Event 36 – The Healing of a Crippled Woman
Luke 13:10-21
On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 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. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 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?”
When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”
Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
Comments and Commentary by JB Myers and Lonnie Davis
Crippled by a spirit – There are two problems for this lady. First, she had a spirit, i.e. demon within her. Second, she was bent over and could not stand up, i.e. curved spine. The text makes it clear that the curved spine was caused by the spirit. Jesus performs two miracles: (1) He casts out the demon, “Woman, you are set free.” (2) He heals her body, “He puts his hands on her…she straightened up” Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus ever laid hands on a person while casting out a demon.
So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath – The appeal is made to restrictions placed on the Sabbath in the Law (Exodus 20:9-10). Jesus, however, did not violate the Sabbath as his explanation shows. Just because a person quotes a scripture does not mean his application is correct. Notice that Satan loved to quote and misapply the word of God (Genesis 31; Matthew 4:1-11). This is why it is important that we understand what the Bible says. Peter says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).
Ox or donkey – The rabbis made provisions for taking care of animals on the Sabbath, but did not care as much for people. Jesus calls them hypocrites for such thinking.
Like a mustard seed – The mustard seed was a tiny seed that grew to be large. The point is that the beginnings of the kingdom will be small, but will grow to be large. We know that it has grown to be worldwide. (Similar text Mark 5:30-32)
It is like yeast – Though sometimes yeast is figurative language for sin, it is not always so used. Here it is used to show the growth of the kingdom, the church. The church will permeate the whole world