August 24 Daily Devotional

Luke 13–14

Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. Probably it was in Galilee. “And, 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.” We do not know the details of her sickness. No doubt they tried to cure her, and perhaps a great deal of money was spent in seeking help for her. In some way or other it was made possible for her to come to the synagogue and listen to the wonderful teaching of Jesus. And when Jesus saw her in her pitiful condition his heart was filled with compassion. He did not ask questions. He simply said, “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”

“And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because 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.” This was the spirit of Pharisaism, and Jesus promptly corrected him, when he 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? And 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? And 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.”

And it came to pass, when on a certain occasion Jesus was invited into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that he did not shun the company of the publicans, whose reputation was not too good, nor did he evade the Pharisees that opposed his teachings. This invitation was in the spirit of hypocrisy; for it is said, “They watched him.” They pretended friendship but did not accept his teachings. “And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; and answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things.”