Today’s Gospel lesson in Luke is a healing story. Jesus healed a lot of people during his earthly ministry. But this one scandalously takes place on the Sabbath day in the synagogue. Thus, the story has two parts: first, Jesus’ healing of the bent over woman and second, his conflict with the leader of the synagogue. It’s all too tempting to focus on one part at the expense of the other, so let us try to understand each half and bring them together to make a whole Gospel message.
First, the bent over woman. It’s not exactly clear what her medical situation is, but there is some terrible spinal condition that has kept her from living a decent life. For 18 long years.
Note she doesn’t approach Jesus asking for help as some people did. Maybe this woman was so bent over, she couldn’t even see him. She would have been someone literally looked down on in society. She was considered ritually unclean and there was nothing that could be done to change that low status.
Yet, when Jesus looks at her, he sees something completely different. He sees a woman too long held captive by bonds of spiritual and physical oppression. He sees a woman who despite her wretched condition, has still come to worship in the house of the Lord. In short, Jesus sees a beloved ‘daughter of Abraham’ for whom he will perform a miracle right here, right now. So, he calls her over and heals her. Immediately she stands up straight and begins praising God. So far, so good.
Now, Part 2. The leader of the synagogue where all this is taking place is outraged. He doesn’t question that the woman is indeed healed. Instead, he challenges the fact that she was cured in his synagogue on the Sabbath at Jesus’ initiative. We tend to judge this religious leader quite harshly. But consider his situation.
It’s his responsibility to oversee this holy space, especially the teaching and faithful observance of the Law. The requirement to observe the Sabbath was based on the Ten Commandments: “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work...”
Proper observance of the Sabbath was fundamental to Jewish identity. It marked them as a distinctive and holy people. A lot of ink then was spilled over what could and could not be done on the Sabbath. And curing sick people definitely violated the commandment to rest from all ‘work’ on this day.
As the synagogue leader told the crowd, “There are six other days that people can work. Come on any of those days if you are looking to be cured – just not on the Sabbath!” And he probably added under his breath, “After all, this woman’s been crippled for 18 years. What difference would it make to wait one more day?” It was as if Jesus was deliberately stirring up trouble to get attention and embarrass the religious authorities.
And maybe he was. What does he call them? Hypocrites. The Greek word for hypocrite can be translated as ‘actor’, implying that the religious leaders are pretending to be someone they are not – and in this case what they are not are competent interpreters of Scripture and the Law.
So, says Jesus, if you are so concerned about following Sabbath rules about work, let’s talk about animals. Don’t we allow people to untie their ox or donkey on the Sabbath to lead them to a trough for water? If you have such compassion for your ox or donkey, how much more should you have for a daughter of Abraham?
Now some of you may think that comparing the treatment of animals to the treatment of this woman is a bit far-fetched. But I recall the comment from an asylum seeker in Hong Kong many years ago. It was during the time when there was no official government registration or help for anyone seeking asylum. The man was wandering around the streets in the city. He noticed many of the trees had a metal plate with an I.D. number on them. Wow, he thought. Even trees in Hong Kong get more attention and concern than asylum seekers get.
So maybe Jesus’ comparison is not so far-fetched after all, is it? Especially as he connects the two with the images of binding and loosing. As he sees it, this crippled woman had been cruelly bound by Satan for 18 years. How could he not liberate her at the first opportunity? He, who boldly declared God’s calling to proclaim release to the captives and set free those who are oppressed. He, who compassionately healed the sick – not only to restore their health but to claim back their rightful place among the people of God. For Jesus, the essence of Sabbath was not postponing the work of God, but completing it.
And the crowds must have agreed for Luke says after everything was said and done, “all of his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.” Truly the weak have become strong, the lowly lifted up and the mighty brought down. Praise the Lord!
Now at this point, I want to address a couple of questions that still need to be answered. The first has to do with the root cause of this woman’s sickness. Jesus states that this bent-over woman had been bound by Satan and he was duty-bound to release her from that bondage. What does he mean?
Is her illness a sign she was possessed by a demon? No! I don’t believe that is what Jesus meant here at all. When he healed her, it was not an exorcism of an evil spirit. He spoke directly to the woman, pronouncing her released from bondage. Then he laid hands on her, invoking the power of God to liberate and bless her.
When Jesus speaks of the woman being bound by Satan, it’s not a scientific diagnosis. It’s a theological judgment. It’s a condemnation of the bondage of creation to the powers and principalities of this world. Even more, it’s a repudiation of the evil one that Jesus was sent to battle and destroy. The healing of this woman then is a visible sign of the power of the kingdom of God breaking through in Christ. It’s a sign pointing towards the final victory of the reign of God over the Kingdom of Satan at the end of time.
I love how New Testament scholar Craig Keener puts it. He calls the miracles of Jesus “kingdom samples” – samples of the future to keep our hope alive, a foretaste of a greater future to come.
Which leads me to the other question this passage may raise. What about us today? What should we hope for – ask for – for those who are sick and suffering including ourselves? Do “kingdom samples” still happen in our day and age? I did quite a lot of reading and praying for this sermon, because the questions about healing and God are huge. I haven’t got all the answers, of course. And many of you may have more to say about this because of your own first-hand experience. So, just let me offer what I have found most helpful with hopes that it opens the way for more dialogue.
It seems two opposite and equal dangers have emerged over time. One side insists there are no miraculous healings today like in New Testament times. Those were given only for a special period – to Jesus and to the first disciples. Thus, don’t expect miraculous healings in our day and age. The other side says, no, God will heal anybody who comes to Him in faith. So, if you aren’t healed, there must be something lacking in your faith or the people who are praying for you.
Neither of these positions is biblical. Of course, miraculous healings have happened in our day and age. There are well-documented cases, more often it seems in non-Western countries. Maybe you know of people to whom this happened or heard their testimonies. Well, then, if God does work in these mysterious ways, why doesn’t God do so for everyone, all the time? Bishop N.T. Wright says this is a very sharp question for him personally. He tells the story of two of his old friends. Both were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Both had wise and devout church members praying for them. Both had excellent medical treatment. One made a remarkable recovery and is alive and well. The other died within six months. We all know cases like this.
So, where does that leave us? Again, I turn to Craig Keener. He is a firm believer in miracles today based on the biblical witness and his own fieldwork around the world. Yet, even he sometimes hasn’t gotten the miracle he wanted.
However, he says, there is a message in the Gospels that runs deeper than miracles: the message of the Cross. In the Cross God shows that even in the deepest tragedy, God still has a plan. Jesus’s first disciples were excited about the miracles, but they were terrified by the Cross. Yet the Cross shows us that, no matter how deep the darkness, the injustice, the agony—God is at work even there— indeed, especially there. Because an empty tomb declares that the Cross is not the final word.
Yes, miracles are signs of the kingdom, but not the fullness of the Kingdom itself. Miracles are meant to keep hope kindled; but the deepest sign of hope is the Cross that gave way to the Resurrection. So, even when God doesn’t do a miracle when we think we need it, God is working and our future is secure.
Therefore, says Keener, pray for miracles that only God can do. But don’t neglect the healing ministries that God has given us the ability to do – praying for the sick, healing services, medical care, research, humanitarian service, and advocacy for political and economic justice. Why should we all these? Because every miracle – even if it happens to someone else – is a gift to all of us, an encouragement to trust the future promised in Scripture – when God will bring streams in the desert and renew the heavens and the earth. In that day, war will be no more. There will be no more sickness, no more suffering, no more death, and the Lord will wipe away every tear, yours and mine.
I want to close with a prayer by Canadian author Kate Bowler. You may remember we have used some of her devotional books in the past. Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at age 35. She has endured so much. Still she treasures every day of her life. And she prays every day for healing. So, let’s pray with her for all those in need of healing today.
God, I don’t know how to say this any other way: this is just too much.
I am in a body that needs healing, in a world that needs healing, and I am overwhelmed.
O God, please start it now, the promised beautiful healing of the nations, with me in it.
I can’t wait any longer.
God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy.
Blessed are we who pray like a child:
O God, please help me feel better soon.
Take away the pain I suffer, and let me see good days again.
Send relief through the competent hands of medical people
whose training has prepared them…
to seek out the answers that can make a difference for me and for others.
God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy.
Blessed are we, in the midst of it all,
Who say to You O God, what can we do in face of such sorrow?
We can lament honestly, and pray continually,
and be truly glad for others when relief comes,
for we are not diminished by it but rather,
emboldened to pray:
me too, Lord!
for my hope is in You.
God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy. Amen
