Captured by Grace [3-30-25]

March 30, 2025

Luke 6:1-11

“Captured by Grace”

Here’s Luke 6:1-11 one last time:

On a Sabbath, while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” And Jesus answered them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?” And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” And after looking around at them all he said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Our focus is going to be on verses six through eleven.

What’s the first thing Jesus does? He brings the man with the withered hand front and center. Jesus invites the man to join him in making a huge point about grace. Here’s something you might want to write down:

HELP PEOPLE…SHOW COMPASSION…SHOW MERCY…DO GOOD.

As we saw last week, Jesus never disparages the Sabbath. He never says

there’s anything wrong with honoring a day of rest. The point Jesus makes is, never get so absorbed in toeing the Sabbath line that one neglects the greater purposes of God and doing good. It’s never a bad thing to do good. In fact, you can honor the Sabbath and help people. That’s the point Jesus makes.

It's always a good thing to choose helping and healing.

Do you remember the small jet that crashed in Philadelphia several months ago? CCTV cameras and Ring doorbell cameras captured the horrific event. As debris showered down on people going about their day, ten-year-old Trey Howard shielded his little sister to protect her. In the process, his injuries required brain surgery. When he finally woke up, he asked if he had saved his sister. “Daddy, did I save my sister?” He did.

So, back to Luke. What’s Jesus’ point about the Sabbath? Even though he could have waited to heal the man the next day, he didn’t. And that’s the

point. Most of us will never have to face such extreme examples of

stepping in to help others. But, as much as possible, as often as possible,

we need to start each day desiring to do good. More important than external observations of what it means to be devoted to God, showing mercy and kindness is the way forward.

Jesus is countering the dark side of human nature. This is why we need a Savior. In the midst of all the goodness going on, with the crowds and the healings and the desire for increased devotion to God, what do the religious leaders do? It’s right there in verse seven. “They might find a reason to accuse him.” That’s the dark side of human nature. While Jesus brings healing, the religious leaders plot destruction. This reminds us of Psalm 37:30-33:

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,

and his tongue speaks justice.

The law of his God is in his heart;

his steps do not slip.

The wicked watches for the righteous

and seeks to put him to death.

The Lord will not abandon him to his power

or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.

In this brief encounter, Luke is already bringing our hearts and minds to the promise of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is new life in Christ.

The irony of verse seven is that while the religious leaders demand strict observance of the Sabbath, they are plotting to kill Jesus. That’s why I always say, it’s never a good thing to be religious. As someone once wrote, “The religious mind is a curious thing. It’s not necessarily interested in common morality, still less in relieving human misery and affliction. It is interested in keeping rules, particularly the rules which spring from its own cherished interpretations of Scripture and tradition and to these interpretations it will attribute the inflexible authority of God.”

We take our cue from Jesus. He acknowledges his adversaries. Looking around at them, he knows what they’re up to. But what he’s up to is far more important. So he heals the man. In the midst of his opponents, Jesus demonstrates a miracle of divine goodness. He shows us the way. Helping

others…relieving human misery…is always the better way. It boils down to

these two truths:

We don’t embrace acts of kindness to earn God’s favor and salvation.

We embrace acts of kindness because, in the cross of Christ, we have been given God’s favor and salvation.

That’s a huge difference. It’s captured by 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” Amen?

How much does God love us? By reminding us to carve out time for rest. We don’t have to burden it with rules and regulations. Just take time to wind down. You might want to write these three simple principles down:

REJOICE…REFOCUS…GIVE GRATITUDE.

However you choose to embrace those three gifts is up to you. Simply make sure you do it unburdened by any legalisms.

Finally, there’s the response of religious people to the healing on the Sabbath. It’s powerful. And I don’t mean powerful in a positive way. Verse eleven tells us “they were filled with fury and discussed with one another

what they might do to Jesus.” That is a strong, visceral response. The Greek, anoios, can also be translated as “rage.” Its root, noios, means “to know.” What happens when you add an “a” to a word? It becomes the opposite. “Atypical” comes to mind. As well as “amoral.”

So, what does Luke want us to understand? That’s exactly it. The opposite of “to know” is to not understand. They are devoid of understanding. They are driven by their emotions. They flip out. They lose their minds. They blow a gasket. You get the point. This observation from Thomas Sowell is appropriately applicable here:

“ACTIVISM IS A WAY FOR USELESS PEOPLE TO FEEL IMPORTANT, EVEN IF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIVISM ARE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE FOR THOSE THEY CLAIM TO BE HELPING AND DAMAGING TO THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY AS A WHOLE.”

The Pharisees and teachers of the law are so emotionally out of control, they discuss doing something horrible to Jesus. And so the plotting against Jesus continues. We’re still two years from the crucifixion as the desire to kill Jesus ferments.

And guess what? Jesus knows exactly how they will respond, and still he heals the man. Praise God that Jesus doesn’t care about threats or peer pressure or opposition. He’s going to do what God sent him here to do. He’s going to share the Good News…he’s going to talk about love and forgiveness…he’s going to heal people…he’s going to spread grace and mercy until it’s time to go to his cross.

Here's the last thing you might want to write down. No matter what’s going

on around him:

JESUS SPEAKS THE TRUTH INTO EVERY SITUATION.

Jesus is the truth. But the religious people won’t submit to the truth.

Instead they choose wickedness. Like unbelievers today. Choosing madness over knowledge. Choosing wickedness over goodness. Choosing deception over honesty. Choosing indifference over compassion. Choosing the kingdom of Satan over the Kingdom of God. It’s hard to imagine rejecting the saving truth of Jesus Christ.

Make no mistake. God forgives all who turn to Christ in faith, receiving him as Lord and Savior. Being captured by grace is a beautiful thing.

For anyone struggling with their position in Christ; for anyone questioning where they will be after they die; for anyone who has ever doubted or despaired, we close with this from Charles Spurgeon:

“Though the devil says you will never be saved, don’t believe it; and above all, turn your eyes full of tears to Christ on the cross, and trust him. There is salvation in no other, but there is salvation

in the crucified Redeemer.”