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Home Luke 13:10-17 NRSVue

Luke 13:10-17 NRSVue

10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” 15But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? 16And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE)

“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”

Some thoughts on this scripture

Reflection
Imagine the synagogue and the congregation listening to Jesus teaching on a sabbath day.

Reflection
Can I imagine myself witnessing or taking part in the scene? As I watch it unfold - or experience it - how do I react? With relief? Joy? Scepticism?

Reflection
Does the image of the woman bent and crippled speak to me and my experience, whether literally or metaphorically? What do I want to say to Jesus?

Reflection
Release from bondage is the key theme in this story. Jesus is the liberator, enabling us to stand straight, freeing us from what bows our heads so that we see only the earth in front of us.

Reflection
The synagogue leader is afraid to take on Jesus; instead he rebukes the crowd for seeking a cure on the Sabbath. There is cowardice here, as well as hypocrisy. We can feel the joy of the crowd who sense that God is on the side of freedom and health. Lord, give me the spirit of freedom, and give me the energy and health to serve you.

Reflection
Here Jesus highlights something of the freedom of the kingdom of God. A woman bound by arthritis or some other disease of the bones, is not to be further bound by Sabbath laws. The kingdom of God honours the individual and enhances our dignity. Jesus has no choice when faced with the bondage of the law over human compassion: he must set us free. That is the call of the church and of Christians: to be people receiving the healing and the justice of Jesus and being willing to spread the kingdom of God within the world.