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Luke 13:10–17
“Ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (v. 16).
Today we return to our study of Luke’s gospel, picking up in 13:10–17. Luke the Evangelist records the account of Jesus’ healing a woman with a disabling spirit that had forced her into a hunched-over position for eighteen years.
As we consider this miracle, three things stand out. First, it illustrates the broad extent of Jesus’ compassion. In first-century Jewish society, men tended to shun women in public; however, our Savior did not. He extended His compassionate healing touch to them in public settings, as we see in today’s passage; He was willing to converse with them in public (see John 4:1–42); and He even took them on as students (Luke 10:38–42). By these acts, Jesus demonstrated that He had come as the Savior of all people, not men only.
Second, our Lord’s healing of the disabled woman revealed His power over the devil and his minions. Not all illnesses and disabilities arise from demonic influence, but this woman was stooped over because of a “disabling spirit” that was strong enough to render her infirm. Yet the power of this demon could not match the might of our Savior. As we see in Luke 13:10–13, when Jesus laid His hands on the woman, she was cured instantly and “glorified God” for His healing. Nothing is impossible for our God and for His Christ (see Luke 1:37).
Third, our Lord’s response to the leader of the synagogue where the healing took place helps us understand the purpose of the Sabbath and what is to be done on the day of rest. Jesus healed on the Sabbath, and the synagogue ruler was “indignant” at the act because he viewed the healing as unlawful Sabbath labor (13:14). Jesus’ response demonstrates that he and the other Jews who shared his view had a wrong view of the Sabbath. Christ called them hypocrites for seeing the Sabbath as allowing for the care of animals but not seeing that it allows for the care of human beings as well (vv. 15–17). According to rabbinical traditions, Jews were permitted to move their animals when necessary to give them water even on the Sabbath day even though such an act could be seen as labor. Jesus did not condemn these traditions as violations of Scripture; rather, He rebuked those who thought He should have waited until after the Sabbath to heal the woman. Their concern for their animals’ welfare on the Sabbath was proper, and they should have extended that concern to people, who are of far more value than animals (see Luke 12:7; Matt. 12:12).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Under the new covenant, the Sabbath is the Lord’s Day, as Christians have always understood. Today’s passage helps us understand that while we should cease from our ordinary labors on the Lord’s Day, this does not mean that we should refrain from what Westminster Confession of Faith 21.8 calls “duties of necessity and mercy.” Acting to promote and preserve life is one of the ways that we rightly observe the Lord’s Day.
for further study
- Isaiah 56:1–8
- Matthew 12:9–14
- Mark 2:27
- 1 Corinthians 9:9–10
the bible in a year
- Psalms 23–24
- Acts 20:1–16