10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 11 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. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that 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. 15 The Lord then answered him, and 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? 16 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? 17 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. (Luke 13:10-17 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Observe here, 1. The afflicted person, a woman which had a sore disease inflicted upon her by the devil for eighteen years, which almost bowed her together. There is nothing that the devil delights more in, than the miseries and calamities of mankind. Satan is not satisfied barely to infect the mind, and poison the souls of men; but he delights to afflict and hurt the body, where and when he can obtain leave.
Observe, 2. Christ’s compassion towards her, and his miraculous healing of her; Jesus called her to him, and with a word speaking, healed her.
Where note, that the inveterateness of the disease, and the instantaneousness of the cure, made the miracle evident. She that had been bowed down eighteen years, in an instant is made straight, and only by a word of Christ’s mouth. Such a miraculous operation was an evident testimony of his divine mission, that he was the Son of God.
Observe, 3. How the heart of the poor woman is affected with Christ’s hand: she glorified God; that is, she gave thanks to God, and attributed the miracle to him. As the chief end of all God’s extraordinary works, either of power or mercy, is the exaltation of his own glory; so the only way that we can set forth his glory, is by celebrating his praises, and expressing our own thankfulness: He that offereth me praises and thanks, glorifies me, Ps 50:23.
Observe, 4. The unreasonable anger and unjust indignation, which was found with the ruler of the synagogue against our holy Lord for working this miraculous cure on the sabbath day. There is no person so holy, no action so innocent, but may fall under unjust censure, especially where malice and ignorance are combined. What a severe reflection does this man make upon our blessed Lord for performing a work of mercy on the sabbath day!
Observe, 5. Our Lord’s vindication of himself from calumny and false accusation;
1. He charges his accusers with hypocrisy. Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you looses his ox or his ass from the stall on the sabbath day, and water him? It is one note of a hypocrite, to condemn that in another which he does himself: the Jews held it lawful to loose and lead a beast to water on the sabbath day, which was a work of servile labor; and yet would condemn Christ for healing a poor woman only with a word speaking.
2. Christ vindicates his own action, by comparing it with theirs, which they judged lawful on the sabbath day: Was their loosing and watering the beast a work of necessity? Much more was his. Was theirs a work of mercy? His much more. Their compassion was to a brute beast, his to a rational creature, to a woman, and that not a stranger, a heathen woman; but one of their own, a Jewish woman, a daughter of Abraham. No, further, Christ’s act was an act of far greater necessity, and more special mercy, than theirs. The beast might live a day without water; the beast might not be sick: but this woman was in sore distress, and had been so for eighteen years; no, she was in the hands of the enemy of mankind, bound by Satan. Was it not then a greater act of mercy and compassion to loose her, than to lead a beast?
Observe, 6. What effect did our Lord’s vindication of himself had upon the hearers of it: His adversaries were ashamed, and the people rejoiced, verse 17. His accusers were ashamed, and probably convinced, perhaps silenced; but we read not that they confessed their error, or acknowledged their unjust censure, or craved Christ’s pardon.
When persons judgments are under conviction of an error or mistake, it is very hard to bring themselves to confess and own their mistake, because all men stand very much upon the credit and reputation of their understandings, and look upon it as a reproach to own themselves mistaken; though it is really otherwise. But though our Saviour’s adversaries were only ashamed, others rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
BURKITT | Luke 13:1-3 | Luke 13:4-5 | Luke 13:6-7 | Luke 13:8-9 | Luke 13:10-17 | Luke 13:18-21 | Luke 13:22-24 | Luke 13:25-30 | Luke 13:31-33 | Luke 13:34-35 |