Study Bible
Luke
Chapter 13

Jesus' Healing on the Sabbath

Luke 13:10-17Luke: List of Major Bible Charts, Maps, & PicturesJesus' Journey to Jerusalem

Luke 13:10-17NIV11-EN

¹⁰On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹and 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. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. ¹⁴Indignant 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.” ¹⁵The 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? ¹⁶Then 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?” ¹⁷When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

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Jesus' Healing on the Sabbath

Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues. A woman with an infirmity entered; "crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all" (Luke 13:11) - a type of bone fusion or muscular paralysis. The text does not say she was demon possessed, but merely crippled by the design of Satan; oppressed (cf. Job). Compare the 18 years in Luke 13:11 with the eighteen in Luke 13:4.

"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" (Luke 13:12-13). Jesus healed on the Sabbath (Luke 4:18-19); note the woman praised God on the Sabbath. The Kingdom of God was present upon the earth (see below).

The ruler of the synagogue sought to accuse Jesus before the people. He said, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath" (Luke 13:14). Jesus responds with a stinging rebuke. He says, "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?" (Luke 13:15-16). The Mishna lists rules for caring for cattle on the Sabbath (m. abbat 7:2; 5:1-4; 15:12; m. 'Erubin 2:1-4). Jesus' point is simple: if animals can receive basic care on the Sabbath, how much more human beings, especially a woman of promise, a child of Abraham! Note, Jesus' title of the woman - "daughter of Abraham" - pointing to the full inclusion of women in the Old covenant community.

The event ends with Jesus' opponents humiliated and the people rejoicing (Luke 13:17l cf. Luke 6:17) at his marvelous deeds (cf. Luke 7:16; Exod. 34:10).

Jesus displayed his compassion for hurting people through healing. Through the healing, he showed his authority over spiritual powers and physical sickness. He also pointed out spiritual hypocrisy in Israel's religious leaders.

Luke 13:10

synagogues. See note on 4:5. Sabbath. See note on 6:1.

Luke 13:11

We do not know much about this woman. If she was a believer, then her spirit was guarded from the demon and she could not be possessed (see Col 1:13-14; 2 Cor. 6:16). However, he could still attack her physical body (see Job 1-2).

Luke 13:12

Jesus had compassion on the woman and took the initiative in healing her. freed. A word that usually relates to the release of prisoners or a debt obligation. Later Jesus would say that she had been bound by Satan (v. 16).

Luke 13:13

Luke often notes the immediacy of healing at Jesus's command (4:39; 5:25; 8:44, 47, 55; 18:43).

Luke 13:14

There is nothing in God's law for Israel that says one cannot heal on the Sabbath (see note on 6:1; Exod. 20:8-11). In fact, deeds of mercy and necessity were permitted on the Sabbath. However, certain people created traditions meant to keep pious Jews from breaking the law. These traditions became confused with God's law, leading people to forget God's character and the intent of his law (see Mark 7:8-9, 13). The Sabbath was made for humanity's good (Mark 2:27). Therefore, it was right to heal on that day (vv. 15-16).

Luke 13:15-16

Jesus accused the synagogue ruler (v. 14) and other like-minded Jews of hypocrisy. They did the necessary work of providing water to their animals on the Sabbath. Yet, they did not want to provide healing relief of a person's suffering. True intimacy with God can never be divorced from a compassionate concern for his people (Matt. 22:37-39; 1 John 3:10; 4:20-21).

Luke 13:16

daughter of Abraham. A physical descendent of Abraham. He was the recipient of God's covenant promises and the father of the Jewish people (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:1-18; 17:1-8). Jesus likely also saw her as a spiritual descendent that trusted God like Abraham did (19:9; see Rom. 4:1-3, 12-25). Satan. See note on 4:2.

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