Luke 13:10-17 Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath

And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.  When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.”  And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.  But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”  But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him?  And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”  As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.

A central theme in Luke’s gospel is that Jesus is Lord over the Sabbath.  What this means is that the Sabbath was made to serve the physical and spiritual needs of God and man.

But as Jesus said, this child was held captive by Satan these 18 years.  He as the Son of God, had the opportunity and ability to loose her.  Jesus goes on to say that it is not a violation of the Law to do good on the Sabbath.  When the people recognized this, they rejoiced and glorified God.

Daily Prayer:  My Savior, You continually do what is right in the sight of the Father.  He says that with You, He is well pleased.  In the same way, teach me to pattern myself after You so that at my life’s end, I will not be ashamed.  In Your holy name I pray Amen.