“And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her,
Woman, art loosed from thine infirmity.
And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. The Lord then answered him, and said,
Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from his bond on the sabbath day?
And when he said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” Luke 13 v10-17
To be like Jesus. The freedom that comes as Christ Jesus intervenes is beyond our measure. The bondage of things like tradition, perception, and simply the sin of wanting to hold on to a wrong idea can cost others for a long time. This woman had suffered for eighteen years and then was healed, yet the perception was that this healing was to have waited again to another day.
Does this imply that the Sabbath is not to be respected, or reverenced? No The implications of this healing should come with the understanding of -How could this not edify the church, morally correct?
At the end of the day, the woman was healed of a long time issue.
Lord, this day, change my heart, change my thinking to be understanding and to have the wisdom of how to imply that understanding. Forgive us in our failures. This day is yours. Amen
February 7
Threecrosses 