In the Gospel we hear of the healing of a woman who had been bent over with illness for eighteen years when Christ healed her. The response from the Jewish elite was, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not the Sabbath.” (Luke 13.14) This logic is flawed in two ways: God, and not man, did the work of healing; and showing compassion must never be seen as work.
Our Lord says, “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (Luke 13.16) The elite were willing to show compassion on their donkeys and oxen (see Luke 13.15) but not on their fellow human being. Whereas the woman glorified God for her healing, the elite couldn’t see God’s blessing through their own blindness.
Many of us encounter weakness that has persisted sometimes for many years. Have we brought our weakness to the Lord in His Church for healing or have we gone about our business and ignored the reality that God is present and can heal us even while we sit in Church. “Now He was teaching in the one of the synagogues on the Sabbath,” (Luke 13.10) when the woman came to Him. The woman didn’t consider it rude or offensive to bring her weakness to God in Church and neither should we.
And when we are healed, let us respond as the woman did and the crowd with her who “rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.” (Luke 13.17)
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