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The gospel reading for Trinity 10 in Year C is Luke 13.10–17, a short but remarkable story of Jesus healing a woman bent double.
It has a striking literary structure, which can be thought of as a kind of literary diptych; the effect is to focus on Jesus as the central character.
Even more interestingly, we can detect issues relevant both to Jesus’ audience and Luke’s readers. For Jesus and those he encounters, a major question is who has the authority to interpret the law, and the language Luke uses offer a clear answer. But Luke’s audience has other concerns too: what is the connection between someone’s physical appears and their moral and spiritual state? Again, the words that Luke records of Jesus offer another clear answer to this.
There are also some amazing insights to the story from the significance of the number 18, and that way that the name of Jesus is written in some early manuscripts. The connection between the two point to Jesus being the only one who is the source of the woman’s healing.
And James offers a connection with the Old Testament which no commentator has previously spotted—which has further significance to this story.
Come and join the discussion! Full written commentary will be posted in the next article.
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Ian, the Class 158 units still go through Nottingham on the Liverpool-Norwich trains!
There is a long and distinguished history of CofE clergy with an interest in trains.
Thank you. Most illuminating.
Jesus’ word ‘Hypocrites!’ is worth noting. For the synagogue ruler is making out that healing is ordinarily available in his synagogue. That clearly hadn’t occurred to the woman (and she’d had 18 years to think about it). And Jesus thinks it a preposterous claim. So does Luke – for if healing were routinely available in synagogues then there would be an orderly queue outside (weekdays only).
In the Exodus God is revealed as Jehovah-Rapha, “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26). The absence of healing at temple or synagogue implied the absence of the Lord from such places – and for Luke, Jesus’ power to heal proved the God of Israel was indeed visiting his people.
It was Jesus who brought the healing – not the synagogue, even though that was where the healing took place.
As to healing on the Sabbath – two different reasons are given for observing the Sabbath in the ten commandments. In Exodus 20 the reason is that the Creator rested on the seventh day. But in Deuteronomy 5 the reason is different – ‘remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord delivered you’ – what the woman has just experienced, and why Sabbath was particularly appropriate day for her healing.
Good insight!
Yes, I think you are right. And I think that is also what makes James’ observation with the possible connection with Judges so interesting.
Isn’t this also a message to all of us who to one extent or another are, incurvatus in se, not Christ focussed/centric. (Even in our biblical hermeneutics, let alone salvation and sanctification?)
Hi Geoff, have you seen my emails to you?
Thanks James and Ian, this was really interesting – not least because I have ankylosing spondylitis!
I don’t think I knew that…!
If the bent back was regarded as a sign of a weak or immoral character, could the binding by Satan – the accuser – be his taunting that she is an unworthy person? Then Jesus according her with the title of daughter of Abraham is the refutation of the accuser’s taunt.
Yes indeed. It is altogether a most fascinating story. I think one of the richest in the gospels.