8-24-25 Luke 13:10-17
10 Now [Jesus] 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.
Truly grace, mercy and peace are yours from our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ, who sets you free.
Today I bring you a special offer. Absolutely free is this matching set of jewelry. Enhance your natural beauty, bring out the highlights of your eyes. Or pass this gift on to your best girl, making yourself into a generous guy! Who knows what this free gift can do for you! The value of such a gift is more than you will have to pay because it is really free. There is no better bargain. Do I have any takers?
Getting something for free – such a wonderful thought! It is always tempting, to get something for nothing: free tickets, free food, a free gift certificate. Yet you know it is often a come-on used by numerous promoters whose goal it is for you to do some spending. The bigger the free, the more likely it is actually going to cost you in the end. Your experience has taught you this. Consequently, we have become pretty suspicious about anything labeled as FREE. Strings are attached to those unbeatable deals. We know enough to look for them because in the end we will pay. Still the illusion of getting something for free is a tempting one.
The woman in the gospel story was actually provided with a truly free gift. Her ailment was chronic, for the last 18 years she had not been able to stand up straight but remained hunched over. We do not know her diagnosis, only that “a spirit had crippled her.” It may have been some orthopedic condition which led to back pain, difficulty breathing and heart problems. It may have been some stress or pressure in her life situation that crippled her emotionally that kept her weighed down and bent over, looking constantly at the ground. The Connections article suggests conditions that can bring this about.
“Crippled” may not be just a physical state but a spiritual state, as well. For instance, we try to make that difficult call to begin healing the rift with an estranged relative or one-time friend, but we stop, for we are “crippled” by our fear of being rebuffed. We may want to offer our support to the coworker who has just lost his or her job, but we are “bent down” with anxiety and fear about keeping our own job. And naturally we are determined to be there for our families, and to give our time and energy to causes and projects we believe in, but we are “bound” by our over-scheduled calendars and endless lists of things we just have to do. Often we barely make it through the day as it is.
We can find ourselves imprisoned by what we fear. We hesitate to offer our hand to someone in need because we doubt our ability to be of real, meaningful help. We’re anxious about making any real change because it could upset the stability and security we’ve become comfortable with. We’re intimidated by saying or doing something good because it may get misinterpreted or ridiculed. (Connections, August 2025) Therefore by any of these fears, and others, we are bent over, we are so crippled we can’t look others straight in the eye and take action.
Fearful spirits, like these, can prevent us from standing up straight and tall, with courage and integrity. We find ourselves unable to bring the love of God into the midst of our situation, we don’t come forward to do what is right. Jesus came to offer those who are crippled up a way to stand up and bring glory to God. His touch frees us by his forgiveness and compassion.
Jesus had gone to the synagogue that day to teach, perhaps about a particular topic but it is this woman who becomes the object lesson. She received freedom, in the only way true freedom can come, unencumbered, as a gift. There were no strings attached. She, then, demonstrated the appropriate response for that gift – she stood up straight and began praising God. Notice she did not praise Jesus, for she correctly understood Jesus utilized the power provided to him from above. Power had always been a sign of the presence of God for this chosen people. She saw that clearly at this moment.
Hers was not the only response to be heard from that day. The leader of the synagogue, the guy who would have been the one to invite Jesus to be there to make a presentation that day, spoke up. There was a clash between one authority – the established one, and another, the new one. That synagogue leader figuratively held up his placard labeled ‘Sabbath law.’ Pointing to that, he spoke to the crowd. Just like a politician engaging in a smear campaign against his opponent, the leader does not confront Jesus directly. Rather he tries to discredit him in front of the people, misleading them with the familiar rhetoric of the tried and true, giving an answer that would not be examined too closely. Sure – it was the Sabbath and everyone knows that means – no work! Jesus just healed a woman, that must constitute work, therefore Jesus is a lawbreaker!
Jesus is still developing the lesson plan he wants to teach. Remember that concept of free, with which we began, it has not been fully mined for all its gems. Point #1 – Sabbath IS the Lord’s day. Point #2 The Sabbath was designed for rest, at the conclusion of a week of work. It was rather like getting a “free” day, free of labor. Point #3 From God’s view point, it was to be free from selfish endeavors and self-indulgence, free from storing up one’s hoard of goods. It was a time to give honor to God, so yes one would refrain from work, but not to avoid labor because such work was construed to be unholy. The purpose was to free up time for praising God, to participate in worship. One was meant to rest from being ‘in charge’ and to allow God to be the one in charge, as was in line with the created order. So the Sabbath law is to free us from our bondage to our own sense of importance and indispensability. It is then we really recognize a sabbath.
Jesus had no problem healing on a Sabbath for it was a utilization of God’s power, it put God firmly in charge. It was an appropriate response, in line with God’s goal of wholeness and well-being for humankind. Healing was an act of freeing the person who had been bound by sickness or troubles. With that freedom a way is opened for them to give worship.
We are provided a contrast; a man who is indignant about this deed done on the Sabbath, which he saw as a violation of the law, and a woman who has been restored and can’t stop giving glory to God. The leader is criticizing her because she has encouraged work to be done on this holy day by making her disability known. Then Jesus explains the point that has been missed: the Sabbath was designed precisely for such setting free, free to do that which is truly necessary and life-giving. It is like the people realized with the example of dealing with the needs of their own beasts of burden. They would free their ox or donkey from their constraints to feed them, even on the sabbath, though it was work, for such action was kind and essential for life. It is the same for human critters.
God has made plans to share his life-giving gifts freely with us. Today I tell you of this special offer. There are no strings attached to his gift to us. In Jesus the full price has been paid so that we can rest easy. All that is needed for life is ours, a forever life. That is the lesson Jesus came to teach. He died that we might be free and now our life is secure. Let us lift our heads and rejoice.