In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Luke 13. 10 – 17
At that time, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.” And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” As he said this, all his adversaries were put to shame; and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
The reaction of the ruler of the synagogue is surely a strange one. He sees a woman who has been suffering for 18 years healed. Surely he should rejoice to see this happen, that a member of his community is no longer in pain, no longer disfigured by being bent over with her face towards the ground, and is no longer prevented from being able to do so many things by her infirmity?
And, of course, he should give glory to God that not only has such a great miracle has taken place, but that he has had the privilege of witnessing it. And he should be delighted in particular that it has taken place in his synagogue, to be seen by all those whose spiritual welfare is in his care. He should be thinking about the effect this will have on their faith, how it will be strengthened, about how some seeing this miracle take place before their very eyes might be inspired to repent of their secret sins and so be saved.
instead, he grumbles, and grumbles loudly and publicly. This shouldn’t happen on the sabbath, he says. There are six other days in the week to be healed on. Come back then.
It might seem that zeal for the law is what causes him to speak this way, a desire to see the sabbath respected as a day of rest. But our Lord demolishes that argument. He reminds the ruler and all others present that there are exceptions to the rules about not working on the sabbath. Certain things must be done. A man would not leave his ox or donkey to suffer from thirst for no other reason than it was the sabbath. No, he would untie the beast and lead it to water. Why then allow a human being, who is more precious than any animal, to continue in her suffering for such a reason?
The ruler and those who support him are put to shame by Jesus’s words. As well they might be, for the Fathers tell us that the ruler does not speak as he does out zeal for the law, but out of envy. He doesn’t want Jesus performing miracles in his synagogue because it undermines his authority. He says come back another day not out of respect for the sabbath but because on the sabbath the synagogue is filled with people. On another day it will be all but empty, with few or none to witness the miracle and spread the word about Jesus’s power.
There is a warning for us in the behaviour of the ruler of the synagogue. It can be all too easy to feel threatened by the good that others do. Sometimes, perhaps, because it shows they have abilities that we do not have. Sometimes, perhaps, because when the great good others do can make we do seem like so little in comparison.
But it’s not about comparing ourselves to other people. We must look instead to how Jesus acted that day. When he entered the synagogue and saw the woman’s suffering, he didn’t wait for her to cry to him for help. Instead, he at once called to her, laid his hands upon her, and did what he could to help her.
That is the standard by which we must judge the way in which we help others. Do we behave like the ruler, who thinks that even severe suffering that has been endured for a long time can wait for help until a time we think more suitable or convenient? Or do we do what we can at once, heedless of what others may think? When you can help today and say instead tomorrow or next week, is the additional suffering not to be laid at your door?
And what if you have no tomorrow, as the rich fool learned to his cost? Do you wish to stand before your maker, thinking of all the good you thought you might do some day, but never did? I pray not. Amen.
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