A woman is disabled, so much so that she is perpetually bent over and can’t begin to stand straight. She has endured this for eighteen years.
When Jesus sees her, he reaches out and touches her crippled form. Immediately the bones in her body realign. She stands up straight, thanking God.
A religious leader who sees this happen should have joined in on the celebration. Instead he criticizes Jesus because this healing happened on their day of rest, the Sabbath. The misguided leader thinks his traditions and religious rules are more important than helping people in need.
Jesus thinks otherwise and sets him straight.
This woman becomes the center of controversy, not for what she does but because a religious leader tries to use her to advance his own agenda.
Have we ever judged a person or their situation when we should have offered love instead?
[Discover more about the disabled woman in Luke 13:10–17.]
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.