Day 32 | Healing a Disabled Woman
Read Luke 13:10-17
Here Luke gives an account of a miracle Jesus did while teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. With just one touch from Jesus, a woman who was physically disabled for over 18 years instantly experienced complete physical healing. Jesus lovingly noticed her suffering in a crowd of people and stopped His teaching to restore her to wholeness immediately.
This woman’s encounter with Jesus seems brief, but this short miracle serves a big purpose. The healed woman’s immediate response was to praise God. The reaction of the leader of the synagogue, however, stands in stark contrast. Perhaps he was bitter that Jesus was stealing his spotlight, but his response to the miracle was indignant. Indignance is anger at what is perceived as unfair treatment – the religious leader makes this scene all about him and what is “fair” to him: keeping his power and position. He accuses Jesus of breaking the Sabbath by “working” and accuses the crowd of breaking the Sabbath by coming to be healed. Jesus points out that even the religious leaders untie their animals on the Sabbath to relieve their thirst – so how much more important is it to untie a human being, made in God’s image, from her spiritual bondage and alleviate her suffering? The crowd responds by joining in with joyful praise to God.
This miracle, like all of Jesus’ miracles, shows His power and divinity, but perhaps the more important lesson is in revealing the hearts and attitudes of people. Any of us can fall into the trap of the religious leader by thinking we are doing so much for God that we miss seeing what God is doing. We may think we have a heart for God, but if we don’t also have a heart for the people He created, we are missing the point. We can get caught up in what we think is “unfair,” but what was genuinely unfair was a perfect Savior dying on the cross for humans who didn’t deserve it. Each day we have to ask God to remove any prideful religiousness in us so we can humbly join Him in His work.
Pray for 10 minutes