could not straighten up at all. On seeing her, Jesus called her and said, “Woman, you
are freed from your infirmity.” Then he laid his hands upon her and immediately she was
made straight and praised God.

But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had performed this healing
on the Sabbath day and he said to the people, “There are six days in which to work; come
on those days to be healed and not on the Sabbath.” But the Lord replied, “You hypocrites!
Everyone of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it out of the barn
to give it water. And here you have a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for
eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?”

When Jesus said this, all his opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the
many wonders that happened because of him.

Reflect

Only Luke tells this story about a woman who had been disabled for eighteen years.
Can you imagine not being able to stand up straight for eighteen years? Scripture doesn’t
tell us how old she was when she came to Jesus, so it’s possible that she’d been suffering
from this infirmity for much of her life. Finally able to find healing in Jesus, she is
immediately surrounded by anger because Jesus healed her on the Sabbath.

Too often the same thing happens in our world. Those in need are caught in the middle
as others argue about their situations. The woman in this story has no voice. All we know
is that she praised God for her cure. We don’t know why she came to be cured on the
Sabbath, but after having been bent over for eighteen years, she probably didn’t want to
waste another moment when healing was in sight. Too often, we judge people’s motivations
and criticize their actions without asking why or letting them speak for themselves. Like
Jesus’ opponents, we should be ashamed and strive to do better.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2023