The Crippled Woman Healed. Luke 13, 10-17.
The healing on the Sabbath: V. 10. And He was teaching in one of the synagogs on the Sabbath. V. 11. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. V. 12. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. V. 13. And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Jesus, in accordance with the purpose indicated in the parable, did not cease His efforts to win the Jews to the Word of salvation. He continued His custom of teaching in the synagogs on the Sabbath-days. And so it happened on one occasion that there was a woman present who was suffering with a sickness which contracted her whole body, bending the upper part forward upon the lower and thus altogether preventing her from straightening up. She was in bondage to a foreign spirit, the spirit of her sickness, whose chains kept her from raising her head.
Jesus, ever sympathetic where the woes of others are concerned, called her to Him as soon as His eye lit upon her bent figure. And even while she was approaching Him, He spoke to her as though the cure were already an accomplished fact, stating that she was delivered from her infirmity. And no sooner had He laid His hands on her than she became erect and burst into words of praise. It was a manifestation of the glory of the Savior in full accord with His usual healing ministry.
Christ's defense against the ruler of the synagog: V. 14. And the ruler of the synagog answered with indignation because that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath-day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work; in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath-day. V. 15. The Lord then answered him and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? V. 16. And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan ,hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath-day? V. 17. And when He had said these things, all His adversaries were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
How deeply ingrained was the idea of mechanical Sabbath observance in the mind of the average Jewish teacher is evident from this incident. The ruler of the synagog became highly indignant, not because Jesus had healed the woman, but because He had done so on the Sabbath. He had too much respect for Christ's ability to defend Himself to attack Him directly, so he spoke to the audience, striking indirectly at Jesus, rebuking them sharply for bringing any sick people to be healed on the Sabbath; for there were six days on which they could attend to such work. It sounded as though the ruler of the synagog wanted to prevent the people from tempting Jesus to break the Sabbath.
But the Lord (called so with a purpose, as the Lord of the Sabbath) retorted to this condemnation with special force, calling the ruler of the synagog and all those that felt as he did about the matter, hypocrites, cheap, dissembling actors.
What about their own case? They loosed their dumb beasts from the manger on the Sabbath; they even led them forth to water; they gave them to drink, probably not by carrying the water to them, since the Jewish elders had forbidden that, but at least by drawing the water from the well.
Mark the contrast: A daughter of Abraham on the one hand, an ox and an ass on the other; the one bound by Satan for eighteen years, the others suffering from thirst merely for a few hours. The argument of Jesus suffered no gainsaying. The elders of the Jews, though not convinced, were confounded and ashamed, brought to shame before the audience; and all the people present were delighted over all the admirable, wonderful things that were performed by the Lord.
Note: To this day it is hypocrisy if sanctity is attached to mere external matters, as, that the so-called Sabbath is kept with Puritan strictness, by the enforcement of blue-laws, while many important, necessary things, as benevolence to the poor, miserable, and needy, are omitted.
"Therefore learn here from Christ what the true understanding of the Sabbath is, and how we must maintain the distinction between the outward use of the Sabbath, so far as the time, hour, and place is concerned, and the necessary works of love which God demands of us at all times and in all places; that we should know that the Sabbath was ordained for the sake of man, and not man for the sake of the Sabbath, Mark 2, 27, and thus man is the lord of the Sabbath, and is to use it for his own and his neighbor's necessity, thus being enabled to keep this and other commandments of God without hindrance. For the right understanding of the Third Commandment is really this, that we use the Sabbath to hear and learn the Word of God, how we may keep all other commandments both toward God and our neighbor and help others to this end through love" (Luther, 12, 1970).