They said what?

Have you ever been called a hypocrite? I have, I didn’t like. I have been called such a thing more than once, and while it hurts to be wrongfully accused of hypocrisy, it hurts quite a lot more when it’s true.

Jesus calls people hypocrites in the Gospels. Oh, not all the time, but he certainly does. He does in today’s Gospel lesson, Luke 13:10-17, give it a click and a read if you are so inclined. What makes this so interesting is the juxtaposition of this Gospel text with the Old Testament lesson, Isaiah 58:9b-14, which you can also click and read.

So the synagogue ruler was interpreting the regulations around the Sabbath quite tightly. You will notice Jesus does not ignore the teaching about the Sabbath, but he interprets it in a very different way. He disputes any interpretation of the Sabbath regulations that could possibly be used to prevent the doing of good on the Sabbath.

So, was the synagogue ruler a hypocrite or not? Let me know what you think, as you are so inclined and able.

“They said what?” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right-click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,