Luke 13:11-2511And, 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. 12And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14And 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. 15The 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? 16And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him. 18Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it. 20And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. 22And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. 23Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: (Luke 13:11‑25)
One day when the Lord Jesus was teaching the people in a synagogue, a woman came in all bent over, and she could not straighten up. That might not be so dreadful for a little while, but this woman had been so a very long time.
As soon as Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said to her,
“Woman, thou art loosed of thine infirmity.” Then He put His hands on her, and she became straight.
The woman was very thankful and spoke in honor to God, and all the people were thankful that such a great cure was done. But the leader of the synagogue was not pleased; he called it work that should not be done bause it was the Sabbath day.
God had given the law for the pele of Israel to do no work on the Sabbath, that they should remember that He had freed them from being slaves, and they were to honor Him (Deut. 5:1515And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5:15)). But they did not honor God, and had their own rules for what they called work, and cared more for their rules than for God.
The man should have known that One Who had such power to cure, knew the right time to do it. Jesus asked him if he did not unfasten his animals from the stalls and lead them to water on the Sabbath. So should not the poor woman be made free of her trouble? He called her, “a dauger of Abraham,” which meant she believed God, as Abraham had; she was also of the same race.
Then some of the men seemed to want to frighten Jesus that He should go away from the city, and told Him that Herod, the ruler, would try to kill Him.
Jesus did not fear Herod, and said He must keep on His work, and called Herod deceitful, as “a fox,” which slips up on other animals in the dark. But He asked the men of Jerusalem if it could be that a prophet would perish there. They should protect a prophet, because it was the city God had chosen for His Temple, and where they knew His words.
A prophet is one who tells God’s words, and Jesus was the Great Proet, whom Moses said would come (Deut. 18:1515The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; (Deuteronomy 18:15)). But the leaders in that city did not believe He was from God. Jesus was very sad that they would not believe Him. Another place speaks of His weeping over it. He said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem.... how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings.”
You know when it begins to be night, or a storm coming, a hen clucks to her little chicks and they come close and she covers them with her wings to protect them.
Jesus meant He would so carefully have sheltered the people of Jerusalem, if they would have let Him, but He said the sad words, “Ye would not.” He is just as willing now to save all who will believe Him, from the punishment of their sins, and it must just as deeply grieve Him, if any “will not” believe or “come.”
ML 07/15/1945