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Luke 13:10-17 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹⁰ Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹ And 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. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ But 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.” ¹⁵ But 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? ¹⁶ And 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?” ¹⁷ When 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.

Healing

There is healing in the laying on of hands;

in the letting go of fear, in asking for help,

in silence, celebration, prayer. There is

healing in speaking the truth and in keeping

still, in seeking sunlight and not shunning

struggle. Laughter and the affirmation of

wholeness hold their own healing. When

the soul dances, when the day begins in

delight, when love grows and cannot be

contained, when life flows from moment

to moment, healing happens in the space

between thoughts, and the breath before

the first sung note. Healing is a birthright

and a grace. When we dare to be open to

the unknown, when we extend ourselves

in caring, when we welcome in the vast

expanse of life, healing comes from the

heart, and blossoms from the inside out.

Danna Faulds, “Go In and In: Poems from the Heart of Yoga”

Why do we have religious laws or rules? Quite simply, so that we may live in harmony with our Creator, with one another, and with all of Creation. Also, of course, to protect the vulnerable. 

This morning our scripture shines a light on Sabbath keeping, which is designed to bring us closer to God through a weekly dose of rest and relaxation and reflection. 

In today’s scripture, Jesus was teaching in one of the Synagogues on the Sabbath. Nothing out of the ordinary there. What happened next was a challenge for at least one of the temple elders. And frankly, it is a challenge for us still to this day. 

Six days of the week are for work and one day is to be set aside for rest and to honor our Creator. Yet, while teaching, when Jesus saw a woman who was “bent over” and “unable to stand up straight,” he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 

This scripture says that the leader of the synagogue took issue with Jesus for curing the woman on the Sabbath. The synagogue elder was technically correct in his interpretation of the Sabbath Law. Sabbath as a day set aside to rest and worship is a wonderful gift from our Creator. However, the intent of the law is to free us to love God and others more fully, not to bind us and hinder us in our living and loving. 

Jesus challenged the letter of the law, demonstrating that it is always the right day and time to bring healing, wholeness, and justice into this world. In doing so, he challenged the leader of the synagogue to evaluate their own motives for keeping the Sabbath. And challenges us to evaluate our actions and inactions when seeing someone in need. 

When our laws are not protecting our most vulnerable but are instead harming the vulnerable and protecting the privileged, then we are not in harmony with our Creator or with one another and we have much work to do. 

Jesus, for the second time in two weeks of our assigned scripture, calls out the hypocrisy of holding the sacredness of laws above the sacredness of people. “Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water?” And Jesus makes his case. “And 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?” 

When the letter of the law is used to hinder a compassionate response the law may be set aside. 

I wonder about this scripture in first century Palestine and I wonder about this scripture in the 21^st century in the United States of America. I wonder… Is it about keeping the Sabbath holy? I wonder… Is it about bending the law in an effort to do the right thing? I wonder… Is it about bringing to light an ugly and ongoing injustice that is the larger issue? 

Jesus saw the woman bent over by illness and was moved to compassionate action. Jesus sees all those “bent over” by oppressive systems. Jesus “sees” people of color, immigrants, the LGBTQi community. Jesus “sees” food insecure and housing insecure people, the elderly, incarcerated or previously incarcerated individuals. Jesus “sees” untreated mentally ill people, those unable to get medical insurance or medical treatment, the differently abled, the uneducated or undereducated. Nobody is invisible to Jesus. Jesus not only sees the bent over people but we can imagine Jesus mirroring their stooped posture to look into their eyes as he speaks with them, as he heals them. 

How did the presence of the bent over woman challenge the synagogue leader and disrupt his comfort level? Did the synagogue leader not see the woman? Or did he not wish to see her? As we do not wish to see the suffering that goes on all around us. 

Jesus saw her in her completeness. Jesus “saw” her as a “daughter of Abraham,” a child of God. 

When we truly “see” another we set the stage to begin healing the harm caused by our oppressions. Those bent over with societal burdens begin to unbend when we remove the weight that has been holding them down. 

If I were to be brutally honest about who I identify with in the scripture, more often than not it would be as the stingy synagogue leader. Although my best intentions are to mimic Jesus’ words and actions, I all too frequently fall short. 

How often are we going about our day – Sabbath or any other day – when we see someone in need – and dismiss them because they do not fit into our schedule? I do it more times than I care to admit. Likely you do also. From the simple failure to slow down and offer a ride to a hitchhiker to the complex issue of solving food insecurity around the world. 

What is the challenge for us still this day? To keep holy the Sabbath. Not by concentrating on inaction but by keeping ourselves holy, by honoring our Creator and by honoring and caring for one another. That will surely please God more than keeping the letter of the Sabbath law.

Our Sabbath requirement was not meant to keep people from receiving the care they need when they need it. Jesus understood and taught that a law is only good and just and righteous if it is administered with compassion. When people are suffering we must act to alleviate their suffering. Immediately. Not on a schedule that is convenient to those in power – including us. 

The world is bent over with dis-ease. Now is the time to act with compassion. Now is the time to bring healing, wholeness, and justice to those long bent over with pain. There is no better time to begin than today. 

Amen Rev. TJ Mack – August 24, 2025