The Lord Jesus had healed a woman who had been bent double for 18 years.  He freed her from bondage and gave her healing; He did that on a Sabbath in a synagogue. 
(Luke 13:10-13)

(NASB) Luke 13:14 “But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, ‘There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”

  Many times officious people:
1- are also legalistic and become indignant when “their rules” are ignored.
2- make public accusations to pointedly put down those who have disregarded “their rules.”
3- put “their rules” ahead of people’s real needs.
4- are the epitome of self-righteousness.
5- add to God’s commandments – their legalism binds people to live within restricted boundaries.  Hypocrisy does that! 

God’s words free people to live within His safe boundaries.

  What did Jesus say to this synagogue official’s public condemnation?
(NASB) Luke 13:15-16 “…‘You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?
16 ‘And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?’”

  How did that crowd in the synagogue respond to what Jesus said to that official?
(NASB) Luke 13:17 “As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.”

  Jesus’ opponents:  He did not make them out to be victims or heroes.  He did not ‘soft-pedal’ His rebuke…they were shamed…because of their own words.

  Jesus’ work:  the people in the synagogue rejoiced “over all the glorious things being done by Him.”
1- He freed and healed a woman who was a relative/friend of that crowd.
2- He rebuked the hypocritical synagogue official.  (Perhaps others had come under the scathing condemnation of that man in the past.)
3- He gave words of encouragement which thwarted the hypocrisy of legalism.  (Legalism uses God’s commandments as a basis to add people’s restrictive rules.)

  ‘Lord God of the Bible, Your words are truth and not to be added to, open my eyes to where I am legalistic and hypocritical…when and where I serve You, please help me to be aware and not add to what You say!  I ask this in the name of Jesus, Amen.’

God’s Words First Without Additions

Are you putting God’s words first without adding to them?