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."  We recall that at this stage, the scribes and Pharisees had already decided to search for something with which they could accuse Christ (Luke 11:53-54).  Once again, my study Bible explains that according to certain traditions the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law, healing was considered work, and therefore wasn't permissible on the Sabbath.  It notes that they believed they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but, as we read here, this kind of legalism renders the ruler of the synagogue 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.  Jesus emphasizes this woman's eighteen years of suffering by commanding them (and, through the Scriptures, us) to think of it.  According to my study Bible, patristic sources see this command as directing us to a spiritual meaning for these "eighteen years."  The Greek expression is literally translated as "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."  Therefore, we see in this healing humanity lifted up by faith in Christ, who fulfills both law and grace.

 

What is interesting in today's reading is not simply the fact of Christ's stupendous healing of this woman who has suffered so long, but that we see the people (all the multitude) rejoicing  for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  This is important, because it tells us that the people were not on board with the decision of the scribes and Pharisees to bar healing on the Sabbath.  As far as the people are concerned, they alike suffer with this woman for such hard traditions that seek to regulate when a person can be healed.  It's quite true that exceptions were made for healing animals in danger on the Sabbath (and, after all, we're talking about animals who are doing work as well for human beings), such as the example Jesus points out.  (Lest we find this exceptional, in New York City in the late 19th century, the first case for child abuse was brought under laws for the prevention of cruelty to animals, as there were none for children at that time.  See this article.)   But what we need to see in the people's response to Christ is more than simply a victory for the woman in this case.  While her affliction is serious and her suffering is severe, we need to read this text as one that tells us not simply about affliction, but about oppression.  It says that she had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years.  This is not meant as mere metaphor, although many might suggest we read it that way.  This case is about an affliction caused by the malice of an "unclean spirit," a kind of spiritual entity that is opposed to Christ.  If we read the text this way, we see that her affliction is caused by a malevolent force, one that opposes God (and Christ).  We come to understand the people's rejoicing not simply as one of happiness for the woman's healing, but a multitude cheering because a Liberator has come into their midst, one who may "deliver us from the evil one" (Luke 11:4).  Also in this light we may see the zealous legalism of the scribes and Pharisees, depriving people of healing on a Sabbath, as one in opposition to God, and aligned with spiritual forces not true to the angelic mission of ministry to human beings.  In short, Christ comes as Liberator and Deliverer, the "stronger man" who can bind the strong man who has bound this woman for eighteen years.  Christ's healing of this woman becomes therefore a victory for the people, a question of rejoicing for the victory on their behalf, because the "strong man," Satan,  is defeated by Christ, and this woman is set free from the captor who has kept her bound for all these years.  Note that Christ's adversaries, it says in the text, were put to shame by His words and action.  It is clear that the enemy, the oppressor who has bound this woman and afflicted humanity, is understood as oppressor of all, the enemy of the people of God.  Lest we minimize this message, it's important to note that not every illness or ailment in the Gospels is treated as having been caused directly by demonic activity; it's not meant simply as general metaphor or explanation for all illness.  Regardless of what we may believe, the metaphor explanation is not the viewpoint of the Gospels, and we must pay attention to the details.  This text points to more than a healing, and more than the hypocrisy of the religious rulers.  It teaches us about the "leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy," which, in effect, aids the spiritual opposition to God.  It teaches us about the times when we ourselves may slip into the habit of hypocrisy, and who and what we align with -- and who and what we oppose -- when we do so as well.  For we miss the mission and teaching of Christ if we also do not take His warnings to heart to beware of this kind of leaven in our own midst, or its influence within ourselves.  Let us consider Christ's rule of mercy and grace, and take it in the context of the powerful authority that is conveyed in the details of this story.  For we are offered a choice here regarding which forces we choose to serve and with whom we align.  To beware of hypocrisy as a sort of leaven among ourselves is thus a command for what we understand as spiritual battle in the context of the Church; it is a way of practicing the vigilance Christ commands for His servants (Luke 12:42-48).  Let us take this message to heart and remember Him whom we serve, and the "manner of spirit we are of" (Luke 9:55).  In the viewpoint of the Gospels, we're making a choice for much more than we might think.

 

He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again

 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken. 

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

- Luke 18:31-43

On Saturday, we read that people brought infants to Jesus that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"  And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."  So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And those who heard it said, "Who then can be saved?"  But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

  Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.   Jesus and the disciples get ever closer to Jerusalem, as He is on His way to His Passion.  This is the third time He's prophesied to them, telling them what is to come.  This time He tells them more details, like that He is going to be delivered to the Gentiles, and mocked and insulted and spit upon.   He's be scourged, they'll kill Him.  And then the mysterious repetition of these words:  "And the third day He will rise again."    We can imagine how baffled they must be.  My study bible says that this saying was hidden not by God, but because the disciples could not comprehend its meaning until the events of the Passion had taken place. 

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.  It's important that we remember that Jericho is considered a great place of sin, someplace undesirable, to say the least.  So this blind man who cries out to Jesus does so perhaps as a kind of loner in a crowd.  His desperate plea for Christ could be likened to the plea of someone lost in sin, and blind because of it, but realizing a desperate need for a better life, a life healed by Christ so that he may truly see.  The title "Son of David" indicates this is His liberator, the Messiah.  A traditional interpretation in the Church is that the people who admonish him to be silent are symbolic of oppressors who would silence the gospel, but this man who knows his need for Christ cries out all the more.  He symbolizes those "future generations" after Christ's departure, who know of Him only by hearing and not by sight.   My study bible also says that Jesus knows what we want before we ask, but calls us to ask freely so we might learn of His mercy.  This persistent blind man, despite those who tell him to be quiet, surely shows his faith by crying out "all the more."

It's interesting that my study bible gives an interpretation citing persecution of the Church, and our response under persecution must like this man, to confess Christ all the more.  We see persecution of brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world at this time, and we, too, must consider what this means for us.  Certainly it means that we increase our prayers, in addition to trying to help address this problem in whatever ways we can.  Surely, by modern standards, an attempt to help those who are thus persecuted is also an affirmation of the rights of all human beings to worship freely.  As we all suffer in the Body of Christ when our brothers and sisters suffer, so we must see our prayers as helping to strengthen all those who confess Him.  I have readers in many countries around the world who directly face such persecution, and my prayers also go to them.  My grandparents' generation suffered for their Christian faith, and were also under persecution and survivors of genocide because of this faith.  And faith is under attack in myriad other ways as well, in neighborhoods where fear and violence claim lives every day, where organized crime rules with cruelty, harassment, and preys on children, and through all kinds of addictions, anxieties, and endless cares and worries.  Many have extended family in need of care, and uncertainty alone fuels many problems.   In these circumstances, too, our brothers and sisters need strengthening and helping prayers -- as well as whatever other assistance we can help with.   In the beginning of our reading today, Jesus delivers the terrible news of His own persecution and death for the third time, but the disciples simply cannot take in this bad news.  One doctor once told me he had seen this phenomenon many times; things that are just too difficult to "take in" simply aren't heard, aren't understood.  In contrast to the good news, this "bad news" simply stuns, as evil acts in the world will do.  Perhaps that is why the next verses, of the blind man healed by faith, take place in Jericho, a notorious place of sin in Jesus' time.  It is an affirmation that no matter what is "at hand" and no matter what surrounds us, no matter the oppressive circumstances and terrible afflictions, we are to hold fast to our faith in Him, to increase our prayers, our confession.  If we wish to truly "see" and understand our lives, this is the one place we must continue to put our faith, and to increase our efforts to do so.  Perhaps now we are in such a time; we are certainly hearing stories of persecution, and ominous increases of the oppressive power of those who rule by death and torture and enforced silence through increasing cruelties.  It's always time for our prayers, our liberator, and turning and following Him in true good sight.

Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity

 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

We were told in yesterday's reading that here 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 the 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.'"  See The fig tree.

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.  Let us take a good look at this woman:  a binding, an infirmity and affliction for eighteen years.  Jesus calls her out of the crowd, seemingly  No one has prayed or asked Him to help her, but He spots the woman and calls her to Him.  He lays His hands on her, a healing by touch.  Immediately she is straight and glorifies God.  It is similar to the story with the healing of Peter's mother-in-law:  she was immediately up and about her work.  When this woman is able to be upright, straight, she is in her "right place" and glorifying 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?"  My study bible tells us, "Acts of help toward others on the Sabbath were considered work and were forbidden, except in life-threatening situations.  Jesus notes that if animals needing water were cared for on the Sabbath, certainly a woman of Israel could be delivered from Satan's bondage on the Sabbath."  Jesus teaches us what kind of Liberator He is.  In the reading from this past Saturday, Jesus was accused of casting out demons by the power of demons.  He taught then, "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace.  But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters."  He spoke as the "Stronger Man" and in His role as liberator He expresses here what that means; it is ultimately to heal.  The woman "standing straight" is a clear symbol for correction, restoration, the "right way."

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.  Here the multitudes respond appropriately; everyone can see the sense of what He does and says.  As often happens in His confrontations with the leadership, the common people are pleased to see His victories.

What do we make of this story in today's reading?  It is quite unusual.  This woman doesn't ask for help, doesn't come up from behind Him as the woman who touched the hem of His garment.  She's not a public sort of figure as was the widow of Nain who mourned her son.  No friend brings her to Jesus.  But instead, He is in the synagogue and picks her out of the crowd, because of the intensity of her affliction.  She is literally bent over and cannot be straight; but in redeeming her from her affliction which bends her over, Jesus restores her position in the temple, and she glorifies God.  This is a great and powerful metaphor for healing, on all levels that we can receive it.  As Liberator -- and the language in this story is very much a "liberating" kind of talk -- Jesus is here to free us from what afflicts us.  Our reconciliation and salvation -- our restoration -- are found in His healing.  I read an interesting article lately on the nature of the Persons of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).  It said that we know God not by "what" God is -- for we can't know that, this is a mystery beyond our understanding and capability.  Rather, through grace such as the healing witnessed here, we know "how" God is.  We see in this gift of this story what God is "like" -- because we see how Christ is in the world:  His liberation is one of mercy, of a desire to heal and to restore, to take away affliction, and to give us capabilities in turn to be "like Him."  His liberating mission is to relieve us from what binds us, in all sorts of ways.  This is "how" Jesus walks in the world, in the revelation of God to us through His incarnation as a human being, and this is "how" we know what it is for us to grow in God-likeness, to be "like Him."  Let us remember that healing and liberation are synonymous, and that His plea here is for a kind of mercy that people know, but that abstract concepts and rules can get in the way of.  Does it make sense that farm animals are cared for in a way that expresses their value, but that human beings are not?  Let us remember the Liberator and what He teaches us; from His "how" we learn "how" we are to be too.