes cleansing the inside of the dish: “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:26). But in Luke, Jesus’ statement talks about HOW to cleanse the inside. He turns the analogy of dishes that are dirty and clean to dishes that bear food that can be given to the poor: ” So clean the inside by giving gifts to the poor, and you will be clean all over.” (11:41)

What is the message for us disciples? It is that love and mercy REQUIRE us to help the poor. Indeed helping the poor is one antidote for greed and selfishness.

Tithing Scrupulously (11:42a)

I’ve always thought that the practice of tithing is another important antidote for greed. Greed and fear are two main motivators that seem to drive Christians I know who do not tithe. But somehow, the Pharisees succeed in turning tithing itself into an isolated, selfish act.

Neglecting Justice and Mercy (11:42b)

“but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.” (11:42b)

Justice and the love of God are foundational. The Prophet Micah said,

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Again and again Israel’s prophets called the nation to account for injustice to the poor and a lack of mercy. The Prophet Amos was a spokesman for God who ties together giving and justice:

Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river,
righteousness like a never-failing stream!
(Amos 5:22-24)

Isaiah, to, spoke of God’s anger at acts of piety amidst a disregard for the poor:

“No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help. (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Now the Pharisees hear the same message, this time from God’s own Son.

The phrase “the love of God” is somewhat ambiguous. It can mean “love for God” or “the kind of love demanded by God.”[12] But in one sense both meanings merge together.

Dear Christian friends, do you or your church neglect justice and mercy toward the poor? Jesus calls us to a mindset of mercy.

Loving Acclaim (11:43)

“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the synagogues and receive respectful greetings as you walk in the marketplaces.” (11:43)

Jesus also accuses the Pharisees of seeking public honor. I’ve seen the same kind of jostling for position present in Christian churches. A desire to sit in the seat of honor, perhaps on the platform where you can be seen by everyone. Perhaps just a desire to be noticed and greeted as an important person. As I look into my own heart I have had those motives, and still fight them. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us, “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 6:1) Self-seeking and self-aggrandizement is one form of pride that is difficult to see clearly in oneself but easy to see in others.

Unmarked Graves Defiling Others (11:44)

” Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over them without knowing the corruption they are stepping on.” (11:44)

Jesus parting shot at the Pharisees is intense. Jews concerned with ritual purity avoided touching corpses that might defile them and require them to purify themselves again.

“Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.” (Numbers 19:16)

For Jesus to call the Pharisees unmarked graves means that they defile people with their teachings and practices who are unaware of their defilement — a VERY strong condemnation.

Modern-Day Pharisees

We face Jesus’ sharp rebuke today, too, when we:

• Are more concerned with how we look to other people than how we look to God,
• Fail to show mercy to the poor,
• Fail to tithe,
• Fail to do justice,
• Have hearts motivated by greed, or
• Seek positions where we will be acclaimed.

This is not just an historical lesson in the errors of First Century Judaism. It is a cogent commentary on the dangers that pious professors are subject to in the Twenty-First Century. Lord, help us!

It is undoubted that many have been seeing in the news a US senator who has confessed to using his twitter account to send sexual images to women he has met online.  He admitted to having sexually explicit conversations online as well as on the phone with, as he said, 6 different women.  The news world and the American public are quite upset and many are calling for his resignation, while others are questioning how his sexual activity relates to his job performance.

Regardless of where you sit on this particular issue it highlights a growing trend in our world today and Christians are not exempt from this trend.  The growing rate of sexual activity online is alarming as it is moving from the static photos and videos to more personal interaction with other users online.  Facebook, Myspace, Twitter along with many other online communities are providing a means for those who are dissatisfied with their lives in some capacity to connect and have emotional bonds with complete strangers rather than real interpersonal connections with people in their immediate circles.

Now I am all for social networks as I see the real potential for ministry, causes as well as business applications.  That being said I know of many individuals who were struggling with their relationships at home and found a measure of solace online, emotionally connecting with a person who seemingly fulfills those unmet needs in their lives and ultimately destroy their marriage relationships and their children.  The issue here is not whether or not social networks are good or bad, they are neither.  Social networks have no more propensity to good or evil  as a hammer does, they are merely tools in the hands of people and people bring with them all sorts of baggage that affect how they interact with them.

In 2003 there was an article on About.com entitled “Online Dating is Popular with Married Men and Women” which stated that “growing numbers of married people sneak into Internet chat rooms for romantic or sexual thrills they think they aren’t getting from their spouses”.  Beatriz Avila Mileham, author of the article, commented that “The Internet will soon become the most common form of infidelity, if it isn’t already”.  Fast forward eight years and the majority of marriage break ups I am coming across involve some form of internet marital infidelity.  When talking with some of those who were involved in online sexual activity with other users, they tell me that it was never their intention to have an affair and for some it was not considered an affair.

Let me put this out there to clear up ANYmisunderstandings on the issue, ANY SEXUAL ACTIVITY IS ADULTERY! Now I know that may have come across a little strong for some but read to these words:

Matthew 5:27-29 New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁷ “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’^{[a] 28} But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ So if your eye—even your good eye^[b]—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

We need to be clear on this issue so we can protect ourselves, our marriages and our children from it.  Pornography, sexting, erotic chats are all forms of adultery and have no place in the Christian life.  I understand the temptation is there, but we are called to flee from even a hint of sin, to run in the opposite direction of it.  We need to walk in the Spirit on this one because it does not take long for any of these to lead to sexual addictions as well.

Proverbs 4:23-27 says

²³ Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.

²⁴ Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.

²⁵ Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
²⁶ Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
²⁷ Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.

Here are some things you can do to guard your heart:

As a Christian who is active on the internet, I hold myself to certain standards of conduct. They are:

I guard my online relationships

I recognize that attachments develop as easily on the internet as anywhere else, and sometimes more easily because of the anonymity involved in initial exchanges. I particularly guard against relationships that encroach upon the level of trust and faithfulness that is to exist only within a husband/wife relationship.

I am careful to visit websites that do not compromise my life in Christ

I am aware that there are sites on the internet that Christians must avoid, including those that contain pornography. I do not visit such sites, even out of curiosity. When, by accident (and it happens to everyone), I find such a page loading, I leave it immediately.

I take care that my written communications reflect Christ in my life

Even on issues about which I feel passionate, I avoid saying things that I feel might be displeasing to the Lord. I represent myself, and my intentions in a truthful and upright manner in all my exchanges.

I guard my time to assure that my time online is kept in proper balance with the rest of my life

I realize that the internet can consume time that should be invested elsewhere: family, church, work responsibilities, and other activities that make for a well rounded life. I especially guard against spending time on the internet that should be spent with the Lord.

If we employ these standards and of course understand that this is not an exhaustive list, we will guard our hearts well and keep the purity in our relationships that is intended to be there.

Rob Haslam

Biblical decision making begins with a willingness to submit your intentions to God’s perfect will and humbly follow his direction. The problem is that most of us don’t know how to figure out exactly what God’s will is in every decision we face—especially the big, life-altering decisions.

This step-by-step plan lays out a spiritual road map for biblical decision making. I learned this method almost twenty years ago while in Bible school and have used it time and time again throughout the many transitions of my life.

Biblical Decision Making Steps

Begin with prayer. Frame your attitude into one of trust and obedience as you commit the decision to prayer. There’s no reason to be fearful in decision making when you are secure in the knowledge that God has your best interest in mind.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

Define the decision. Ask yourself if the decision involves a moral or non-moral area. It is actually a little easier to discern the will of God in moral areas because most of the time you will find clear direction in God’s Word. If God has already revealed his will in Scripture, your only response is to obey. Non-moral areas still require the application of biblical principles; however, sometimes the direction is harder to distinguish.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (NIV)

Be ready to accept and obey God’s answer. It’s unlikely that God will reveal his plan if he knows already that you won’t obey. It is absolutely essential that your will be completely submitted to God’s. When your will is humbly and fully submitted to the Master, you can have confidence that he will illuminate your path.

Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take. (NLT)

Exercise faith. Remember too, that decision making is a process that takes time. You may have to resubmit your will over and over again to God throughout the process. Then by faith, which pleases God, trust him with a confident heart that he will reveal his will.

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (NIV)

Seek concrete direction. Begin investigating, evaluating and gathering information. Find outwhat the Bible says about the situation? Gain practical and personal information that relates to the decision, and begin writing down what you learn.

Obtain counsel. In difficult decisions it’s wise to get spiritual and practical counsel from the godly leaders in your life. A pastor, elder, parent, or simply a mature believer can often contribute important insight, answer questions, remove doubts and confirm inclinations. Make sure to choose individuals who will offer sound biblical advice and not just say what you want to hear.

Proverbs 15:22
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. (NIV)

Make a list. First write down the priorities you believe God would have in your situation. These are not the things that are important to you, but rather the things that are most important to God in this decision. Will the outcome of your decision draw you closer to God? Will it glorify him in your life? How will it impact those around you?

Weigh the decision. Make a list of the pros and cons connected with the decision. You may find that something on your list clearly violates the revealed will of God in his Word. If so, you have your answer. This is not his will. If not, then you now have a realistic picture of your options to help you make a responsible decision.

Choose your spiritual priorities. By this time you should have enough information to establish your spiritual priorities as they relate to the decision. Ask yourself which decision best satisfies those priorities? If more than one option will fulfill your established priorities, and then choose the one which is your strongest desire!

Sometimes God gives you a choice. In this case there is no right and wrong decision, but rather a freedom from God to choose, based on your preferences. Both options are within God’s perfect will for your life and both will lead to the fulfillment of God’s purpose for your life.

Act on your decision. If you have arrived at your decision with the sincere intention of pleasing the heart of God, incorporating biblical principles and wise counsel, you can proceed with confidence knowing that God will work out his purposes through your decision.

Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (NIV)

Generation gap is a popular term used to describe wide differences in cultural norms, preferences and ideologies between members of a younger generation and their elders. This happens when older and younger people do not understand each other and become self focused rather than seeking the good of others.

The term first came into use in Western countries during the 1960s and it described the differences between the Baby Boomers and their parents. This was highlighted by a shift from the “we” generation of the builders to the “me” generation of the baby boomers as illustrated by Reginald Bibby in his book “The Boomer Factor”.  The result is the ever present issue of defining ourselves by what separates us rather than what brings us together.

Like most people when I was younger and “wiser” I bought into the idea of the generation gap.  I believed that we were so different from each other and that was the cause of conflict between our generations.  After much reading, studying and pastoring; I’ve come to the conclusion that very little good has come from tremendous focus on the “gap”.  I’ve seen more conflict stir up, movements “emerge” and relationships break over this push to define our church struggles by ideological differences rather than by what the truth is.

Now I know that last statement seems a bit heavy, but what if the truth is that the “doctrine of the Generation Gap” is really a prolific lie that has entered the church to dismantle it from the inside out?  I love to play the board game Risk.  In the game I get to use a skill that I seldom use in my everyday life…manipulation.  Before the game even begins I have people believing that they’ve already lost and through a series of “well intentioned” suggestions people who play with me attack each other and allow me to gain more and more strength to diminish their armies as the game continues.  They attack each other and I don’t need to use any of my own resources to weaken them for my take over and ultimate victory in the game.

What if this is simply another lie from the evil one that is dividing the church?  What if this focus on the generation gap is a “well intentioned” suggestion to cause us to lose focus on what we are truly to be about and pursue together.  I am not suggesting in any way that the devil will win the game, but I am suggesting that he wins small battles along the way that hinder the effectiveness of the church.

To be honest this idea of being different from each other is not without merit because we as generations do have our preferences, but there is no provision in Scripture for a “generation gap” as the world sees the issue.  As a matter of fact I have found that the Bible contradicts the gap mentality:

Galatians 3:28 (New International Version, ©2010)

²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Romans 10:11-12 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”^{[a] 12} For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,

Philippians 2:1-4 (New International Version, ©2010)

¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

The more we give credibility to this lie the more we will see people leaving the church because they are not connecting with the total body.  I believe that Philippians 2 in the context of Galatians and Romans highlights how we are to function…as one!