Lent 2022 • Week Four Jesus Is Not Self-Seeking

Thursday, March 24th, 2022

Then he [Jesus] put his hands on her, [the cropped woman] and immediately she straightened up and praised God. . . . But] 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.”
Luke 13:13-14 (NIV)

“For I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”
Hosea 6:6 (NIV)

Bible Reading: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

“On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 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. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 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.” 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? 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?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.”

The Sabbath

We first read about the day of rest (Sabbath) in Genesis 2:2-3, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.”

The Sabbath is mentioned next in Exodus 20:8-11,

Keeping the Sabbath is an affirmation that God is Creator and Sustainer of the world. Exodus 20:11; “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

It is also an affirmation of Israel’s identity, Deuteronomy 5:12,15; “Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.”

Just as joy is more than the absence of sorrow, the Sabbath is more than ceasing to do work. Staying in bed all day does not amount to a keeping of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is to be a delightful and joyous, day giving thanks to God for His gift of all creation.

A good article to read and further study can be found by clicking this link:

https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/sabbath/?amp

Challenge Question

• How often do we get so caught up in what others think of us that we ignore the hurt of those around us?

💠 Next time you walk into a room, look around not to ascertain how you measure up, but to seek and find the person who needs a friend. Walk up to them and strike up a conversation, looking for ways to communicate Jesus’ love towards them.

📚Further Study 📚

Exodus 20:8-11 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Exodus%2020:8-11&version=NIV

Matthew 9:12-13 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Matthew%209:12-13&version=NIV

Luke 14:1-6 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%2014:1-6&version=NIV

Friends ~

Our world is moving 24/7/365 and not all of us have the ability to do the Sabbath, on the Sabbath. Some celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday, while others on Sunday. My upbringing was that Sunday’s were celebrated as the Sabbath. As a child and as a teenager, attending Sunday school and church services was a weekly activity I thoroughly enjoyed. I had wonderful role models and mentors that impressed my heart and my curiosity for learning. I was fortunate to have parents who encouraged me and my brother to be our best. They sacrificed and sent us both to a Christian school to get our education. God provided a way for me to attend a Christian College and the support my parents gave me was priceless. Some of my fondest memories are of the four years in spent pursuing a degree but the best part was the people I met and the bonds of friendships that were forged.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in the story of Esther, she was brave not for herself but for her people and their very lives. Esther 4:14b, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther, placed herself in danger to save her people.

Keeping the Sabbath, strictly speaking for my life is more than a Saturday or a Sunday free from doing anything; the Sabbath for me is about honoring, praising and worshiping God because he created everything, including me. My hope is that others can see more of God and less of me. I wish you a beautiful day filled with unexpected joys. ~ Peace

~Charlotte, Seeker of unexpected Comfort, Happiness, Joy and Patience.

References:

https://www.biblegateway.com/