August 22, 2004

Experiencing Grace, Period

Luke 13:6-17

From the very beginning of this chapter we encounter grace. The opening words of the chapter are an attempt by some to say that because certain bad things had happened to certain people, the reason had to be that they were sinners. They were being punished for their sins.

Jesus uses this moment as a teaching moment to remind the people that calamity will befall those who do not repent and turn to God.

Beginning in verse 6 Jesus tells them a parable:

“Then he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, “For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’” (NIV)

Jesus tells of a man who planted a vineyard. The point of planting a vineyard is that you might enjoy the fruit of your labor. When he comes to inspect and collect the fruit, he finds none. He is somewhat patient, as he continues to come back for three years, but still he finds no fruit. He demands that it be cut down. After all, why let it just use up space and produce nothing? But someone says, “Sir, give me a year and let me care for it. I will cultivate and nurture it for one year. If there is no fruit next year then cut it down.” The man interceded for the life of the fig tree. You see, the tree received a grace period.

A grace period is defined as the additional period of time a lender or an insurance policy user provides for a borrower to make past-due payment on a debt without a penalty.

Jeremiah 17:7-8: "But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." (NIV)

John 15:8: “This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (NIV)

John 15:16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” (NIV)

As Christians we are to bear fruit.

From this parable we move to this event in the life of Jesus.

Luke 13:10-17: “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 ruler 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 his 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.” (NIV)

In verse 10 we see that Jesus is doing what he is usually doing, ministry. He was teaching in the synagogue. There is in attendance there a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years. The text says crippled by a spirit. Whether she was demon-possessed, or suffered from a long-standing illness, the Scripture makes one thing very plain. Her illness was real, and it had been a part of her life for a long time. Little did she realize she was about to enter the grace period. Notice that she was in the synagogue. She certainly could have said, “I am not feeling well; I don’t think I will go today.” Or, “No one will notice if I am not there, what difference will it make if I don’t go today?”

The point of being in the synagogue was not would anyone notice or would anyone miss her, but the point is that all of us need to create space in our lives for grace. Grace is poured out upon all of us. Perhaps a better way of saying it might be, am I aware that God desires to pour out His grace into my life? Do I realize that I need to adjust my schedule and my priorities for grace? Perhaps to her this day seemed like any other day. The day may have started like many Sabbaths before, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet this would be a day that would change her life forever. Perhaps you have come today thinking this is just like any other ordinary Sunday. You may be entering your grace period. In your life today have you created space for God to work? Are you creating space for grace?

The Bible says that she was bent over and could not straighten up at all. You cannot straighten up without grace. All of our lives people tell us to just straighten up. They say try harder, do right, why don’t you just straighten up? They don’t realize I have been this way for a long time. If I could straighten up, I would. But I can’t. I need someone to help me. You may think you are not in as bad of shape as this lady. The definition of her condition is that “she was bent in on herself.” How many of us can’t straighten up because we are bent in on ourselves?
Jesus called her forward and told her that she was set free from her infirmity. We must never forget it is Jesus who sets people free. As we minister to people we cannot set them free, but we can point to Jesus, the one who can set them free. He touched her and immediately she straightened up and praised God. The touch of Jesus is what we need.

What a scene it must have been when Jesus touched the lady and she was healed. I would assume that all the spiritual leaders present at the synagogue that day were overjoyed. They would have been excited to see someone bound up and bent over set free. You know it does not always work that way.

The people who should have rejoiced were mad or indignant. They said you know there are six days to work, six days to heal. Why would you have to do that on Sunday? You see we can get so in love with our rules that we forget about the spirit. We can get so busy doing good things that we forget why we are doing good things. It is not about all the things we may think it is about. It is about Jesus touching people.

You see the lady was not the only one that day who needed to straighten up. The people in the synagogue needed to straighten up. You see some of us have the same or similar need as the lady did. We are bent in on ourselves. We have forgotten that all of us are living in a grace period. Even in our busy lives we can rush around doing so many good things that we forget that we, likewise, need to create space for grace.

Just like the lady in the story, none of us can straighten up by ourselves. We, too, need the touch of Jesus in our lives.