Written ~ 03-19-2024
Read Luke Chapter Thirteen
Luke 13
For today’s Bible Study let’s look at verses 13:10-17…
10 One Sabbath day as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, 11 He saw a woman who had been crippled by an evil spirit. She had been bent double for eighteen years and was unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then He touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!
14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”
17 This shamed His enemies, but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things He did.
Throughout the Gospels we read that on the Sabbath Jesus could be found in a synagogue teaching. Wouldn’t it have been so awesome to go to church and realize the speaker for the day was the Messiah, the Son of God Himself! I know I would cling to every word He said. If you were there on this particular Sabbath, would you cling to each word He said? Or would you be so distracted that all you could think about was how to trap Him into saying or doing something that could condemn Him? Well, that’s what was happening in our story today.
Jesus was teaching. We know from previous Scriptures that He spoke with authority and with power. Those listening intently would have been in awe. Then He stopped. All His focus went to a woman who was crippled, bent double because of her pain. For eighteen years she suffered. We don’t know for sure if she was in the synagogue that day specifically for healing or just to hear Him speak, but there she was! And Jesus was going to blow her mind!
Look at verses 13:12-13,
12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” 13 Then He touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!
When I read about instant healings that happen after Jesus has touched someone, it fills my heart with such joy! And I am only reading this account. Can you imagine being there on that Sabbath Day, you’re already completely enthralled by what you are hearing the Lord speak about, then all of a sudden the woman you’re sitting next to gets healed, instantly from one touch by a man named Jesus. It says in verse 13:13 that the woman praised God, even though this verse doesn’t say it, verse 17 does say that all those in attendance that day were also praising God with this dear woman.
Jesus heals today. Do you believe that?
We are to bring all of our requests to the Lord, right? Doesn’t that include the healing of our bodies?
Our prayers should be ones of confidence and boldness and of expectation to hear the words, “…you are healed of your sickness…”
Let’s picture this scenario, Jesus has just healed a woman who had been suffering for eighteen years. There would have been an eruption of commotion and praise to the Father… but then look at what happens in the first part of verse 13:14,
14a But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day.
While everyone else is praising God, our attention is now centered on the leader of the synagogue. It says he “was indignant,” and what does that mean? Indignant means, he was angry, furious, infuriated, outraged, fuming mad. Why? Because Jesus “worked” on the Sabbath by healing this woman of her pain. Can you imagine not being happy seeing a woman healed? Wow…
Look closely, instead of confronting Jesus with his accusations, the leader of the synagogue turns to the crowd, the crowd of people who were praising God and probably celebrating with the woman who was healed.
Verse 13:14,
14 But the leader in charge of the synagogue was indignant that Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath day. “There are six days of the week for working,” he said to the crowd. “Come on those days to be healed, not on the Sabbath.”
This religious leader was so angry at what Jesus had done, that instead of joining in with the crowd in celebration, he wanted the crowd to see the error in Jesus’ actions. No work was supposed to be done on the Sabbath and he was trying to get that point across through his outrage.
I can assure you that the indignant behavior shown to us by this leader completely backfired on him…
Let’s see Jesus’ response..
Verses 13:15-16,
15 But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites! Each of you works on the Sabbath day! Don’t you untie your ox or your donkey from its stall on the Sabbath and lead it out for water? 16 This dear woman, a daughter of Abraham, has been held in bondage by Satan for eighteen years. Isn’t it right that she be released, even on the Sabbath?”
This reply shows us just how deeply the religious leaders were following tradition and self-righteous rules, in their eyes there was absolutely no room for grace or mercy, just the strict enforcement of those rules. When Jesus gave His response, it would have been a direct hit, it magnified this leader’s hypocrisy. All those in the crowd who sided with the religious leaders would have been shamed.
Verse 13:17a,
17 This shamed His enemies…
When we pursue the Lord and do the work of the Lord, there will always be two sides, the side that praises God with you and celebrates all that God is doing and the side who want nothing to do with the goodness of God.
In Luke 12:51 Jesus says, “Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other.”
In Matthew 12:30 Jesus says, “Anyone who isn’t with Me opposes Me, and anyone who isn’t working with Me is actually working against Me.”
On that Sabbath day, Jesus was speaking to a crowd of people who were hungry for His teaching, they clung to every word.
On that Sabbath day, Jesus healed a woman who had been suffering for eighteen years.
And on that Sabbath day, opposition rose its ugly head. Anger and indignation divided the crowd that day.
When you hear and see the wonderful words and works of the Lord, are you put to shame because of your own opposition? Or are you like the rest of the crowd…
Verse 13:17b,
17b “…but all the people rejoiced at the wonderful things He did…”
I pray that we can be united in praise and celebration! Let’s rejoice in the things we see the Lord do in each of our lives!
~AMEN~