God Thrills

Jesus was known for getting under the skin of the Pharisees and other religious elite. Time and time again, He put them in their place, even calling them hypocrites and broods of snakes.

To be honest, most of us feel a certain sense of satisfaction when we read about Him doing this. ...and we're not alone. 

There's a scene in Luke 13 when Jesus once again heals a woman on the Sabbath, in the synagogue, no less. The Pharisees are, as they always are, extremely upset, but instead of criticizing Jesus, they criticize the woman. They tell her that she has six other days in the week to try to find her healing and that she shouldn't interrupt the Sabbath by seeking some kind of work. 

Jesus hushes them, reminds them that they would save an ox on the Sabbath, but here is a woman who is worth much more than an ox, calls them hypocrites, and heals the woman. 

And the crowds go wild. 

Luke says the elite were humiliated and the crowds were delighted (13:17). 

There's something in us that wants to think that perhaps the crowds rejoiced because the Pharisees were put in their place. Because they were brought down a notch, as we would say. Because someone dared to speak back to them. 

But I think that's only part of it...and only a very small part. 

I think what the crowds delighted in is that for the first time, someone with authority was recognizing them. Someone in the synagogue was engaging with them. Someone in the religious place was giving them some credit for being worth more than an ox. 

These men and women, they had been treated horribly by the religious elite for so long. So many burdens had been placed on them just to come to a place like this, and then to often be told that they still weren't good enough to receive what they were seeking, what they desired, what they needed. So many barriers had been put up to keep them from coming near to God. 

And here was God, drawing near to them. Easing their burdens. Taking the load off of them. Making a way. 

They had become burden-bearers - true oxen - and here was the Son of God saying they are much more than this. 

Not only that, but healing them. Loving them. 

What Jesus has just done for this woman in the middle of the synagogue, He can do for any one of the men and women still standing there. Any one of them. And they recognize that. They recognize that the barriers are being broken down right in front of them when a crippled woman stands up. That's why they rejoice. That's why the crowds are going wild. 

Because they're finally more than oxen again. And Jesus declares that with such authority that it puts everything back in its place, not just the Pharisees. 

So rejoice! Go wild. This is a moment that deserves it.