Luke 13:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God.

NIV: Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

NASB: And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood up straight again, and began glorifying God.

CSB: Then he laid his hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God.

NLT: Then he touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God!

KJV: And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

NKJV: And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

Jesus has done the unthinkable. He was offered the honor of teaching on the Sabbath at the local synagogue. He has most likely read a portion of the Hebrew Scriptures and begun His interpretation (Luke 13:10–11). Then everything starts to go wrong for the leader of the synagogue who oversees the session.

First, when Jesus explains the passage, He does so with authority. He doesn't rely on what other rabbis have said before Him. He teaches as if He were the source of truth (Mark 1:22).

Second, Jesus notices a woman in the crowd. She's hard to miss, as she's hunched over nearly double. But He doesn't ignore her, assuming her ailment is due to sin (John 9:1–3). Instead, He calls her to come to Him.

Third, Jesus touches the woman—in that era, rabbis did not physically contact women.

Fourth, Jesus heals the woman despite this being the Sabbath. She unbends and stands straight (Luke 13:12).

The ruler of the synagogue is indignant. Jesus has broken several social norms but this—working on the Sabbath—is an especially irritating offense. Still, the ruler can't publicly shame the teacher he chose. He settles on scolding the people, telling them they are wrong to seek healing on the Sabbath (Luke 13:14).

Of course, it is not against God's law to heal someone on the Sabbath. Jesus explains this (Luke 13:15–16). But the law followed by religious leaders of the area—the Pharisees—goes far beyond the Mosaic law in the Old Testament. Their scribes have spent centuries adding extra rules. They seek to prevent Jews from even approaching disobedience, lest God send them to exile again. They call these rules the "Oral Law" and claim that God gave them to Moses but Moses didn't write them down.

The traditional rules of this Oral Law specifically define "work" that should not be done on the Sabbath based on the construction of the tabernacle. Normal healing might include making medication, but that is too similar to mixing dyes. Then the medication would have to be carried, like the pieces of the tent. Here, however, Jesus straightens the crippled woman's back, recalling fitting structural pieces together and finishing the construction.

What the synagogue leader and other religious authorities there fail to understand is the purpose of the Sabbath is to give God's children rest (Mark 2:27). What better rest can this woman receive than to be healed physically and released from the torment of a demon (Luke 13:15–16)?

Luke 13:10–17 begins the next section (Luke 13:10–35) with a Sabbath miracle. The section continues with teaching about salvation and the kingdom of God—a pattern mirrored in Luke 14:1—15:32. While teaching in the synagogue, Jesus sees and heals a woman oppressed by a crippling demon. The synagogue leader turns on the people seeking healing. Jesus points out that anyone there would help their animal on the Sabbath; why can't He help a daughter of Abraham? The Gospels contain many accounts of Jesus healing on the Sabbath, but this one is unique to Luke.

Luke 9:51—19:27 is sometimes called "Jesus' Travelogue to Jerusalem." The segment describes how Jesus prepared the disciples for their future as He approached His own death and resurrection. Interspersed are a few altercations with religious leaders. There are calls for the crowd to repent of their sins and reconcile with God before it's too late. In Luke 13, two stories in particular reveal Jesus' heart. In one, He heals a long-suffering woman on the Sabbath; healing is a type of rest. In the last, He mourns the fact that, for now, the Jews as a nation will reject their Messiah.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.