Sunday 24 August 2025
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” (v. 12)
Background
What surprises are here! Jesus (operating in a patriarchal society) presumes to engage directly with a woman he has not met before, and even to touch her and to effect a cure. This was presumably after the synagogue worship, from which women were excluded. But was this a breach of the sabbath discipline?
Extremists, such as the Essenes in Qumran at the time, imposed an absolute ban on all practical activity on the sabbath, even if death threatened. Pharisees, represented by the leader of the synagogue, embargoed daily work on the sabbath – with a very few exceptions (eg if imminent death threatened; and to sustain the bare necessities of life for people and animals), and it was all heavily regulated. The synagogue leader could see no reason for an exemption on this particular sabbath to heal a woman who had been crippled for 18 years. Couldn’t she be healed tomorrow?
Jesus, however, highlights the hypocrisy. He argues that to ‘set free’ a woman bound by Satan (to use the normal explanation of the time) was morally at least as worthy as to ‘untie’ (the same word in the Greek) an animal on the sabbath to take it for a drink.
But more was at stake for Jesus. His mission was to demonstrate that some of the life-enhancing powers of the kingdom of God could flow through himself in the here and now. His ministry was radically to transform the lives of people, especially those who were most constricted by the stranglehold of Satan – the sick, the possessed, the excluded and now the long-term disabled. Sabbath rules must not be allowed to inhibit opportunities for liberating the needy through the gift of God’s own life and love.
God's kingdom does not belong exclusively to the future. In fact, without delays, in the present moment, everyone’s life can be changed for the better, by trusting in Jesus. No wonder the people praised God.
To Ponder:
- Are you aware of rules, customs or deep-seated anxieties in your congregation that make some people with long-term difficulties (physical or mental) feel unwelcome or uncomfortable in church? If so, what can you do to effect change?
- In your experience, how does worship and fellowship empower you to care, encourage or challenge people in need in your locality, or people who have no awareness of Jesus or faith? Are there changes in the Church’s life that could strengthen further your confidence in engaging with your community?
Bible notes author: The Revd David Deeks
David is a Methodist supernumerary presbyter, living in Bristol.