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Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said those things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
- Luke 13:10-17
Yesterday, we read that there were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt at Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity." And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day." The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?" We're reminded here of the way that scribes and Pharisees had built up traditions around the Law. Since healing was considered work, and God had commanded rest on the Seventh Day, healing wasn't permitted on the Sabbath. Faith was thought to be enforced and service to God practiced scrupulously by adhering to such traditions (my study bible calls them "peripheral traditions"). But by this kind of "legalistic" practice, God's mercy becomes forgotten; these authorities are desensitized to it. The traditions, however, did allow for the necessity of preserving lives of animals.
"So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" And when He said those things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. My study bible says that the exclamation of Jesus, "Think of it," is a command that directs us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years. It says, "As the Greek expression is literally translated 'ten and eight years,' both St. Ambrose and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace, for the day of Resurrection is often called the 'eighth day,' Thus humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace."
Today's reading is put in the context of liberation. This woman is a daughter of Abraham, and for eighteen ("ten and eight") years she has not just suffered: she has been bound by Satan. Should she not be liberated on the Sabbath? What is the Sabbath for? we are meant to think, to ask. It ties the worship of God -- the day in which the God of Israel is given full attention to that relationship -- with the liberation of Israel, the people of God. Should not she be loosed from Satan on such a day? Jesus seems to hint that the Sabbath rest isn't for "rest" in itself; it's for paying closer attention to the things of God, for letting God do God's work in us. It also lets in a hint of the spiritual battle that is the reality of God's intervention in the world, Christ's coming into the world: to defeat Satan, or rather, to ransom us from the bondage to evil. If you look at today's Middle East, you may get a very good idea of what it is to be bound and held as hostage in certain ways people seem to think are routine for warfare. Jesus is the liberator, the one who comes to ransom and unloose, to free. And in today's reading, part of the purpose of the Sabbath is to proclaim and practice such liberation. If we think of oppression as that which ails us, that which harms life, then we can think about exactly what Jesus is getting at when He speaks of liberation from Satan. This is God's battle of Peace, Christ's battle of Peace, and it's what the Sabbath was made for. The Sabbath was made for God's work, and we must see it as a work of liberation for each of us, for all of us, as individuals and as communities. As Jesus has recently introduced the idea of the Holy Spirit in His teaching (I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished!), we understand also this "holy fire" of the Spirit to always be at work among us and within us. It is the power of peace and reconciliation with God, the liberation from all things that stand in the way of such "reunion." And this is truly God's work, truly what the Sabbath is all about. This is the "work" we find when we are still, or at prayer, the fire of the energies of God, of grace. Let us remember what the Sabbath is for, and what the power of the Lord is all about. May it be at work in all of us, and may we be so blessed as to see it and know and dwell within the power of grace.
