Luke 13:10-17 (NRSV)
Read Luke 13:10-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 10Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. Verse 11And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. Verse 12When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." Verse 13When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. Verse 14But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." Verse 15But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? Verse 16And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" Verse 17When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Devotion
The weekend is coming! How will you rest? How will you keep the Sabbath? It was an important question for the Jewish community in Jesus' day. Jesus rebuffed those interpreters of the Law who argued that even healing should be put on hold until the Sabbath was over. Jesus recognized that the larger purpose of the commandment was to free God’s people from whatever holds us in bondage, including work.
A congregation sent out a survey to its members to ask about connections between faith and daily work. One question was, "How frequently do you keep a Sabbath day once a week to detach and rest from your work?" One fourth of those responding answered "never" or "seldom," and another third answered "sometimes." The responses led to a series of conversations about how congregation members might reclaim the necessity and gift of a weekly Sabbath alongside daily work.
Prayer
Merciful God, show us how your commandment to keep the Sabbath comes to us as a gift. Free us from our bondage to anything that keeps us from resting in you. Amen.