One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue,
He saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are he aled of your sickness!” Then He touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God! But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”
This shamed His enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things He did.
Luke 13:10-17
This incident serves to silence the opposition and makes it very plain as to what has happened. The conclusion is powerful, but there are some things to observe before we get to that.
Jesus is in the midst of teaching in the synagogue when a woman enters the synagogue. The literal text says, “And behold a woman . . .”. In the middle of teaching Jesus not only notices her but stops his teaching and calls her to Him at the front of the synagogue. Rather intrusive and out there for all to see. This is very, very public. She has been 18 years like this and no doubt the leader of the synagogue and the attendees have got used to seeing her like this and what’s more, accepted it. She has accepted her lot as well. This is life for her. She and everyone else have accepted this. The fact that she has been bent over and unable to straighten for so long has meant that her bone structure, her nerves and muscles have all adjusted to this new posture. To change would require prolonged physiotherapy and painful adjustment. It is a chronic condition. Eighteen years like that is a long time.
I have experienced long term back pain from an old tennis injury which occurred when I was younger. Each time my back spasmed, I was stuck bent over for days. I can empathise with this woman. Problems with the lower back or higher up the spine causing us to bend over are excruciatingly painful. ANY MOVEMENT is felt in the lumbar curve of the back. Just simply coughing can send shooting pain through the lumbar region. I found when I was healed as I have been a couple of times over the years it was almost as though there was still muscle memory there, which made it feel as though it was still painful even though the pain had gone.
It seems that either this woman had found a seat in the synagogue or was making her way slowly to it when Jesus called her. The woman has not come asking for healing. Rather she was just going about her life as usual. Slowly too I might add. She must have known that Jesus was the healer. His fame had spread before Him but she made no attempt herself to indicate she was asking for a healing or expecting anything. Jesus calls her forward and all eyes are now on her. He said to her, “Woman, you have been freed [released, loosed, set free – the sense is after having been bound] from your infirmity [sickness, weakness, trouble].” We will investigate the sense of this a little later. For now let me just draw attention to the fact that this “freeing” is set in the perfect tense. It is something that has just happened but will last permanently. And she didn’t even ask for it. Then He laid His hands on her and at that moment she was healed. Not only healed but she was made straight again. No need to go see the physio. Her back, spinal column, nerves, tendons and muscles were all rightly aligned again. Now that is impressive after 18 years in the wrong position.
What is interesting with this woman’s healing is that she didn’t ask for it. Normally people come asking for a healing. In this case Jesus takes the initiative. Many times Jesus only speaks the healing into being. In this case He lays hands on her. I imagine He laid hands on her lumbar region. He didn’t need to lay hands on her, He could have just spoken her healing into existence but no, He touches her. For other people He asks the recipient to do the very thing that is most difficult for them to do: stretch out a withered hand, stand up and pick up your bed. In this case she was not required to do anything. Interesting. I wonder why. I will tell you what I think soon.
Now the ruler of the synagogue comes to the fore. I would imagine this is the same person the woman has been coming to through those eighteen years. I think he would know her well. In the midst of the proceedings Jesus calls her out and this man (supposedly devout) witnesses first hand a divine miracle. Does he rejoice with the woman who is no doubt still singing God’s praises? No he doesn’t. He gets indignant about it. In fact his anger is aroused. Why? Because this Jewish woman, a “daughter” of Abraham is oppressed by demons to the point of sickness? Because she has been like this for 18 years and nobody, including this ruler, has been able to do anything about it? No! He is angry because this happened on the Sabbath and therefore contravened the Law of the Pharisees. Not God’s Law, because His law is not so strict. They hotly debated what constituted work. It was ok to turn a tap on, to water an animal but without the use of the hands. If you held a bucket for the animal with water in it then that was work on the Sabbath. Oh come on. Notice the man didn’t not rebuke Jesus. He didn’t have the courage for that. He rebukes the crowd. Perhaps so that no one else would come out for healing having seen what happened to the woman. Or so that no one would go racing off to bring a relative to the synagogue for healing.
Jesus calls him a hypocrite. But not just him. Notice He says “You Hypocrites.” Meaning the man and all people who think like the man. There are number of points that could make him and others a hypocrite.
- Putting the pharisaical laws ahead of God’s Law
- Pretending concern when in reality they care more their rules and regulations
- Giving their animals higher priority than this child of Abraham.
- Or as some commentators suggest, this man not having the courage to confront Jesus and appealing to the crowd instead; trying to intimidate them and not Jesus.
Jesus skillfully took the forthcoming criticism from the Pharisees on himself. I think He deliberately did everything for her healing Himself, knowing their laws. The fact that He stretched out His hand meant He was the one working on the Sabbath, not her. She has only been a willing recipient of His work. Exactly, Jesus told the Pharisees in John’s Gospel when they asked about the work of God.
Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?
John 6:28-30
Jesus’ argument or challenge to them is masterful. He made a series of comparative points all cumulative by nature.
A woman | An ox |
A human being | An animal |
A child of Abraham | Other human beings |
Bound by satan | Tethered (bound) by rope |
18 years | One day |
The Sabbath | Any other day |
Freed from a demon | An animal’s need for water |
In God’s house | Anywhere else |
It’s a no brainer isn’t it which one is more worthy. In fact, isn’t it most appropriate that this child of Abraham be freed from satan’s power by God’s power in God’s House on God’s Day? When in fact the Son of God has come to heal the sick and release them from satan’s yoke. No more words need to be said. What a statement and what a concluding argument. To which the ruler of the synagogue and no Pharisee has anything to say. The matter is closed: the man and people like him are shamed and crowd rejoice at the WONDERFUL things He said. I personally think they rejoiced at the wonderful things He said, I.e. the content and the masterful way He structured His argument against the hypocrites. It was indeed masterful.
Bravo Jesus. Your ministry in a nutshell.
Unless you can create the whole universe in 5 days, then perhaps giving “advice” to God isn’t such a good idea.
Anon
May I never miss a rainbow or a miracle because I am looking down.
Ian Vail
You’ll never do anything creative or world changing if you fear criticism or don’t confront your enemies.
Anon
Christians should be among the most creative of all people; we have the most creative Father of all, and should follow in Daddy’s footsteps.
Anon