Luke 13: 10 17 Jesus Heals A Crippled Woman

Target year level: Year Two, Year Nine

Scripture text

Year Two: Luke 13:10-13; Year Nine: Luke 13:10-17

World of the text

Verses 10-13

Verse 11. In our modern ears, we tend to focus on the woman's symptom - she is bent over – and we skip over the cause of her ailment: a spirit. Anyone with a physical deformity would also be socially deformed. That is, they would be shunned and outcast; lose their family support and become poor.

Verse 12. Notice that Jesus sets the woman free. This is not ‘healing’ as we understand it - it is freeing her from the ‘spirit’ that had crippled her.

The process of healing-freeing begins with Jesus speaking to the woman. In so doing, he initiates a relationship with her that everyone else would have carefully avoided. This may have been the first time in 18 years that anyone has ever directly, personally spoken to her in public.

Jesus addresses both her, "Woman," and her reality, "you are set free from your ailment." And so, he restores both her social and her physical well-being.

Verse 13. Notice that the woman rightly praises God - not Jesus - for her freedom. Everyone in the room would have been awed by what has just happened.

Source: David Ewart

Verses 14-17

Verse 14. Since healing violates the Sabbath requirement for doing no labour, Jesus' action is a challenge that rightly provokes a response from the leader of the synagogue whose role is to enforce Sabbath laws.

Verses 15 and 16. Jesus meets this rebuke by first demonstrating his familiarity with Sabbath law - the permitted care of animals. And then asks an unanswerable question that silences his opponent.

Verse 17. Jesus' opponents are NOT ashamed because they have suddenly realised that, "Of course! How could we have been so stupid! Of course, it is OK to heal on the Sabbath!"

No. They are ashamed because Jesus has out-debated them; because he has crafted a legitimate question for which they can give no honourable response that would also be acceptable to the watching crowd.

Shaming authorities - those who control armies, police, and courts with force of arms - is dangerous today, and was more so at the time of Jesus.

Source: David Ewart