Luke 13:10-17
10 Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all.
12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”
13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood up straight again, and began glorifying God.
14 But the synagogue leader, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days during which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does each of you on the Sabbath not untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it?
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 restraint on the Sabbath day?”
17 And 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.
The Healing of a Crippled Woman
The meaning of Sabbath
The misunderstanding of the Sabbath had already been addressed once in Luke 6:1-11. God gave the Sabbath in order to bless people. Just as circumcision was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, the Sabbath became the sign of the Sinaitic covenant, the covenant God made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Ex. 31:13). For the Jews, the Sabbath holds extremely important meaning. Even today, Jewish rabbis teach that the most important festival in the Bible is the Sabbath. However, the Israelites, in placing such strong emphasis on the Sabbath, ended up falling into legalism. In today’s passage as well, Jesus strongly rebukes the errors of the Pharisees. Jesus healed a woman who was bent over on the Sabbath. It says that she “had been disabled for eighteen years by a spirit” (v 10). The synagogue leader, indignant, said to the crowd, “There are six days during which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day” (v14). Jesus called him and his companions “hypocrites.” They appeared to strictly observe the fourth commandment of the Ten Commandments and to live according to the Law, but in reality, they trampled on the spirit of the Law. The Pharisees, even on the Sabbath, never neglected to care for their livestock, yet they could not rejoice over the healing of this woman who had suffered for more than eighteen years. Jesus was outraged that human life was being treated as less valuable than livestock.
Lessons to us
One time, I asked a Jewish friend of mine (who is not a Messianic Jew) what he would do if he became ill on the Sabbath. After thinking for a moment, he shared with me an interesting story. “Ultra-Orthodox Jews do not drive cars on the Sabbath. However, even they will call an ambulance on the Sabbath if a family member becomes seriously ill.” As I listened to his answer, I was reminded that not all Jews are legalistic. They know that it is right to save a life on the Sabbath. Then what about us? Do we value human life above all else? Jesus Christ died to save lives. Is saving lives (the salvation of souls) our highest concern and goal?
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, You have valued our lives as worth more than the whole world. I thank You. Please strengthen me so that I may treat my neighbors with the same love that comes from You. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.