On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

What a fascinating story! It has all of the makings of a good mini action film: action-packed & other-worldly power, the classic good vs. evil, the renegade vs. the establishment, and rule-keepers vs. people helpers.

Jesus sees this woman who has struggled, wrestled, and had to ask others for help for the last 18 years. We don’t know the reason for her disability — was it an accident, an illness, a stroke, or demon possession? But we do know that the Devil rules over this fallen world and whatever the source of it, he is responsible for many of the challenges we face in life.

Imagine never being able to really hug someone, or see far ahead of you, or run or jump. What a tough challenge. And Jesus steps in and has compassion on her. He heals her. This should be a cause for a huge celebration of God’s work in this lady’s life.

Instead, the self-centered Jewish leaders could only think about their potential loss of power if Jesus was left unchecked. So they try to discredit this amazing act on a technicality. They say he should not heal on the Sabbath. They classified it as “work”, which you are supposed to take a break from on the Sabbath. In all my readings, I have never seen “healing on the Sabbath” particularly mentioned as a bad thing. They lumped a great work of God in with other actions that dishonor God.

And in stating this they show two things: 1) They have no interest in looking at the heart of the one who made the rules. If they did they would find his heart exactly like the heart of Jesus. 2) They do not understand who actually did the work. Jesus was God’s son, he is the Alpha and the Omega (the beginning and the end), and he is one with God as God’s Son. So technically, the rule-maker (God) was acting here. When God is the rule maker, by definition he always abides by the heart of the rules.

Where do I get frustrated with others stepping into “my turf” and showing me up? How will I react? Will I react out of selfishness or God’s grace?

Lord, thank you for showing me that you desire a good-hearted follower over a cold-hearted rule-maker! I look forward to seeing your hand lead me as I humble myself and serve!