27th Sunday after Pentecost

In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath when He notices a woman who has been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She is bent over and unable to straighten up at all. Jesus calls her forward and says, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." He lays His hands on her, and immediately she straightens up and praises God.



This act of healing on the Sabbath sparks indignation from the synagogue leader, who tells the people that there are six days for work and they should come to be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath. Jesus responds by calling the leader a hypocrite, pointing out that even on the Sabbath, people untie their ox or donkey and lead it to water. He argues that this woman, a daughter of Abraham, should be set free from her bondage on the Sabbath day.



This passage encourages us to reflect on the importance of compassion, the power of Jesus to heal and restore, and the need to prioritize mercy over rigid adherence to rules. It also challenges us to consider how we can be instruments of God's love and healing in the lives of others.