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?

 

 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 these 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 Jesus 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 in 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."  According to the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB), there were certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law which held that healing was considered work.  Being work, therefore, it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  See Leviticus 23:3, from which the ruler of the synagogue seems to be quoting.  These men believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but such legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.  

 

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 these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  The OSB comments on Jesus' command, "Think of it."  It notes that in patristic commentary this command is seen as directing us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years of this woman's infirmity.  The Greek expression is literally translated "ten and eight years."  In light of this, both St. Ambrose of Milan and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace, as the day of Resurrection is often called the "eighth day."  So therefore, humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace. 

 

 It's important to note the terms within which Jesus frames the healing of this woman.  She's been bent over for eighteen years, unable to raise herself up.  This suggests a great burden, an imposition of such great oppression that she can't even lift herself.  Adding to this sense of oppression and imposition, Jesus uses the word bound to describe how her infirmity has been imposed upon her.  To be bound suggests one who is captive, a prisoner, and even a slave.  Jesus' words of loosing her bond -- and on the Sabbath -- suggest to us liberation and deliverance.  She's freed by His work.  In the Jewish context, this hearkens back to the Old Testament story of the Exodus, the liberation from bondage and slavery by the Lord (Exodus 13:3).  Christ is the Lord, the Deliverer, the One who sets the captives free.  See Isaiah 61:1, which is the very Scripture read by Jesus in His first recorded preaching in St. Luke's Gospel, at the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth (Luke 4:16-30).  On that occasion, He was also rejected and condemned, saying Himself, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country" (Luke 4:24).  His neighbors from Nazareth mirror the indignation of the synagogue ruler.  In this way, Jesus teaches an important meaning of the Sabbath, and what it is for.  Consecrated to the Lord, this day marks the coming of the Lord, and this action of liberation and deliverance and healing teaches us all about the Lord, and the nature of His ministry.  Let us note that this healed woman understands implicitly, for the first thing she does in being loosed of her bond, and being made straight, is to glorify God.   This in turn illumines the multitude, who then rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Christ's healing of this afflicted woman teaches us that salvation and freedom are interconnected, for He brings her liberation from what He terms being bound by Satan.  Freedom is an essential piece of salvation, for as Christ has said also, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34; see also Romans 6:6).   Let us therefore rejoice with this multitude, for to be united to Christ is to find both our freedom and our salvation.  Finally, her standing upright forms an icon of the Resurrection.  She's not only restored to life, but also to her proper place in the true reality of God.  This, indeed, is true liberation, in which we are free to join the cosmic reality of the communion of saints in rejoicing and glorifying God.