Hypocrites!
Isaiah 58:9b-14 and Luke 13:10-17
11th Sunday after Pentecost
August 24, 2025
This is such a familiar scripture; however, I am never left without my jaw dropping and my head shaking at the ignorance in the statement of the synagogue leader.
It seems like a no brainer, and it is even harder to comprehend that someone would chide Jesus for healing someone.
It causes me to reflect on the time in which Jesus was living with many being oppressed so that others could live off the backs of the ones who suffered. Sounds eerily similar to leaders throughout the world today, except this leader is in the synagogue.
Synagogues during the time of Jesus were vital centers for worship, education, and community life, significantly influencing the ministry of Jesus and the early Christian community.
Synagogues were for the people of the town, like a town hall as we know it today. They often functioned as courts of law, community centers, and political institutions. As the official local gathering place, the public synagogue represented the town, and therefore, the decisions made by public synagogue assemblies were made for the town as a whole.
Jewish culture reached back to Genesis 1 when God called for rest and worship on the Sabbath day after working six days.
The synagogue leader opposed Jesus’ healing the woman on the Sabbath as he did not believe that Jesus was observing rest on the Sabbath as was the Jewish custom.
Jesus, however, was more interested in showing mercy and putting human need over Jewish law.
I love the image of this story as I can imagine Jesus walking through the synagogue looking for those longing to be healed. The woman crys for help, and as written in Isaiah, our Lord responds, “Here I am.”
I imagine Jesus’ gentle voice like the whisper of the lamb, yet roaring to be heard. Tender, loving and compassionate, yet earnest.
Jesus sees her, calls her over to him, lays his hands on her and immediately frees her from her ailment.
Imagine the people in the synagogue with all eyes now fixed on this woman and Jesus. Their mouths gaping and eyes wide with amazement.
The once bent over woman now standing straight and praising God.
I wonder was the synagogue leader so indignant because he felt Jesus was breaking a Jewish law, or was he jealous of the power that he witnessed from this charismatic man called Jesus?
While scripture points out the one synagogue leader, Jesus responds to more than one as he says, “You hypocrites!” making it obvious there were others present that were judging the actions of Jesus.
Jesus calls out the finger-pointers and those speaking evil against his action by turning the action around on them pointing out the work they do to care for their animals on the Sabbath.
This is the second week we have heard Jesus call a group hypocrites. Last week the disciples, and this week the synagogue leaders.
Hypocrites because they look after their own assets and interests while ignoring the obvious needs of the people in the town.
Hypocrites because their spiritual lives are only a shallow masquerade.
To put the final nail in the coffin of their ridicule, Jesus draws a parallel to the bondage which Abraham suffered, and who was set free through God’s grace, so too this woman should also be healed and set free from her bondage.
A point they could not argue.
In response to Jesus standing up to the synagogue leaders, and healing the woman, the crowd began to rejoice at all the wonderful things he was doing.
Isaiah 58 serves as a powerful reminder that the heart of worship lies not in mere ritualistic observance but in living a life of righteousness, mercy, and compassion towards our fellow humans. It is a call to each one of us to evaluate our practices, challenging us to be authentic in our devotion and commitment to serving others, for that is the worship that pleases God.
When we align our actions with God’s will, we will experience His blessings, including healing, guidance, and restoration.
If we remove the yoke, or that which weighs us down, then our light will rise in the darkness.
The Sabbath is an important day of delight and reverence for God, promising joy and prosperity for those who keep it holy, and it is a day for healing broken spirits.
Like last week’s story of Jesus as the roaring lion, we are called not to go our own way to serve our own interests, and it is repeated today in Isaiah’s scripture as well as in Luke.
We are called to delight in the Lord, to obey the Lord and follow the nature of our Lord showing compassion and mercy as we continue to change the world one person at a time.
As we await the glorious return of our Lord, we praise him and give glory to him for all that we have and all that we are as God’s children.
Praise God, He set us free!