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Sunday, August 26, 2007 Luke 13:10-17 “THE UNBENDING”

10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And 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. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." 13When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14But 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." 15But 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? 16And 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?" 17When 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.

When I was little boy growing up on a 40-acre farm in Outlook, WA we didn’t have a television set until I was ten years old. We were told that television was the work of the devil. Yet some of my best childhood memories involve sneaking over to our neighbor’s house to watch the Saturday afternoon Major League Baseball Game of the week. Usually Mrs. Barr was the only one home. She would come to the door, welcoming me, [bend over] even though she couldn’t quite stand up straight, even though she was bent over to the ground.

Can you picture her hearing me as child running to her house, walking towards me to the screen door, bent over in pain?

I remember at times as a child watching Mrs. Barr shuffle around, doing her work, especially on Mondays when our entire family would go over to the Barr’s house to buys eggs and then we would watch my dad and Mr. Barr’s favorite show together Gunsmoke. Even though she was in the room with us, she was unable to join us by sitting with us, because of her ailment.

Can you see her in the background with her face down to the ground even as she serves us homemade hot buttered popcorn from the stove?

This is similar to what Jesus sees in our gospel story this morning – a woman is bent out of shape unable to stand up straight. But because of her encounter with the healing touch of Jesus an UNBENDING occurs as she receives freedom that allows her to straighten up.

But there is more to this physical image of UNBENDING than meets the eye. In Jesus day the common religious belief was that physical infirmity was a sign of God’s displeasure. So it is on that their holy day, as the religious leaders and their people are listening to Jesus teach, she appears.

With this in their religious belief system can you imagine their looks of annoyance and disdain?

But Luke wants us to see beyond our narrow religious beliefs, to see what Jesus saw – a woman who was crippled in spirit for 18-long years. During our stations of light we caught a glimpse of what this might’ve been like for this woman by the Greek word that Luke used to describe her being “bent over.” She was soong-koop'-to! Bo [long o] wed together! After 18- long years she was bent straight to the ground.
Can you begin to imagine not only her physical ailment, but also what this might’ve have done to her spiritually and emotionally – particularly if she had been told by those who spoke for God that God was displeased with her?

The richness of the idea from this word in the Greek—it might be better translated bent together or bent with – should speak to each of us in the burdens we carry – whether physical, emotional, or spiritual.

For 18-long years this woman has been bent out of shape, the wear and tear of carrying this burden eventually bends her together, to a place where she now has bought the voices that come with her ailment, “God is displeased with me.” Yet Jesus calls her over, tenderly speaking words of God’s freedom to her, and as he touches her she stands up straight and begins to praise God. HER UNBENDING!

This is where it would be quite easy for me to get emotional. For UNBENDING is literally defined this way, “to free, to make, or to allow to become straight.” And isn’t this what Jesus does in the movement of healing that is available to each of us?

Jesus sees beyond what others see in this woman who is bent to the ground. Jesus calls her by name; Jesus frees her with healing touch, giving her power to stand up straight before God and humanity.
What burden have you carried for too long that has you bent out of shape? Twisted? Tied into knots? To the point where you have become defined by it, and lost your way?

Jesus wants to meet you there –
Perhaps it is a physical ailment,
Or it’s something that’s not quite right in your marriage,
Or in your relationship with your parents, or your children, with God or your self,
Maybe there’s an addiction,
Some destructive behavior,
Or perhaps it’s a burden you’ve been carrying for our church.

Regardless of what it is and how long you’ve carried it – Jesus is asking you to come to him, so that he can touch you with healing power – so that you can be free to make or allow your UNBENDING to happen.
Notice the remarkable richness in our gospel story in what happens next. Now instead of this woman – whom supposedly God was displeased with, that’s why she was bent out of shape – the religious leaders are bent out of shape! How dare Jesus interrupt their worship by healing on the Sabbath?

Before we judge these religious leaders too harshly we should hear the words of William Barclay who wrote in his Daily Bible Study Commentary on Luke, “Strangely enough this too is our tragedy, that our systems and beliefs often become more important than people. This worship of beliefs and systems is common, all too tragically conflict arises in churches over legalistic matters (how dare Jesus heal on the Sabbath?) We constantly run the risk of loving our beliefs and our systems more than we love God.”

As Jesus silences the religious leaders, exposing their hypocrisy, notice how the people react. They begin rejoicing at all of the wonderful things God is doing through Jesus.

This healing that has brought the woman freedom has become communal. The therapeutic effects of shared knowledge that in spite of our burdens God still loves us opens us up to the possibilities of life still in front of us.

If Jesus saw you now, and called you over, what would Jesus want you to be free of? Will you allow God’s healing touch to penetrate what has you bent out of shape, bent inward?
Let us enter into our UNBENDINGS as we continue to learn to trust the breath of life that is in us.

In the name of our loving God, through the grace of Jesus, in communion with the Holy Spirit – Amen.