Jesus Heals A Disabled Woman On The Sabbath: Her Story Teaches Us Seven Lessons

It’s a short encounter, but one that was hugely significant for the woman herself, as well as having real relevance for us all 2000 years later. It was the Sabbath, and Jesus was at the synagogue, teaching. Someone caught his eye, caused him to immediately stop what he was doing, and take life changing action…

Here’s the story as told in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 13, verses 10-17 (from the New International Readers Version):

¹⁰Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath day. ¹¹A woman there had been disabled by an evil spirit for 18 years. She was bent over and could not stand up straight. ¹²Jesus saw her. He asked her to come to him. He said to her, “Woman, you will no longer be disabled. I am about to set you free.” ¹³Then he put his hands on her. Right away she stood up straight and praised God.

¹⁴Jesus had healed the woman on the Sabbath day. This made the synagogue leader angry. He told the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days. But do not come on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵The Lord answered him, “You pretenders! Doesn’t each of you go to the barn and untie your ox or donkey on the Sabbath day? Then don’t you lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶This woman is a member of Abraham’s family line. But Satan has kept her disabled for 18 long years. Shouldn’t she be set free on the Sabbath day from what was keeping her disabled?”

¹⁷When Jesus said this, all those who opposed him were put to shame. But the people were delighted. They loved all the wonderful things he was doing.

Jesus puts the disabled woman’s needs first

What do we learn from this encounter that helps us today? Here are a few thoughts…

(i) The woman had suffered for a long time: The passage says that for 18 years she had been disabled. That’s an age to be struggling like this. Are there people you know who have struggled with a disability or health condition for a long time?

(ii) Her disability was serious, life-changing, debilitating: She could not stand up straight; imagine how hard that must have been for her, the pain she must surely have been in. Again, does this bring someone you know to mind?

(iii) She maintained her faith: Despite all that she was struggling with, she hadn’t abandoned her faith, she still went to the temple. Perhaps to worship, perhaps in hope of a miracle, perhaps both. If you had struggled like this for 18 years, would it have affected your faith? In what ways?

(iv) Jesus noticed her: Disabled people can often become ‘anonymous’, ‘ignored’, ‘overlooked’, maybe even ‘invisible’. I wonder how many other people saw her and looked away, hoping they didn’t catch her eye. Jesus didn’t, Jesus noticed her. Do we sometimes ignore a disabled person in our community, avoiding their look?

(v) Immediately, Jesus stopped what he was doing: The passage says that Jesus was teaching, he was in mid flow. If I’m preaching in church, or delivering some training, the last thing I would want to do is be distracted by someone or something so much that I stopped what I was doing. Jesus didn’t mind; he saw that there was something far more important that he needed to do in that moment; here was someone that needed him now. Do we get so caught up with what we are doing that we don’t respond to the far more pressing need right in front of us?

(vi) Jesus didn’t wait: He could have noticed the woman, made a mental note to see her afterwards, and then carried on teaching. But he didn’t; he acted straight away, ignoring Sabbath protocol. This woman had waited 18 years, she couldn’t wait a second longer. Do we put off helping someone until it is convenient for us, or even put it off indefinitely?

(vii) Jesus was prepared to annoy people, powerful people, to put the needs of another first. As he so often did, he turned it into yet another teaching opportunity! Are we willing to take risks to help people? To perhaps upset people in order to do what we know in our hearts is right, is God’s will?

Jesus healed her, and her story teaches us so very much.

It turns out that this short story has a lot to say to us. This woman’s story resonates down the ages; I hope her story has spoken to you as it has to me.

Shalom,

Mark

See also:
Jesus Healed People But What Was He Really Teaching Us?
https://theadditionalneedsblogfather.com/2020/02/04/jesus-healed-part-1/

Images courtesy of Lumo Project Films – www.lumoproject.com

Bible passage taken from the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)