“The Just Shall Live By Faith”

New King James Version                          Written by: David Hicks

 

Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."

Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."

“Articles of Faith"

An Orderly Account Of The Greatest Story Ever Told

(A Study in Luke)

Chapter 13:10-21:

As the Lord journeys towards Jerusalem and the time of His departure is drawing near, He is intensifying His message of repentance. He boldly spoke to the children of Israel concerning the fact that they all needed to repent and come back to God before He up-rooted them and cast them away!

Now as the Lord continues His journey, as was His custom, He was found in the synagogue on the Sabbath, teaching.

Text #1:

Luke 13:10-14 “Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

Spirit of Infirmity: Luke, as a physician describes this woman's curvature of the spine as a spirit of infirmity. This may suggest that it was involving far more mental anguish than physical pain or discomfort. The Lord would indicate that this infirmity was cast on her and He attributed it to the work of Satan – Vs. 16.

There is absolutely no indication that this woman has come to the synagogue looking for healing from this affliction.

Ruler of the Synagogue: This was the title worn by those who were appointed by the elders as the one in charge of all the functions of the synagogue (worship, appointing men to read, pray, etc...).

After recognizing the power behind the miracle, rather than censure the Lord for His actions on the Sabbath, he sought instead to indirectly rebuke the Lord by taking his grievance to the crowd.

Keep in mind that although the Lord has dealt with the issue of doing a good work on the Sabbath before, this was in Galilee (Luke 6:1-11). Although He firmly established that it was lawful to do good deeds to those who were in need on the Sabbath – Luke 6:9; they would be incensed anyway (Luke 6:11).

The emphasis these leaders of the people put on their traditions had completely blinded them to the meaning of the Sabbath.

The Rabbis, Pharisees, and scribes at the time of Jesus taught that the laws concerning the Sabbath were an end unto themselves (during the period between Ezra and the coming of Jesus, the scribes formulated innumerable legal restrictions for the conduct of life under the Law, two whole treatises in the Talmud are devoted to the details of the Sabbath observance – it was these human doctrines that Jesus is in conflict with in our text). This however, was never the case in the presentation of this law for the benefit of man. The story used by the Lord in Luke 6:3-5, concerning David and the show bread, simply taught that the mandatory needs of man must be met, even in the face of consecrated things (I Samuel 21 - this would include holy bread, holy days, etc…). What good is a blessing of God should you perish in observance?

The idea of profaning or defiling comes from the notion that it has been devised in advance to ignore the sanctity of the statutes of God.

It was not in conflict of the true understanding of defilement that Jesus came to be at odds with the religious leaders of the people. Jesus simply taught that the Sabbath was made for man's benefit, and that mercy on man's needs must take precedence in the application of observance. Jesus Himself regularly attended worship in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 4:16). This illustrates His understanding of the importance of this day.

This would sponsor one of the strongest rebukes of the Lord to date and He would apply it to the entire cast this ruler of the synagogue belonged to.

Text #2:

Luke 13:15-17  “The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.”

Hypocrite: The Lord continues to expose the hypocrisy that He warned His disciples about in Luke 12:1. Here the ruler of the synagogue hid his hatred of the Lord and His teaching with the pretense of zeal for the Sabbath and tried to hide the indulgence of his hatred by acting as the strict judge of others.

The Lord would show the crowds this man's hypocrisy as well as all the leaders of the people by contrasting that they placed a higher value on their own livestock than the people.

The Lord's Behavior Verses Theirs:

•  He elevated a child of Abraham over an ox or donkey!

•  He loosed her from a terrible infirmity, not from a comfortable stall!

•  He relieved 18 years of suffering, not just thirst since the morning watering!

Adversaries: The teaching of the Lord is so powerful in exposing the hypocrisy that it not only silences and shames the ruler of the synagogue, but all the adversaries of the Lord in the eyes of the people. They were not just put to shame in the moment but also in this wisdom that would continue to haunt them.

Text #3:

Luke 13:18-21 “Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
20 And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.”

What is the Kingdom of God Like? The Lord continues to speak to the multitude from verse 17, and asks a question with the desire to emphasize the greatness of the answer.

Mustard Seed: This was the smallest of all seeds found in Palestine ! They could be crushed and used as a paste for adding flavor to foods.

Large Tree: The result of this seed's growth was a thick stemmed plant that in good conditions grew higher than a man could reach and had full branches for the support of life (birds of the air).

From something small in the sight of men, it would grow beyond the reach of those who would find themselves at odds with its growth. It would be victorious over its adversaries like Jesus was over His in verse 17.

To What Shall I Liken the Kingdom of God? The Lord asks a second question with the same desire to emphasize the answer.

Leaven: Yeast was preserved in pieces of left over dough from the previous baking (not in separate form). When time came to bake again, the leavened dough was added to the new dough to ferment it (cause it to rise). 3 measures (or two pecks) were the usual batch at a single baking.

Here the leaven represents the quickness, quietness, thoroughness, and sureness with which the kingdom of God would proliferate itself through the world and from within the midst of the world.

Next: “The Narrow Way”