u
i
D a i l y D e v o t i o n a l
Ü
|
S T U D I E S I N T H E N E W T E S T A M E N T
(
M
1
FOR INDIVIDUAL MEDITATION
AND FAMILY WORSHIP
By R. A. TORREY
ü
[^ lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilll
Saturday, January i. Luke 13 : 10 - 17 .
she attributed her healing to God and glori fied Hi,m. I f the ruler had had a heart o f love and compassion he would have rejoiced over the cure; but he was a mere ecclesias tic, caring more for ceremonial regulations than fo r the welfare o f his fellow-men, and was moved to indignation rather than joy and gratitude. He was a religious man, but he had the wrong kind o f religion. A relig ious man may be a very unmerciful man and that'kind o f religion will .save no one. It is better to be a lover o f men than a stick- ■ler for ceremonies. Our Lord called him a hypocrite. That may seem harsh, but it is abundantly warranted: though he did not realize it, there was a deep deceit and insin cerity in his heart. “ In pretense o f jealousy for God s law, he was only showing forth his hatred for Jesus.” Our Lord not only denounced him, but exposed his hypocrisy. He had more interest in an ox or an ass, if it was his own property; than he had for a woman. Men oftentimes cover up hatred for some man by a pretense o f jealousy for God’s law. This woman’s infirmity was Satan’s work. All sickness in the last analysis originates with him (Acts 10:38), but God may overrule it and use it for our good and His own glory (2 Cor. 12 .‘ 7-9 • John 9.2, 3). Our Lord Jesus in this case, broke Satan’s chain, and He can loosen every bond o f Satan (1 John 3 :8 ). God, for His own wise purpose o f love, had suf fered this woman to be bound for eighteen years. The day o f deliverance was long in coming, but it came at last. Our Lord’s word put His adversaries to shame, but filled the people with joy. There were six steps in the woman’s healing: ( 1 ) She went to the place o f worship; ( 2 ) Met the Lord there; (3) He spoke to her; ( 4 ) He laid His hands upon her; (5) She was im mediately made straight; ( 6 ) She glorified God.
W e have in this incident a striking illus tration o f man’s unmercifulness and God’s merey. The scene is laid in the synagogue on the Sabbath Day. Many a thing is done in the modern church on the Lord’s Day that displeases God. The sight o f this woman who had been Satan’s captive for eighteen years, should have awakened Com passion in the heart o f the ruler o f the synagogue, and her healing should have awakened gratitude; but he had no com passion for the woman’s misery, and no gratitude to the Lord who healed her. Many a modern ecclesiastic seems as utterly without sympathy for the unfortunate. While the woman’s infirmity awakened no compassion in the heart o f the ruler, it did awaken compassion in the heart o f the Lord Jesus. He immediately called the woman to Himself, and He is calling all other unfortunates to Himself today ( Matt, 11:28-30). His compassion was o f the most practical sort : He delivered the woman from her infirmity. He could heal by a mere word (John 4:50-53), and He spoke the healing word, but He went further, “He laid His hands on her.” There was power in the touch as well as in the word, and doubtless the touch o f His hands quickened the woman’s faith. The result o f the spoken word and laid on hands was immedi ate healing. Quite different this from mod ern Christian Science healings. Our Lord is just the same today
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online