Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 21st August 2022
Lectionary Readings: Isaiah 58 v9b-14; Psalm 103 v1-8; Hebrews 12 v18-29; Luke 13 v10-17
Compassion trumps ‘Religion’
In today’s gospel reading, Luke recalls an incident where Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath and upsets the local worship leader! The man in charge of the meeting place thought he was upholding traditional Jewish teaching that any form of ‘work’ (including healing) was prohibited on the Sabbath. Jesus points out that everyone present would lead their animal to water on the Sabbath, without feeling that they had gone against God’s will. Why then should this woman not be cured?
Is the leader suggesting that this is not God’s will for her?
Jesus was challenging the leader’s thinking about what God requires of us, regardless of the day of the week. The rules about what people could or could not do were man-made, an over-zealous interpretation of the original commandment to rest on the Sabbath. The intention was to rest from wage earning activities and to spend time worshipping God and learning about God’s will, his vision for us, and how we can help bring about God’s Kingdom (heaven) on earth.
Jesus was arguing that healing people of their physical, and mental illnesses, and their spiritual blindness was one of God’s priorities. Compassion for the less fortunate is the hall-mark of a child of God.
Isaiah says much the same thing, ‘Give your food to the hungry and care for the homeless. Then your light will shine in the dark; the darkest hour will be like a noonday sun’. (Isaiah 58 v10).
Whenever we help others, then God’s love is shown and known to be real.
The writer of the letter to the Hebrews is urging his readers to understand that Jesus has made it possible for us to be citizens of God’s kingdom, that we have been given something that cannot be destroyed. ‘We should be grateful that we were given the kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshipping him and showing him great honour and respect’. (Hebrews 12 v28). We show God respect when we do his will.
Hymn writer, Martin Leckebusch, reflects on our calling as disciples; (Singing the Faith 660).
Called by Christ to be disciples every day in every place,
we are not to hide as hermits but to spread the way of grace;
citizens of heaven’s kingdom, though this world is where we live,
as we serve a faithful Master, faithful service may we give.
Richly varied are our pathways, many callings we pursue:
may we use our gifts and talents always, Lord to honour you;
so in government or commerce, college, hospice, farm or home,
whether volunteers or earning, may we see your kingdom come.
Hard decisions may confront us, urging us to compromise;
still obedience is our watchword – make us strong and make us wise!
Secular is turned to sacred, made a precious offering,
as our daily lives are fashioned in submission to our King.
Bible quotations are taken from the contemporary English Version.