GOSPEL READING:
Luke 13:10-1710 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who had had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." 13 And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God. 14 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." 15 Then the Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger, and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" 17 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.
Meditation: Is there anything that keeps you bound up or
oppressed? Infirmity, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual,
can befall us for a variety of reasons and God can use it for some
purpose that we do not understand. When Jesus encountered an
elderly woman who was spent of her strength and unable to stand
upright, he gave her words of faith and freedom and he restored
her to health. She must have suffered much, both physically and
spiritually for eighteen years, since Jesus remarked that Satan
had bound her. How can Satan do this? The Scriptures indicate that
Satan can act in the world with malice and can cause injuries of a
spiritual nature, and indirectly even of a physical nature.
Satan's power, however, is not infinite. He cannot prevent the
building up of God's kingdom or reign in our lives.
Jesus wants to set free us from oppression
Jesus demonstrates the power and authority of God's kingdom in
releasing people who are oppressed by physical and emotional
sickness, by personal weakness and sin, and by the harassment of
the evil one in their lives. It took only one word from Jesus to
release this woman instantly of her infirmity. Do you believe in
the power of Jesus to release you from affliction and oppression?
The Jewish leaders were indignant that Jesus would perform such a
miraculous work on the Sabbath, the holy day of rest. They were so
caught up in their ritual observance of the Sabbath that they lost
sight of God's mercy and goodness. Jesus healed on the Sabbath
because God does not rest from showing his mercy and love, ever.
God's word has power to change us, spiritually, physically, and
emotionally. Is there anything that keeps you bound up or that
weighs you down? Let the Lord speak his word to you and give you
freedom.
Lord Jesus, you grant freedom to those who seek you. Give me freedom to walk in your way of love and to praise and worship you always. Show me how I can bring your mercy and healing love to those in need around me.
Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Jesus overcomes death and destruction, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"The incarnation of the Word and his assumption of human nature
took place for the overthrow of death, destruction and the envy
harbored against us by the wicked Serpent, who was the first cause
of evil. This plainly is proved to us by facts themselves. He set
free the daughter of Abraham from her protracted sickness, calling
out and saying, 'Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.' A
speech most worthy of God, and full of supernatural power! With
the royal inclination of his will, he drives away the disease. He
also lays his hands upon her. It says that she immediately was
made straight. It is now also possible to see that his holy flesh
bore in it the power and activity of God. It was his own flesh,
and not that of some other Son beside him, distinct and separate
from him, as some most impiously imagine."(excerpt
from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 96)
