Jesus Got the Power

Greeting everyone.

We will pick our story today in Luke 13:10-17. Here is my translation: 

10 Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11There was a woman there who had suffered from a crippling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over double and could not straighten up. 12 When Jesus saw this, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”13 Jesus placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and glorified God.  14The ruler of the synagogue responded in anger, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath.  He said to the crowd, “ There are six days in which you can work.  Let her come to be healed on one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.” 15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrite! Don’t each one of you untie your ox or donkey and lead it out of the stable to water it on the Sabbath? 16 But this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years. Is it not permissible to loosen those bonds on the Sabbath?” 17 Upon saying this, Jesus humiliated all those who opposed him. The entire crowd rejoiced because of all of the amazing things that he was doing.

Jesus is teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  While he is teaching, he sees a woman who was bent over double and could not straighten up.  Luke says that she suffered from a crippling spirit. Later, in verse 16, Jesus declares that Satan had bound her for eighteen years.  Was she suffering from natural or supernatural causes?  This would imply that her suffering, was at least in part from supernatural causes.  What does this mean? Can Satan be causing some of our infirmitites? I'm not really sure what this means, but it is food for thought. 

Anyway, Darrell Bock points out that in the society surrounding Jesus, men publicly shunned women, but Jesus did not. He reaches out to her and calls her to him.  (Bock, 1216.)  He doesn’t place restrictions on which needy person he is willing to help, and is not concerned about breaking social mores. He declares that she was free from her infirmities, then touches her, and suddenly she is able to stand up straight. 

Jesus has all power and so when lay hands his hands on her, Luke says that the healing is παραχρῆμα, (parachrāma) immediate.  The verb here is ἀνωρθώθη (anōthōthay), which is passive. This means that the woman didn’t make herself straight, but was made straight by some other force, in this case, God. 

The ruler of the synagogue becomes angry that Jesus is healing on the Sabbath, but seems to go after the woman, rather than Jesus. He does not address Jesus, but addresses the crowd in his complaint. His statement, “There are six days in which you can work. Let her come to be healed on one of those days.”

Obviously to the synagogue leader, healing was labor, although, if you look at what Jesus actually did physically, you would be hard-pressed to call it that.  He spoke some words, and reached out to touch another person.  The synagogue ruler likely spent about as much energy in making his complaint.  So, Jesus calls it for what it is.  Hypocrisy. 

Within all of the 39 forms of labor that were impermissible on the Sabbath, a Sabbath action that was tolerated was to unite an animal to lead to water.  To not allow an animal to drink water would be cruelty.  Jesus makes a similar argument.  If we can consider the needs of an animal, how much more should we consider the needs of this woman?  

Jesus refers to her as ‘a daughter of Abraham, declaring not only her personhood, but also establishing her as a family member.  Should her needs be ignored, just because it is the Sabbath? Wouldn’t it be cruelty to make her an extra day, since Jesus had the ability to remedy  the situation that Satan had bound on her, right then and there?

Jesus' response is so brilliant that his opposition is humiliated, while most of those there rejoice because they had witnessed something amazing. We have a divided crowd.  Certainly, no one remained neutral in their view of what Jesus had just done.  Jesus uses his power to help someone in need and, as he always does, uses reason, based on Scritpure to outsmart his detractors.  Having all wisdom and all power is a great combination. 

     Darrell Bock, Luke: Volume 2 - 9:51-24:53, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 1996.