Luke 13:10-17 (NIV)
10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Reflection:
The world is not as it should be. The bent over woman illustrates for us how crippled the world really is without God. But because of His love, God sent His Son, Jesus, to come to us in His compassion. In His compassion, Jesus saw this bent over woman in the crowd and took the initiative by calling her to the center of the synagogue hall where he was actively teaching.In those days, this act broke the rules of propriety as women were usually confined to one side of the room where they could only watch the worship service as spectators.Only men were allowed to worship in the central hall of the synagogue. However, Jesus disregarded all of this as His heart was focused on setting this woman free; and when this woman was healed, she worshipped God and praised Him! Even though we were once “bent over” under the power of sin, Jesus saw us and then came to us to set us free.Yes, we have been set free!How compassionate the Lord is to us!
Responding to the Transmission:
Let’s spend time praising and thanking God for coming to us to set us free.Let’s ask Him for His compassion and empowerment for those around us who are “bent over” and are in need to be set free.
