The scripture passages for this practice sermon come from the lectionary, with particular focus on the following Gospel reading.
Luke 13:10-17
Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then, there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, she immediately stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong.
~~Isaiah 58:11
“Lift up your hearts,” we hear at the beginning of our Eucharistic Prayer. “We lift them to the Lord,” the congregation replies. This is called the Sursum Corda. Translated, it literally means lift up your heart or “up hearts!” It is the first part of our Eucharist, officially called the Preface, but because I am a yoga teacher, I like to call this the yoga section. It is an invitation to open our hearts toward God. Whether in our hearts and minds or physically or both, we are called to assume a brighter posture as we open to receive Christ into our very being.
Good posture is essential to our flourishing. Poor posture can negatively impact us in body, mind, and spirit. Poor posture can affect our ability to breathe well, which nourishes our cells and tissues. It also impacts our balance, our ability to experience a state of equilibrium. When our balance is off, we are more prone to falling. Balance is especially important as we age. It’s something we can work on every day, and we probably should.
As we know, Jesus has a way of knocking the political and religious establishment off balance. Last week it was the crowds of people who had come to hear him. This week he calls out the religious officials in the synagogue. If this were to happen today, someone would likely be in danger of being canceled.
In a podcast interview, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg discusses the way ancient Hebrew scriptures are interpreted and modernized by scholars and theologians to better relate to people in their current time and place. It is a wonderful discussion of repentance as given in the Talmud, simplified and made practical, using five steps given by the medieval philosopher Maimonides. The five steps are confession, making amends, beginning to change, apology, and choosing differently. Repentance and forgiveness are healing for individuals and can likewise bring healing to a community. In our current cancel culture, we could certainly benefit from this ancient rabbinic wisdom.
Jesus knows his Hebrew scripture. He knows about the importance of repentance and forgiveness. And he knows about Sabbath as a day to rest in God and with God. Sabbath is a good thing, a healthy practice for individuals and communities. We could use a little more intentional observance of the Sabbath in our fast-paced secular culture. Jesus is teaching in a synagogue when an unnamed, bent-over woman appears. She has suffered from a spinal condition for eighteen long years. It hurts to even think about her condition.
As Luke tells this story, the woman had been vexed by a certain “spirit” that caused her crippling posture for a very specific length of time, the past eighteen years. According to Rabbi Alex Chapper, the number 18 has some interesting correspondences. For example, it is written in the Jewish Talmud that there are 18 vertebrae in our human spine. (There are differing theories about how this came to be determined.) In the Torah, religious patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are mentioned 18 times. The Amidah, the central prayer of every Jewish service, contains 18 blessings. In the Shema, God’s name is mentioned 18 times. It’s also in the 18th chapter of Leviticus that we read, “You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees and laws…I am the Lord.” In this chapter, there are also lots of laws about inappropriate sexual conduct and the serious repercussion of exile from the community. I imagine Jesus was well aware of this.
On this particular sabbath, Jesus notices a woman in the synagogue who is unable to stand upright. She appears to be suffering. Without pausing to ask permission, Jesus calls to her, lays his hands on her, and frees her from her 18-yearlong ailment. Indignant is the adjective Luke uses to describe the reaction of the synagogue leader. The Greek translation of the word is more like grieved or disappointed. How could a person of faith possibly be disappointed knowing that a member of the community has been restored to wholeness? He goes off on a rant about the law about observing the Sabbath, which leads to Jesus’ labeling as hypocrites the whole lot of religious leaders. Religious people can be so touchy!
To be a hypocrite is to put on a false appearance of virtue or piety. Perhaps the religious leaders knew this woman who showed up at the synagogue. We don’t actually know why she was there. Could there be more to this story? What we do know is that Jesus touched her. Finally, she could stand tall. The crowd goes wild. I can just imagine a slow clap that builds to full-out applause. They are enthralled that Jesus heals people. That people take priority over laws, religious leaders, patriarchy, and power.
Remember last week when Jesus spoke of division in families? Here, we encounter it again. This time it's between the religious leaders and the people. Are we not today divided about how best to interpret and enforce our laws? It would be hypocritical to say we are not divided on gender issues, even, and especially, in the church. Where are the marginalized, bent-over folks who could use healing? We don’t have to look far.
How can we restore the broken back into the community? It’s much easier to simply ignore or cancel them. What good is a church if it doesn’t make this its mission? The poet Tennyson wrote (indulge my paraphrase) that our reach should exceed our grasp. Or, what’s a heaven even for?
When we are conscious, compassionate, and courageous, like Jesus, we work to restore our beloved community. This means doing the hard work of repentance and forgiveness continually. Relationships are never static. They are always moving towards wholeness or dissolution. Love requires vigilance and awareness. You’ll recall that when Jesus noticed
the woman, he stopped what he was doing to help. That’s staying awake. We are likewise called to stay awake. Being intentional about Sabbath can help us live more conscious lives. But being obsessive about it will always throw us off balance.
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