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 leader 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 your 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. Luke 13:10-17 NIV
I read this account and I think, “You’ve got to be kidding, how could this religious leader have reacted this way!” He should have been rejoicing with this poor woman who had suffered for 18 years but instead he was angry. Where was his focus? He clearly knew the law of God, but totally missed the heart of God. Jesus cares about people, not religion. Is it possible that we can get so caught up in “religion” that we fail to notice the pain of those whom Jesus died to set free? As we follow the Lord, the focus of our ministry must be on people, and our motivation must be to see those who are lost in sin, and the pain that accompanies it, set free!
Just 5 chapters later, Luke gives us the account of another man whose focus on “religion” was intact, but he was lacking something important.
A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” “All these I have kept since I was a boy,” he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. Luke 18:18-23 NIV
To this man’s credit, he recognized that the teaching of Jesus was good, and so he went to him for spiritual advice. He had taken the time to learn God’s standard and had been faithful in doing the right thing since childhood. This was all good, but it wasn’t enough. The answer to his question was summed up in these two words, “follow me.” The ruler left sad because he valued his wealth more than he valued Jesus. He was willing to submit to religious rules, and even submit to a certain lifestyle, but he was not willing to lay everything on the line and follow Jesus. That’s what it takes to be His disciple! We live in this world, but it can’t be our focus. We shouldn’t pursue anything more than our relationship with God, not religion, not our careers, not even our family relationships. Following Jesus must be the central focus of our lives, every day.
Both of these men lacked the ability to lay everything on the line for God. One clung to religion and the power he enjoyed within the religious world, while the other clung to the wealth he had achieved. What about you? Is there anything more important to you than following Jesus? Have you surrendered everything else to Him?