Jesus was humiliating his opponents

JESUS WAS HUMILIATING HIS OPPONENTS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
LUKE 13:14-1714 Indignant because Jesus had
healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leadersaid to
the people, “There are six days for work. So come and
be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”
15 The Lord answered him, “Youhypocrites!Doesn’t
each of you on the Sabbathuntie your ox or donkey
from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then
shouldnot this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom
Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set
free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”
17 When he saidthis, all his opponents were
humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the
wonderful things he was doing.
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
SuggestionsFromThe Synagogue

Luke 13:14-16
W. Clarkson
The fact that this work of our Lord (see previous homily) was wrought in a
synagogue onthe sabbath day, and that it led to an outburst of fanaticism on
the part of the ruler, which was followedby the severe rebuke of Christ, may
suggestto us -
I. THAT EARNEST SEEKERSAT THE SANCTUARY MAY FIND MORE
THAN THEY SEEK. We may class this womanamongst the earnestseekers;
for the fact that, with such a bodily infirmity as hers, she was found in her
place in the house of Godis evidence of her devotion. She went there, we may
assume, to seek the ordinary spiritual refreshment and strength which are to
be found in worship, in drawing near to God and in learning his will. She
found this as usual, and a greatdeal more; she found immediate and complete
restorationfrom her old complaint; she found a new life before her; she found
a new Teacher, a Lord of love and power, in whose Personand in whose
ministry God was most graciouslymanifesting himself to her. If we go to the
sanctuary in an entirely unspiritual mood, with no hunger of soul in us, we
shall probably come empty away;but if we go there to worship God and to
inquire of his will, desirous of offering to him the service he canaccept, and to
gain from him the blessing he is willing to impart, then is it not only possible,
but likely, that we may secure more than we seek. Godwill manifest himself to
us in ways we did not anticipate; will show us the path we had never seen
before; will take awaythe burden we thought we should bring home on our
heart; will fill us with the peace or the hope that passes allour understanding;
will open to us gates of wisdom or joy we never thought to enter.
II. THAT NOTHING BETTER BEFITSTHE DAY OF THE LORD than
doing the distinctive work of the Lord. Jesus Christ completely disposedof the
carping and censorious criticismof the ruler. If it was right, on the sabbath
day, to discharge a kindly office of no very great value and at some
considerable trouble to a brute beast, how much more must it be right to
render an invaluable service, by the momentary exercise ofa strong will, to a

poor suffering sister-womanwho was one of the children of Abraham, and
one of the people of God? And how can we better spend the hours which are
sacred, not only to bodily rest, but to spiritual advancement, than by doing
work which is peculiarly and emphatically Divine - by helping the helpless;by
relieving the suffering; by enriching the poor; by enlightening those who are
in darkness;by extricating those who are in trouble; by lifting up them that
are boweddown? When, on the sabbath day, we forgetour own exertions in
our earnestdesire to comfort, or to relieve, or to deliver, we may be quite sure
that the Lord of the sabbath will not remember them againstus, but only to
say to us, "Welldone."
III. THAT A FORMAL PIETYWILL NOT PRESERVE US FROM THE
SADDEST SINS. This ruler was probably regardedas a very devout man,
because his ceremonialismwas complete. But his routine observancesdid not
save him from making a cowardly, because indirect, attack upon a beneficent
Healer; nor from committing an actof gross inhumanity - assailing the
woman he should have been the first to rejoice with; nor from falling into an
utter misconceptionof the mind of God, thinking that evil which was divinely
good. We may hold high positions in the Church of Christ, may habitually
take very sacredwords into our lips, may flash out into greatindignation
againstsupposedreligious enormities, and yet may be obnoxious to the severe
rebuke of the final Judge, and may stand quite outside and even far off the
kingdom of heaven. Let us be sure of our own position before we undertake
the office of the accuser;let us beware lest over our outward righteousness
Divine Truth will at last inscribe that terrible word "hypocrisy." Formal piety
proves nothing; the only thing we can he sure about is the love of God in the
heart manifesting itself in the love of men. - C.

Biblical Illustrator
A woman, which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years
Luke 13:10-17
Two pulpits
C. S. Robinson, D. D.
I. Observe one thing at the outset: HOW MANY ANONYMOUS
BELIEVERS THERE ARE IN THE BIBLE RECORD WHO GIVE HELP
ALL ALONG THE AGES. Put alongside of this story the accountpreviously
given of the man healedof leprosy, and the other man at the same time cured
of palsy. Of this last we have precisely the same record — "And immediately
he rose up before them, and took up that whereonhe lay, and departed to his
own house, glorifying God." In close connectionwith these casesthere are
mentioned "multitudes," but no personalparticulars are furnished. The pages
of God's Word are crowdedwith such incidents. The woman of Samaria, the
man of God that came to Eli, the lad who gave his bread and fishes at Tiberias
— all these have had a mention, but nothing more to identify them in the
inspired annals. It is really of little consequence who we are;it matters more
what we are.
II. Observe, in the secondplace, THAT EVEN IN EXTREME
HOPELESSNESSOF DISEASE ONE MAY EXHIBIT A SUPREME AND
ILLUSTRIOUS FAITH. This woman was evidently in a most deplorable

condition; she was actually doubled up with deformity. When a believer is
smitten terribly, he is not always just in the mood to be reasonable. Every
nerve is quivering with agony;he cannotsee the wisdom nor the fairness of its
infliction. The more common danger for a Christian under trial is that he
shall sink into a state of stupor, of listlessness,ordespair. A greatnumbness
settles upon the soul. There are pains which lie a greatdistance lowerthan the
bottom of the grave. The poet Cowper, tearing out a leaf from his own awful
experience, says, "There are as truly things which it is not lawful for man to
utter as those were which Paul heard and saw in the third heaven; if the
ladder of Christian life reaches, as Isuppose it does, to the very presence of
God, it nevertheless has its foot in the very abyss." Now againstboth of these
baleful postures of mind, the passionate and the listless, does this thought of
preaching the gospelfrom a pulpit of patient suffering for the great glory of
God array itself. It is wise to keepin mind the fact that souls may be won to
the Cross by a life on a sick-bedjust as well as by a life in a cathedraldesk.
Pure submission is as goodas going on a foreign mission.
III. Right here, therefore, observe, in the third place, AN EXPLANATION IS
OFFEREDOF THE MYSTERYAND THE PURPOSE OF SUFFERING.
Pain is a sort of ordination to the Christian ministry. It furnishes a true
believer with a new pulpit to preach from. A wise man will do better to learn
this lessonearly. I am anxious now to bring this thought close to our own
minds and hearts at once. In the rooms of the American TractSociety, in New
York, were until lately standing two objects which I studied for some
meditative years, once a month, at a committee meeting. One is a slight
framework of tough wood, a few feet high, so bound togetherwith hasps and
hinges as to be taken down and folded in the hand. This was Whitefield's
travelling-pulpit; the one he used when, denied accessto the churches, he
harangued the thousands in the open air, on the moors of England. You will
think of this modern apostle, lifted up upon the small platform, with the
throngs of eagerpeople around him; or hurrying from one field to another,
bearing his Bible in his arms; ever on the move, toiling with herculeanenergy,
and a force like that of a giant. There, in that rude pulpit, is the symbol of all
which is active and fiery in dauntless Christian zeal. But now look-again:in

the centre of this framework, resting upon "the slender platform where the
living preacher used to stand, you will see a chair — a plain, straight-backed,
armed, cottage-chair;rough, simple, meagrelycushioned, unvarnished, and
stiff. It was the seatin which Elizabeth Wallbridge, "the dairyman's
daughter," sat and coughedand whispered, and from which she went only at
her lasthour to the couch on which she died. Here againis a pulpit; and it is
the symbol of a life quiet and unromantic and hard in all Christian
endurance. Every word that invalid woman uttered — every patient night she
suffered — was a gospelsermon. In a hundred languagesthe life of that
servant of God has preachedto millions of souls the riches of Christ's glory
and grace. And of these two pulpits, which is the most honourable is known
only to God, who undoubtedly acceptedand consecratedthem both. The one
is suggestive ofthe ministry of speech, the other of the ministry of submission.
IV. Hence, WE MAY EASILY LEARN WHAT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE
MOST PROFITABLE OCCUPATIONS OF A CHRONIC INVALID. NO one
can preachfrom any pulpit without the proper measure of study. Sick people
are always in danger of becoming egotistic and selfish, and the best relief from
that is for eachchild of God to busy himself in labouring for others' salvation.
Said the intelligent Doddridge, evenwhile he was lingering in the last hours of
his life, "My soul is vigorous and healthy, notwithstanding the hastening
decayof- this frail and tottering body; it is not for the love of sunshine or the
variety of meats that I desire life, but, if it please God, that I may render Him
a little more service." Sucha purpose as this will lead a Christian to
thoughtful examination of what will make his efforts most pertinent. He will
study doctrine. He will study experience too.
V. SOME PEOPLE RECOVERFROM LONG ILLNESS;CHRIST HEALS
THEM, AS HE DID THESE MEN IN THE STORY. SO there is one more
lessonfor convalescents — what are they going to do with their lives
hereafter?

(C. S. Robinson, D. D.)
The lifting up of the bowed down
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. Our first subject for considerationis, THE BOWING DOWN OF THE
AFFLICTED. We read of this woman that "she had a spirit of infirmity and
was bowedtogether, and could in no wise lift up herself."
1. Upon which we remark — first, that she had lostall her natural brightness.
Alas, we know certain of the children of God who are at this moment in much
the same condition. They are perpetually bowed down, and though they
recollecthappier days the memory only serves to deepen their present gloom.
2. This poor womanwas bowed towards herselfand towards that which was
depressing. She seemedto grow downwards; her life was stooping;she bent
lowerand lower, as the weightof years pressedupon her. Her looks were all
earthward, nothing heavenly, nothing bright could come before her eyes;her
views were narrowed to the dust, and to the grave. So are there some of God's
people whose thoughts sink evermore like lead, and their feelings run in a
deep groove, cutting evermore a lower channel. You cannot give them delight,
but you can readily cause them alarm. "All these things are againstme," say
they, for they can see nothing but the earth, and can imagine nothing but fear
and distress. We have known certainprudent, but somewhatunfeeling,
persons blame these people, and chide them for being low-spirited; and that
brings us to notice next-
3. That she could not lift up herself. There was no use in blaming her. Of what
use is it to advise a blind personto see, orto tell one who cannot lift up herself
that she ought to be upright, and should not look so much upon the earth?
This is a needless increaseofmisery. Some persons who pretend to be

comforters might more fitly be classedwith tormentors, her spiritual infirmity
is as real as a physical one.
4. Note further about this poor woman, that boweddown as she was both in
mind and body, she yet frequented the house of prayer. Our Lord was in the
synagogue, andthere was she.
II. I invite you, secondly, to notice THE HAND OF SATAN IS THIS
BONDAGE. We should not have knownit if our Lord had not told us, that it
was Satanwho had bound this poor woman for eighteenyears.
1. He must have bound her very cunningly to make the knot hold all that time,
for he does not appear to have possessedher. You notice in reading the
evangelists that our Lord never laid his hand on a personpossessedwith a
devil. Satanhad not possessedher, but he had fallen upon her once upon a
time eighteenyears before, and bound her up as men tie a beastin its stable,
and she had not been able to getfree all that while. The devil can tie in a
moment a knot which you and I cannot unloose in eighteenyears.
2. Satanhad bound the woman to herself and to the earth. There is a cruel
way of tying a beastwhich is somewhatafterthe same fashion. I have seena
poor animal's head fastenedto its knee or foot, and somewhatafter that
fashion Satanhad bound the woman downward to herself. So there are some
children of God whose thoughts are all about themselves;they have turned
their eyes so that they look inside and see only the transactions ofthe little
world within themselves. Theyare always lamenting their own infirmities,
always mourning their own corruptions, always watching their own emotions.
The one and only subject of their thoughts is their owncondition. If they ever
change the scene and turn to another subject it is only to gaze upon the earth
beneath them, to groanover this poor world with its sorrows, its miseries, its

sins, and its disappointments. Thus they are tied to themselves and to the
earth, and cannotlook up to Christ as they should, nor let the sunlight of His
love shine full upon them.
3. This poor womanwas restrained from what her soulneeded. She was like
an ass or an ox which cannot get to the trough to drink. She knew the
promises, she heard them read every Sabbath day; she went to the synagogue
and heard of Him who comes to loose the captives; but she could not rejoice in
the promise or enter into liberty. So are there multitudes of God's people who
are fastenedto themselves and cannot get to watering, cannotdrink from the
river of life, nor find consolationin the Scriptures. They know how precious
the gospelis, and how consolatoryare the blessings ofthe covenant, but they
cannot enjoy the consolations orthe blessings. Ohthat they could! They sigh
and cry, but they feelthemselves to be bound.
4. There is a saving clause here. Satanhad done a gooddeal to the poor
woman, but he had done all he could do. He can smite, but he cannot slay. The
devil may bind you fast, but Christ has bound you fasterstill with cords of
everlasting love, which must and shall hold you to the end. That poor woman
was being prepared, even by the agencyof the devil, to glorify God.
III. I want you to notice in the third place THE LIBERATOR AT HIS
WORK. We have seenthe womanbound by the devil, but here comes the
Liberator, and the first thing we read of Him is that —
1. He saw her. His eyes lookedround, reading every heart as He glancedfrom
one to another. At last He saw the woman. Yes, that was the very one He was
seeking. We are not to think that He saw her in the same common wayas I see
one of you, but He read every line of her characterand history, every thought
of her heart, every desire of her soul.

2. When He had gazed upon her, He calledher to Him. Did He know her
name? Oh, yes, He knows allour names, and His calling is therefore personal
and unmistakable.
3. When the womancame, the greatLiberator said to her, "Woman, thou art
loosedfrom thine infirmity." How could that be true? She was still as bent as
she was before. He meant that the spell of Satanwas takenoff from her, that
the powerwhich had made her thus to bow herself was broken.
4. Our Lord proceededto give her full enlargementin His own way: He laid
His hands on her. She suffered from want of strength, and by putting His
hands upon her, I conceive that the Lord poured His life into her. The warm
stream of His owninfinite power and vitality came into contactwith the
lethargic stream of her painful existence, and so quickened it that she lifted up
herself. The deed of love was done: Jesus Himself had done it.
IV. I will not linger there, but invite you now to notice THE LOOSING OF
THE BOUND.
1. She was made straight we are told, and that at once. Now, whatI want you
to notice is this, that she must have lifted herselfup — that was her own act
and deed. No pressure or force was put upon her, she lifted up herself; and yet
she was "made straight." She was passive in so much as a miracle was
wrought upon her, but she was active too, and, being enabled, she lifted up
herself. What a wonderful meeting there is here of the active and the passive
in the salvationof men.

2. The most remarkable factis that she was made straight immediately; for
there was something beyond her infirmity to be overcome. Suppose that any
person had been diseasedof the spine, or of the nerves and muscles for
eighteenyears, even if the disease whichoccasionedhis being deformed could
be entirely removed, what would be the effect? Why, that the result of the
disease wouldstill remain, for the body would have become setthrough long
continuance in one posture. But this woman was cured entirely,
instantaneously, by the powerof the Lord.
3. The cure being thus perfect, up rose the woman to glorify God. What did
she say? It is not recorded, but we can well imagine. It was something like
this: "I have been eighteenyears in and out among you; you have seenme,
and know what a poor, miserable, wretchedobject I was;but God has lifted
me up all in a moment. Blessedbe His name, I have been made straight."
What she spoke with her mouth was not half of what she expressed. No
reporter could have taken it down; she spoke with her eyes, she spoke with
her hands, she spoke with every limb of her body.
V. Fifthly, let us reflectupon our REASON FOR EXPECTING THE LORD
JESUS TO DO THE SAME THING TO-DAY as he did eighteenhundred
years and more ago. What was His reasonfor setting this womanfree?
1. According to His own statement it was, first of all, human kindness. Tried
soul, wouldstthou not loose an ox or an ass if thou sawestit suffering? "Ay,"
sayestthou. And dost thou think the Lord will not loose thee? Hastthou more
bowels of mercy than the Christ of God?
2. More than that, there was specialrelationship. He tells this masterof the
synagogue that a man would loose his ox or his ass. Perhaps he might not
think it his business to go and loose that which belongedto another man, but

it is his own ass, his own ox, and he will loose him, And dostthou think, dear
heart, that the Lord Jesus will not loose thee He bought thee with His blood,
His Fathergave thee to Him, He has loved thee with an everlasting love: will
He not loose thee?
3. Next, there was a point of antagonismwhich moved the Saviour to act
promptly. He says, "This womanbeing a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan
hath bound." Now, if I knew the devil had tied anything up I am sure I would
try to unloose it, would not you? We may be sure some mischief is brewing
when the devil is working, and, therefore, it must be a gooddeed to undo his
work. But Jesus Christcame into the world on purpose to destroy the works
of the devil; and so, when He saw the woman like a tied-up ox, He said, "I will
unloose her if for nothing else that I may undo what the devil has done."
4. Then think of her sorrowfulcondition. An ox or an ass tied up to the
manger without waterwould soonbe in a very sad plight. Pity it, poor thing.
Hear the lowing of the ox, as hour after hour its thirst tells upon it. Would you
not pity it? And do you think the Lord does not pity his poor, tried, tempted,
afflicted children? Those tears, shall they fall for nothing? Those sleepless
nights, shall they be disregarded? That broken heart which fain would but
cannot believe the promise, shall that for ever be denied a hearing? Hath she
Lord forgottento be gracious? Hath He in anger shut up the bowels ofHis
mercy? Ah, no, He will remember thy sorrowful estate and hear thy
groanings, for He puts thy tears into His bottle.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The infirm woman in the synagogue
W. Walters.

I. Our first reflection, as we look at this brief narrative, is that it furnishes us,
on the part of the woman, with an illustration of ATTACHMENT TO THE
PUBLIC WORSHIP OF GOD. A characteristic ofdevout and earnestreligion
in all ages. Public worship bears on it the stamp of Divine approval. See you
neglectit not.
II. Our secondreflectionis, that the text supplies an illustration of THE
COMPASSION AND POWER OF JESUS CHRIST. Notonly was the woman
in the synagogue withher ailments; the Lord was there also with His
wondrous grace. He did not neglectexternal ordinances. Jesus, then, was in
this synagogue,and as usual He was on the look-outfor some goodwork to do.
He had a quick eye for suffering and sorrow. No soonerdid He see this
woman, than He healedher. What power, and what compassion!He exercises
the same today. Earth has no sorrow that He cannot heal. And besides curing
diseases, He can heal sins.
III. I observe, next, that the text supplies an illustration of THE BLESSED
ADVANTAGES OF BEING FOUND IN THE WAY OF DUTY. TO the
synagogue, atthe time of worship, this womanwent. Likely enough she was
tempted to absent herselffor one reasonoranother, just as we are tempted
now; but she refused to listen to the temptation. She chose the better part of
obeying .God's law, and in doing so she was blessedbeyond all expectationor
hope. Little did she think, when she left home, what mercy was in store for
her. Had she stayedin the house, or gone to see her friends, or been anywhere
but where she was, she would have missed it all. So may we always, whenin
the wayof duty, expect a blessing.
IV. I remark, once more, that the text supplies an illustration of THE
GRATITUDE OF A HEART ALIVE TO THE BLESSING BESTOWEDON
IT. As soonas the woman was made straight, she "glorified God." Even if she
had never spokena word, she would have been a monument to the Divine
praise. Sun and moon and stars, as they shine in the heavens, declare the glory
of God. All greatproductions glorify their author. So this healedwoman

glorified her Healer. And not only so, but also audibly, there and then, before
all.
(W. Walters.)
An infirm woman cured on the Sabbath
J. Thomson, D. D.
I. THE STATE OF THE WOMAN. Diseased in an extraordinary degree, and
for a very long period.
II. THE CHANGE PRODUCEDBY THE POWER OF JESUS. This case
presentedno difficulty to Him. Yet, to new-modelthe diseasedframe, to make
straight what was crooked, to relax what had been rigid for many years,
required a power as greatas that of creation.
III. THE MEANS EMPLOYED. He used no resources ofart, no remedies
whatever; He even employed no means to astonishor surprise; He made no
display of His power. He said nothing of the violence or inveteracy of the
disorder; nothing to influence the imagination either of the womanherself or
of the spectators.Conscious ofpossessing the power of curing all diseases, He
exercisedit by merely declaring the simple fact that her disorder was
removed; while she exhibited the most undeniable proofs of complete
restoration, by standing in a firm and erectposition.
IV. We have next to observe THE IMPRESSIONPRODUCED BYTHIS
MIRACLE, first, on the woman, and then upon the ruler of the synagogue.

1. The effect on the womanwas highly pleasing. She was delighted with the
change which she instantly experienced;and her heart rose in gratitude to
God, who alone, she was convinced, could have effectedso wonderful a cure.
2. How different was the effectof this miracle on the mind of the ruler of the
synagogue!Instead of directing his attention to the display of power, such as
he had never witnessedbefore; insteadof thinking of the goodness whichhad
voluntarily removed so distressing a disease from a personso helpless;instead
of sympathizing with the unexpected and rapturous happiness of the woman,
he thought only of the captious objections which an enemy might raise.
V. We have, lastly, to inquire, WHY THIS MIRACLE WAS DOSE ON THE
SABBATH? Our Saviour graciouslycondescendedto reason, and He
reasoned, as upon all other occasions,in the clearestandmost conclusive
manner. His mode of reasoning is always best adapted to the objectwhich He
had in view. Here it was sufficient to show, that the ruler of the synagogue,
and all other Jews, did actions every Sabbath deliberately and intentionally,
which, though humane and unavoidable, were not more so than the relief
which He had just conferred upon the unfortunate woman. "Hypocrites;"
said He, "who is there among you, that doth not on the Sabbath loose his ox or
his ass from the stall, and lead him awayto watering? And must not this
woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath kept bound these eighteen
years, be releasedfrom this bond on the Sabbath-day?" Thus our Saviour
argues from the practice which they themselves sanctioned, which led to the
conclusionthat the action He had done was still more laudable, because an act
of greaterhumanity.
(J. Thomson, D. D.)
The crookedwomanmade straight

Expository Outlines.
I. THE AFFLICTED WOMAN.
1. The nature of her complaint. Probably her spine was affected, so that she
could not stand erect. Such a deformity, while humiliating to all, would be
particularly trying to a female.
2. Its duration. A sharp affliction, if short, is much easierborne than a lighter
one that is long continued, as in this instance.
II. THE UNEXPECTED CURE SHE RECEIVED.
1. Where she was cured. In the synagogue.In spite of her deformity, she did
not absentherself from the sanctuary. Well for her that she did not!
2. The manner in which she was cured. Two things are mentioned.(1) The
gracious words which our Saviour uttered. As in the case ofthe ten lepers, she
is declaredto be cured before the act was performed. But with Christ,
purpose anal accomplishment, willing and doing, are identical. When He
speaks, the thing is as goodas done; when He commands it is sure to stand
fast.(2)The condescending actHe performed.
3. How she felt when cured. It is said that "she glorified God," by which is
meant that she adored and magnified His holy name for the wonderful
deliverance she had experienced. There are many ways in which we are to
glorify Him, and this is one of the most important. It might have been
supposedthat all presentwould have joined with her in praising God; such,
however, was not the case. Otherfeelings than those of grateful homage and
adorationwere calledforth, which leads us to the next particular, namely —

III. THE REFLECTIONSWHICH HER CURE OCCASIONED. In this, the
concluding part of the narrative, we have —
1. The charge.
2. The defence.
3. The result. It is shownin regardto two classes.(1)The ruler and his party.
"And when He had said these things all His adversaries were ashamed." They
felt that no answercould be given to what Jesus had been saying;they were
therefore speechlessand confounded.(2)The multitude. "All the people
rejoiced." The miracle had been so signal, and the subsequent vindication had
been so complete, that they gave unequivocal demonstrations of their gladness
and delight. In applying this subject there are three classesto which it more
especiallyspeaks.
1. The wretched vassals ofsin and Satan. The condition of this poor sufferer
may be regarded as emblematic of every individual who is tied and bound
with the chains of his iniquities. Let the sinner's cry therefore be, Lord, loose
this miserable soul of mine, which Satan hath so long bound in his slavish
fetters.
2. Those whose minds are too much enthralled by earthly affections. It was the
misfortune of this woman that her eyes were bent downward, but what was
her unavoidable calamity is our wilful sin. Our souls cleave to the dust, and
we seek, not the things above, but the vain and perishable objects of time and
sense. O how important is it that we Should be lifted up from such a

grovelling condition, and be liberated, in order thereto, from the thraldom of
this present evil world!
3. The downcastand sorrowful.
(Expository Outlines.)
A daughter of Abraham
G. Dawson, M. A.
Set me to look at a downright extraordinary creature, not merely plain but
positively ugly — like the woman whom Christ healed, who had been plagued
with a devil of infirmity eighteen years, and was now doubled up, hideous —
and tell me whether if you look at that womanlong enough you will see her
beauty. No! The more I look at her, the less I like her — the longerI behold
her, the fasterI run awayfrom her. But I am calledback to her by one little
touch. Christ claims for her no beauty, invests her with no fancied fairness.
"She, too, is a daughter of Abraham." This is all. But this was enough; for
Christ knew that by this appealHe lifted the poor, stricken, bowedcreature of
infirmity, and gave her a place with the rest of Abraham's children. He called
upon the patriotism of the Jews — and they had a patriotism, though but a
narrow one. Their cavilling was put an end to at once. This is the secret. The
only way to conquer natural disgust at ugliness and sicknessanddisease, is to
setthese unsightly objects in the light of Divine Love. "One is your Master,
even Christ, and all ye are brethren." Bring these poor degradedwretches,
and ask us to love them individually, and we fail to do it. To lift them out of
the misery in which they rest, and to make them lovable, you must setthem in
the light of the greatFatherhood of God and His passionate love of humanity.
A man goes into a sickroom, and there poor humanity is at its worst;there
you may find the bottom of all man's meanness, his cowardice, his want, and
his weakness;there you may see nature in decay, as ugly as the working of a

continual want and weaknesscanmake it, But as you cross the threshold of
the sickroom, the greatneed of the patient is more than all; and if you come as
the angelof healing, as the angel of true service, the heart is too full and the
hand too busy for you to stop to look either for beauty or for ugliness, and
that love which prompts to the duty makes labour light. The poor sick person
is not less tiresome, orless offensive, or less tedious, but the feeling which
prompted disgusthas gone. When men declaredthe possibility of walking on
hot iron if the heart were pure and the conscience unstained, they did but
figure the greatpower of Innocence. Una with her lion is but weak, but Una in
her innocence is strong. And that which Innocence is thus so truly fabled to
do, Divine Love surely does, overleaping difficulty and overcoming disgust.
Christianity does not ask us to believe that ugly things are lovely; but, filling
man with true love and holy enthusiasm, makes him able to endure the sight
of foulness and meanness, that he may cleanse and raise the foul and mean.
Thus "one touch of nature makes the whole world kin." Is not this poor
woman a daughter of Abraham? Is not this poor degradedwretch a brother?
I remember that before England got rid of her greatdisgrace ofslavery, the
abolition people used to distribute handbills, headedwith a picture of a
chained man; the poor thick-lipped man asking, "Am I not a man and a
brother?" We all acknowledgedthe claim. But if he had said, "Am I not a
beauty?" I should have answered, " No, my brother; you are certainly not a
beauty. I decline to admire you." Should he reply, "This is all a matter of
taste," I should answerin turn, "I don't believe a word of it. To my eyes you
are very particularly ugly." But when he kneels there before me, and lifts up
his poor chainedwrists, and puts up that plea for his own humanity — "Am I
not a man and a brother?" then, poor, scourged, broken, jaded as he is, I own
him. He has a spark of true manhood in him, and shall be scourged, reviled,
and sold in bondage no longer. Thus the scheme of the Christian religion
completes itself. It has the manliest scornfor meanness, and the manliest pity
for weakness.
(G. Dawson, M. A.)
Freedomrealized through believing

Once the Emperor of Russia had a plan by which he was to liberate the serfs
of that country. There were forty millions of them. Of some of them, their
whole time was sold; of others, only a part. The emperor calledaround him
his council, and wantedto have them devise some way to set the slaves at
liberty. After they had conferred about it for six months, one night the council
sent in their decision, sealed, that they thought it was not expedient. The
emperor went down to the Greek Church that night and partook of the Lord's
Supper, and he sethis house in order, and the next morning you could hear
the tramp of soldiers in the streets of St. Petersburg. The emperor summoned
his guard, and before noon sixty-five thousand men were surrounding that
palace. Justat midnight there came out a proclamation that every slave in
Russia was for ever setfree. The proclamation had gone forth, and all the
slaves of the realm-believed it. They have been free ever since. Suppose they
had not believed it? They never then would have gotthe benefit of it.
The highest emancipation
Henry R. Burton.
A very old Greek myth represents Prometheus chained to a rock by command
of Jupiter, who then sent an eagle to feed upon his liver in the daytime, which
the godcausedto grow again at night. Hercules, however, it was said, killed
the eagle, andset suffering Prometheus at liberty. Let this fable, or the
narrative in your lesson, remind you that naturally you and all are bound by
Satanto his slavery and drudgery, by evil tempers and passions, by bad
habits, and in other ways. How the drunkard is enthralled by his craving for
drink; the miser by his thirst for gold; and others by their minding of earthly
things! And how disappointments and anguish, like evil birds, prey upon their
spirits. But Christ looses from every infirmity of the soul causedby sin or
Satan. And just as a freed bird warbles its joy-throb in the note of thrilling
gladness, so we should praise Godwith joyful lips, as well as glorify Him by
our life and best service. "Master, me will be your slave for ever," said a man
to the kind Englishman who, at greatcost, had emancipatedhim. What shall
we do for Jesus, who delivers us from such greaterevils?
(Henry R. Burton.)

COMMENTARIES ON VERSE 14
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(14) And the ruler of the synagogue answeredwith indignation.—The
traditional law for the work of the Jewishphysician was that he might actin
his calling in cases ofemergency, life and death cases, but not in chronic
diseases, suchas this. This law the ruler of the synagogue wishedto impose as
a check upon the work of the Healer here.
BensonCommentary
Luke 13:14-17. And the ruler of the synagogue — Instead of joining in
acknowledgments ofthe divine power and goodness, displayedin this gracious
actionof our Lord; answered — The woman’s praises, with indignation — As
if Christ had committed some heinous crime in healing this poor woman! He
endeavoured, however, to disguise his wrath under the form of piety and zeal;
as if he was angry only because the cure was wrought on the sabbath day;
saying unto the people, There are six days, &c., in them therefore come and be
healed — See how light he makes ofthe miracles which Christ wrought, as if
they were things of course, whichmight be done by any one any day of the
week. One would have thought, that the extraordinary miracle now wrought
might have been sufficient to convince him that Jesus was a divinely-
commissionedteacher, who spoke and actedby authority from God; and that
the circumstance ofthe miracle’s being done on the sabbath day could not
have served to enable him to evade the conviction. But what light can shine so
clearly or strongly againstwhich a spirit of bigotry and enmity to Christ, and
his gospel, willnot serve to shut men’s eyes? Neverwas suchhonour done to
the synagogue ofwhich he was ruler, as Christ had now done to it; and yet he
had indignation at it! The Lord then answeredhim, Thou hypocrite, &c. —
Our Lord gives him this appellation, because the realmotive of his speaking
was envy, not (as he pretended) pure zeal for the glory of God. Ought not this
woman — Ought not any human creature, which is far better than an ox or

an ass:much more this daughter of Abraham — Probably in a spiritual as
well as a natural sense;to be loosed? Thus the Lord soonput this hypocritical
ruler to silence, by placing the action with which he found fault in the light of
their own avowedpractice. They loosedand led their cattle on the sabbath to
water, and thought the mercy of the work justified them in so doing. He, by
uttering a word only, had looseda woman, a reasonable creature, and a
daughter of Abraham, that had been bound with an incurable distemper, not
for a single day, but so long a time as eighteenyears. Without doubt the far
greatermercy of this and the other godlike works whichJesus did, justified
his performing them on the sabbath day, as the ruler might easily have seen,
had he not been wholly blinded by his superstition. When he had said these
things, all his adversaries were ashamed, &c. — The folly even of the men of
learning among the Jews, conspicuous inthis and some other instances
mentioned in the gospels,shows the malignant nature of superstition. It is
capable of extinguishing reason, ofbanishing compassion, andof eradicating
the most essentialprinciples and feelings of the human mind.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
13:10-17 Our Lord Jesus attended upon public worship on the sabbaths. Even
bodily infirmities, unless very grievous, should not keepus from public
worship on sabbath days. This woman came to Christ to be taught, and to get
goodto her soul, and then he relievedher bodily infirmity. This cure
represents the work of Christ's grace upon the soul. And when crookedsouls
are made straight, they will show it by glorifying God. Christ knew that this
ruler had a real enmity to him and to his gospel, and that he did but cloak it
with a pretended zealfor the sabbath day; he really would not have them be
healed any day; but if Jesus speaksthe word, and puts forth his healing
power, sinners are set free. This deliverance is often wrought on the Lord's
day; and whateverlabour tends to put men in the way of receiving the
blessing, agreeswith the designof that day.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
Answered with indignation, because ... - He consideredthis a violation of the
Sabbath, doing work contrary to the fourth commandment. If he had

reasonedaright, he would have seenthat he who could perform such a
miracle could not be a violator of the law of God. From this conduct of the
ruler we learn:
1. That people are often opposedto goodbeing done, because it is not done "in
their own way" and "according to their own views."
2. That they are more apt to look at what they considera violation of the law
in others, than at the goodwhich others may do.
3. That this opposition is manifested not only againstthose who do good, but
also againstthose who are "benefited." The ruler of the synagogue seemed
particularly indignant that "the people" would come to Christ to be healed.
4. That this conduct is often the result of envy. In this case itwas rather
hatred that the people should follow Christ instead of the Jewishrulers, and
therefore envy at the popularity of Jesus, than any realregard for religion.
5. That oppositionto the work of Jesus may put on the appearance of great
professedregardfor religion. Many people oppose revivals, missions, Bible
societies, andSunday-schools - strange as it may seem- "from professed
regard to the purity of religion." They, like the ruler here, have formed their
notions of religion as consisting in something "very different from doing
good," and they oppose those who are attempting to spread the gospel
throughout the world.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
14. with indignation—not so much at the sabbath violation as at the
glorificationof Christ. (Compare Mt 21:15)[Trench].

said to the people—"Notdaring directly to find fault with the Lord, he seeks
circuitously to reach Him through the people, who were more under his
influence, and whom he fearedless" [Trench].
Matthew Poole's Commentary
Answered here signifies no more than, he spake, as in a multitude of other
places in the Gospels. The Jews were both very superstitious and very uneven
as to the sanctificationof the sabbaths: superstitious, because they would not
do many things which by God’s law they might do, such as applying means to
heal the sick, defending themselves againstenemies, &c. Uneven, because they
would do divers things of equal bodily labour with those things which they
pretend to scruple, one of which we shall hear our Saviour by and by
instancing in. This ruler studied to defame him before the people. His
pretence was, this was a work, and such a work as might be done in the six
days. Let us hear how our Saviour defends himself.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
And the ruler of the synagogue,.... Forthere never was but one in a
synagogue, whateversome writers have observedto the contrary; See Gill on
Matthew 9:18 the Ethiopic version reads, "the chief priests", but wrongly;
these dwelt at Jerusalem, and in Galilee:
answeredwith indignation, because that Jesus had healedon the sabbath day;
his indignation was at Christ, and the miracle he had wrought, being filled
with envy at the honour it would bring unto him; though he coveredit under
pretence of its being a violation of the sabbath, and that it ought not to have
been done on such a day, and in such a place, which were appropriated not to
servile works, but to religious worship;
and said unto the people; over whom he had an authority, and who stoodin
awe of him, because of his office and dignity; and not daring to attack Christ

himself, at leastnot directly, though he struck at him through the people,
whose doctrine and miracles were so extraordinary.
There are six days which men ought to work, in them therefore come and be
healed, and not on the sabbath day; referring to the fourth command: but this
observationand reproof were impertinent and needless, forthe people did not
come to be healed;for ought appears, the cure was unthought of and
unexpected; nor was healing, especiallyas performed by Christ, by a word
and a touch, a servile work, and therefore could not be any breach of the law
referred to. The Ethiopic version reads, "is there not a sixth day?----come on
that day"; the day before the sabbath.
Geneva Study Bible
{4} And the {f} ruler of the synagogue answeredwith indignation, because
that Jesus had healedon the sabbath day, and saidunto 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.
(4) A graphic image of hypocrisy, and the rewardof it.
(f) One of the rulers of the synagogue, forit appears that there were many
rulers of the synagogue, seeMr 5:22 Ac 13:15.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Expositor's Greek Testament
Luke 13:14. But religious propriety in the person of the ruler of the synagogue
is once more shocked:it is a Sabbath cure.—ἔλεγε τῷ ὄχλῳ: He spoke to the
audience at Jesus—plausiblyenough; yet, as so often in cases ofreligious zeal,
from mixed motives. Christ’s powerand the woman’s praise annoyed him.

Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
14. ruler of the synagogue]See Luke 8:41.
with indignation] The same strong word—implying a personalresentment—is
used in Matthew 20:24; Matthew 26:8.
on the sabbath day] See on Luke 6:2.
in which men ought to work] Exodus 20:9.
in them therefore come and be healed] As though the reception of divine grace
were Sabbath-breaking toil! Few remarks of the opponents of our Lord were
so transparently illogicaland hypocritical as this. It was meanly indirect
because it was aimed at Jesus, though the man is too much in awe to address it
to Him, and the implied notion that it was a crime to allow oneselfto be healed
on the Sabbath day springs from an abyss of Pharisaic falsitywhich could
hardly have been conceived. It was the underhand ignorance and insolence, as
well as the gross insincerity of the remark, which called forth a reproof
exceptionallysevere.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 13:14. Τῷ ὄχλῳ, to the multitude) But all the while he obliquely aimed at
Jesus. [Fordoubtless the benefit of the healing came to the woman without
her expecting it.—V. g.]—ἕξ, six) quite many enough.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 14. - And the ruler of the synagogue answeredwith indignation, because
that Jesus had healedon the sabbath day. The people, as usual, were stirred to
enthusiasm by this glorious act of powerand mercy. Afraid, before the
congregationof the synagogue, to attack the Masterpersonally, the "ruler,"

no doubt influenced by members of the Pharisee party who were present, at.
tempted to represent the greatPhysician as a deliberate scornerof the sacred
Law. The sabbath regulations at this time were excessivelyburdensome and
childishly rigorous. The Law, as expounded in the schools ofthe rabbis,
allowedphysicians to actin casesofemergency, but not in chronic diseases
such as this. How deep an interest must such a memory of the Master's as this
sabbath day's healing have had for that beloved physician who has given his
name to these memoirs we call the Third Gospel!Often in later years, in
Syrian Antioch, in the greatcities of Italy and Greece, wouldhe, as he plied
his blessedcraftamong the sick on the sabbath day, be attackedby rigid Jews
as one who profaned the day. To such would he relate this incident, and draw
his lessons ofmercy and of love.
(15, 16) Doth not eachone of you . . .?—The principle is the same as that in
Matthew 12:11 (where see Note), but the case is put in even a strongerform.
There the illustration is drawn from what might seeman exceptionalact for
an exceptionalemergency;here from the regular practice of men, where their
own interests were concerned. If they pleaded that it was not for their own
interests, but those of humanity to the brutes committed to their charge, the
answerwas obvious that the daughter of Abraham was “better” than the ox
or ass.

Thou hypocrite! - You condemn "me" for an action, and yet you perform one
exactly similar. You condemn "me" for doing to a womanwhat you do to a
beast. To her I have done goodon the Sabbath; you provide for your cattle,
and yet blame me for working a miracle to relieve a sufferer on that day.
Stall - A place where cattle are kept to be fed, and shelteredfrom the weather.
15. the Lord—(See on [1655]Lu10:1).
hypocrite!—How "the faithful and true Witness" tears off the masks which
men wear!
his ox, &c.—(Seeon[1656]Mt12:9-13;and Lu 6:9).
Ver. 15,16. Our Saviour here calleth this ruler of the synagogue hypocrite, for
his impudence in so severe a reflection on him for doing on the sabbath day a
work of that nature which he himself did, and thought himself blameless in
the doing of, and his friends ordinarily did, upon whom for so working he did

not reflect, thereby teaching us one note of a hypocrite, viz. to reflect upon
others for things which we do ourselves. This ruler of the synagogue audhis
party indeed did not heal on the sabbath day. But what kind of work was
healing? Was it not a work of mercy? What servile labour was there in it? It is
only said Christ called this poor creature, and she came, not she was brought
to him. What did Christ do? He only laid his hands upon her, and pronounced
her loosedfrom her infirmity. Now the Jews would ordinarily upon the
sabbath day loose a beastfrom the stallto go and drink at a pit, or lead it
thither; was not this a greaterlabour? How came this to be lawful, and not
that actof mercy which Christ did show to this poor creature? Theiract was
capable of no other excuse, than that it was an actof mercy, and a goodman
will show mercy to his beast:it could be no actof piety, nor of necessity;for a
beastmay live one day without water, or at leastmight have had watersetby
it the night before. Nay, our Lord’s work of mercy was much more noble.
Theirs was to a beast;his to one of mankind, to a woman, and she a Jewish
woman, a daughter of Abraham, a father upon whom they much valued
themselves, and their whole nation, Matthew 3:9 John 8:39. Their beastmight
not be sick;she was under an infirmity, and that no ordinary infirmity, she
was in the hands of the enemy of mankind, bound by Satan; nor was her
affliction of a few days’ continuance, she had been so bound eighteenyears.
The Lord then answeredhim and said,.... Thoughhe did not direct his speech
to him, he knew that he struck at him, and suggestedthat he was a violator of
the sabbath, as well as the people: and therefore in defence of himself, and of
what he had done, and to expose the hypocrisy of this man, made answeras
follows,
thou hypocrite; the Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read in the
plural, "hypocrites";as do the Complutensian edition, and four ancient copies
of Beza's, and the Alexandrian copy; but the Syriac and Persic versions read
in the singular, "hypocrite";as this man was, who coveredhis malice and
envy at Christ, with a show of zeal for the sabbath day; and yet did that upon
it, which must be allowedby themselves, and others, to be a much greater
violation of the sabbath, than this cure could everbe thought to be:

doth not eachone of you, on the sabbath day, loose his ox, or his ass, from the
stall, or rack, where he is fastenedwith a rope;
and lead him away to watering? to some place of water, where he may drink,
after having filled himself at the rack: and that this was agreeablyto their
own canons and practice, that beasts may be led out on a sabbath day, is
certain; for they deliver various rules concerning leading them out, with what
they might, and with what they might not be brought out; and particularly,
among others, mention assesand heifers (q); and they speak (r) of leading
them to water, not only to drink of it, but to washtheir chains in it, which, it
seems, receivedpollution, and neededwashing, and might be done on a
sabbath day; yea, they allow, that not only a beast may be led out to watering,
but a man might fill a vesselof water, and pour it out into a trough for it,
provided he did not directly setit before it: the rule is this (s).
"a man may not fill water (a vesselofit), and put it on a sabbath day before
his beast, but he may fill it, and pour it out, and it may drink of it.''
And particularly on a feastday, their rule is (t), that
"they do not water nor slay beasts of the desert, but they waterand slay
domestic ones. Domestic ones are such as lie in the city (i.e. as Maimonides
says (u), within the sabbaticalborder, 2000 cubits from the city), and those of
the desertare such as lie in pastures.''
And therefore very justly does our Lord observe to the ruler of the synagogue
their own practices towards a beast, in defence of his works ofmercy to men.

(q) Misn. Sahbat, c. 5. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4. & 18. 2. T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 51. 2. &
Piske Tosephotin ib. art. 226, 227, 228,233. (r) Bartenora in Misn. Sabbat, c.
5. sect. 1.((s)T. Bab. Erubin, fol. 20. 2.((t) Misn. Betza, c. 5. sect. 7. (u) In ib.
Geneva Study Bible
The Lord then answeredhim, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not eachone of
you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him awayto
watering?
Luke 13:15. ὑποκριταί:plural less personalthan the singular (T.R.), yet
severe enough, though directed againstthe class. The case put was doubtless
according to the prevailing custom, and so stated as to make the work done
prominent (λύει, looses,that one bit of work: ἀπάγων, leading the animal
loosedto the water, that another, vide Bengel).—ποτίζει, gives him drink, at
leastto the extent of drawing water from the well, if not of carrying it to the
animal’s mouth (the former allowed, the latter disallowedin the Talmud, vide
Lightfoot and Wünsche).
15. Thou hypocrite] Rather (with the best uncials), Hypocrites!
(‫,א‬ A, B), classing the man with the whole sectto which he belonged, and
whose shibboleths he used. They were hypocrites (i.e. they were acting a part)
because they were disguising secretenmity under a pretence of sabbatical
zeal.

on the sabbath loose his ox] Our Lord varied from time to time the arguments
with which He abolishedthe fanaticalformalism of the Pharisees respecting
the Sabbath. Sometimes He appealedto His own inherent authority (John
5:17-47);sometimes to Scripture precedents (Luke 6:3-5); or to common sense
and eternalprinciples (Luke 6:9). Here, as in Luke 14:5, He uses an
argumentum ad hominem, refuting their traditional rules by the selfish
insincerity with which they applied them. They allowedmen to unloose and
lead to watertheir cattle on the sabbath, and thus to break their ownSabbatic
rules to save themselves the trouble of providing waterovernight, or, at the
best, to abridge a few hours’ thirst; was then this suffering woman not to be
touched, not to be spokento, to end 18 years of suffering?
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 13:15. Ὑποκριταὶ, ye hypocrites) The plural is used, including more
persons, but addressedto one person; comp. Luke 13:17 [where all His
adversaries are included]: as also in Luke 11:46, comparedwith Luke 11:45.
There was some degree of reverence felt on the part of the ruler of the
synagogue towards Jesus;and it was not owing to any peculiar prejudice of
his own, but owing to the common error of the Jews onthe subject, that he
was led to oppose the Saviour.[130]—λύει, doth loose)A most apt illustration.
Comp. λυθῆναι, to be loosed, applied to the womanin Luke 13:16.—
ἀπαγαγὼν, having led away) Words are heaped togetherin order to show the
amount of work [comp. ἐργάζεσθαι, Luke 13:14, in the complaint of the ruler]
done on the Sabbath in such a case.
[130]Howeverthe Vers. Germ., following the margin of the 2d Ed., prefers
the singular number in this passage.—E.B. Ὑποκριταὶ is the reading of
ABabc Vulg. Iren. 236. Ὑποκριτὰ ofthe Rec. Textis only supported by D of
the primary authorities.—ED. andTRANSL.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 15. - The Lord then answeredhim, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not
eachone of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead

him awayto watering? The older authorities here read "hypocrites," and thus
join the cavilling synagogue ruler with the whole sectof men who taught an
elaborate ritual in place of a high, pure life. The Lord, in a few master-
touches, exposes the hollowness ofsuch sabbath-keeping. Everypossible
indulgence was to be shown in caseswhere their own interests were involved;
no mercy or indulgence was to be thought of, though, where the sick poor only
were concerned. He vividly draws a contrastbetweenthe animal and the
human being. The ox and the ass, though, were personalproperty; the
afflicted daughter of Abraham was but a woman, friendless and poor.
Vincent's Word Studies
Loose (λύει)
Compare thou art loosed, Luke 13:12.
Stall
See on Luke 2:7.
(16) Whom Satan hath bound.—The words imply the belief that there was
another source than mere bodily disease forthe infirmity—in part, at least,
the belief that all disease—orvery many forms of it—is directly or indirectly
traceable to the power of the Enemy. So St. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”—

assuming it to be some sharp bodily suffering—is “the messengerofSatan.”
(See Note on 2Corinthians 12:7.)
It is obvious that this narrative would have for one like St. Luke a special
interest over and above that which like narratives had for the other
Evangelists. We canscarcelyfailto think of the “belovedphysician” as
practising his art for the goodof men, his brothers, on the Sabbath, as on
other days. In doing so he would doubtless be met, on the part of Jews and
Judaisers, with words like those of the ruler of the synagogue, “Thereare six
days on which men ought to work; do thy work of healing on them.” For such
a one it would be a comfortunspeakable to be able to point to our Lord’s
words and acts as sanctioning his own practice.
A daughter of Abraham - A descendantof Abraham. See the notes at
Matthew 1:1. She was therefore a Jewess;and the ruler of the synagogue,
professing a specialregardfor the Jewishpeople, considering them as

especiallyfavoredof God, should have rejoicedthat she was loosedfrom this
infirmity.
Whom Satanhath bound - Satan is the name given to the prince or leader of
evil spirits, calledalso the devil, Beelzebub, and the old serpent, Matthew
12:24;Revelation12:9; Revelation20:2. By his "binding" her is meant that he
had inflicted this disease uponher. It was not properly a "possession" ofthe
devil, for that commonly produced derangement; but God had suffered him to
afflict her in this manner, similar to the way in which he was permitted to try
Job. See the notes at Job 1:12; Job 2:6-7. It is no more "improbable" that God
would suffer "Satan" to inflict pain, than that he would suffer a wicked
"man" to do it; yet nothing is more common than for one "man" to be the
occasionofbringing on a disease in another which may terminate only with
the life. He that seduces a virtuous man and leads him to intemperance, or he
that wounds him or strikes him, may disable him as much as Satandid this
woman. If God permits it in one case, he may, for the same reason, in another.
16. ought not, &c.—How gloriouslythe Lord vindicates the superior claims of
this woman, in considerationof the sadness andlong duration of her
suffering, and of her dignity notwithstanding, as an heir of the promise!
See Poole on"Luke 13:15"
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham,.... Notonly a
woman, or rational creature, and much preferable, as such, to an irrational
one; but a descendantof Abraham, of whom the Jews gloried, and in descent
from him prided themselves, and trusted; and chose to call their womenby
this name (w), which gave them a characterabove others:and who, besides all
this, was doubtless a goodwoman, a spiritual worshipper of the God of Israel;
who, in a spiritual sense, was a daughter of Abraham, that walkedin the steps

of his faith, and was now a believer in Christ, and appearedto be a chosen
vesselof salvation:
whom Satan hath bound, lo these eighteenyears; with a bodily distemper that
none could loose her from in so long a time. The Persic version, very wrongly,
reads "twelve years";though in Luke 13:11 it observes the right number.
Should not such an one be loosedfrom this bond on the sabbath day? the
force of Christ's reasoning is this, that if it was lawful, on a sabbath day, to
lead out a beast to watering, to quench its thirst, that so it may not suffer so
much as one day for want of water, how much more reasonable must it be,
that a rational creature, one of Abraham's posterity, and a religious person,
who had been for eighteenyears under a sore affliction, through the power of
Satanover her, by divine permission, should be freed from so long and sore
an affliction on the sabbath day? if mercy is to be shownto beasts, much more
to men and women.
(w) T. Bab. Cetubot, fol. 72. 2. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 109. 1.
Geneva Study Bible
And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath
bound, lo, these eighteenyears, be loosedfrom this bond on the sabbath day?
Luke 13:16. The case ofthe womandescribed so as to suggesta parallel and
contrast:a daughter of Abraham versus an ox or ass;bound by Satan, not
merely by a chain round the neck; for eighteenyears, not for a few hours. The
contrastthe basis of a strong a fortiori argument. The reply is thoroughly in
the spirit of Jesus, and the whole incident, though peculiar to Lk., is a credible

reminiscence of His ministry; whether placedin its true historicalsetting is a
matter of minor moment.
16. ought not] Our Saviour gives him back his own word “ought— but the
man’s ought had been one of ceremonialobligation, and the ought of Jesus
was founded on the divine necessityof love.
being a daughter of Abraham] See Luke 19:9.
whom Satan hath bound] Compare 2 Corinthians 12:7.
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 13:16. Θυγατέρα Ἀβραὰμ, a daughter of Abraham) not merely a
daughter of Adam. There is a strong antithesis to the beastof burden (the ox
or the ass). Christ brought salvationto all the children of Abraham: they who
remained without share in it had themselves to blame. Comp. as to Zaccheus,
ch. Luke 19:9.—ἰδοὺ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη eighteenyears ago. The nominative.
So the LXX. according to the Aldine copy, in Joshua 1:11, ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι
ὑμεῖς διαβήσεσθε [Al. καὶ—διαβαίνετε]. A specimenof the omniscience of
Jesus Christ: The Lord knew all about the cause of the disease, and its
duration, which seems not to have been made knownto Him previously by
any outward means of information. ‫הז‬ ἰδου τεσσαράκοντα ἔτη, Deuteronomy
8:4.—οὐκ ἔδει, ought not, was it not fitting?) The argument holds good, both
when drawn from the daily necessarywants of the beast, Luke 13:15, and also
when drawn from any sudden danger into which it may fall, ch. Luke 14:5.
Nor is it permitted one to make the objection: “But the human being, who has
been sick for so many years, may wait some few hours until the end of the
Sabbath;” for not even in the case ofthe beastis the case one of the extremest
necessity, and yet help is given to the beast; and in the case ofa human being’s
affliction, where there is the opportunity of getting or giving aid, even an hour

is of greatimportance, when first the patient and the physician meet one
another.
Satan
"True to its principle of contrast, this book gives Satana prominent position"
(Abbot). See Luke 4:13; Luke 10:18;Luke 22:3, Luke 22:31. See Introduction.
Adversaries - The ruler of the synagogue,and those who felt as he did.
All the people - The persons who attended the synagogue, andwho had
witnessedthe miracle. It is to be remarked:

1. That those who opposedChrist were chiefly the "rulers." Theyhad an
"interest" in doing it. Their popularity was at stake. Theywere afraid that he
would draw off the people from them.
2. The common people heard him gladly. Many of them believed in him. The
condition of the poor, and of those in humble life, is by far the most favorable
for religion, and most of the disciples of Jesus have been found there.
16. ought not, &c.—How gloriouslythe Lord vindicates the superior claims of
this woman, in considerationof the sadness andlong duration of her
suffering, and of her dignity notwithstanding, as an heir of the promise!
It is one thing to be ashamed, another thing to be convinced, so as to confess
an error; they were ashamedthat they were so put to silence before the
people, but we read of no confessionof their error and mistake, and begging
Christ’s pardon.
The people rejoicedand gave thanks to God
for all the glorious things that were done by our Saviour.
And when he had said these things,.... Had argued with them from their own
practices, and in a way so strong and rational, that carried such evidence and
conviction with it:

all his adversaries were ashamed;not only the ruler of the synagogue, but the
Scribes and Pharisees, thatwere present, who followedhim whereverhe went,
and were his implacable enemies;these were confounded and silenced;shame
appearedin their countenances;they could not lift up their heads, and look
him in the face.
And all the people rejoicedfor all the glorious things that were done by him;
for the doctrines he taught, and the miracles he wrought, and his wise and
close reasoningsatthis time, to the shame and confusion of all that opposed
him: for his audience consistedof different sorts, and what he said, and did,
had different effects upon them. Some were filled with joy, and others with
wrath, malice, and envy. And this is true with respectto spiritual and eternal
things. Glorious things have been done by Christ in eternity, by becoming the
surety of his people, by entering into a covenantwith his Father on their
account, and by taking the care and charge oftheir persons, and of all grace,
blessings, and promises for them; and in time, by assuming their nature,
fulfilling the law, bringing in an everlasting righteousness,making peace and
reconciliation, procuring pardon, and finishing the work of redemption and
salvation;and now in heaven, by entering as the forerunner for them,
appearing in the presence of God on their account, presenting their prayers,
and making intercessionforthem: and these are glorious things; they make
for the glory of all the divine perfections;they issue in the glory of Christ
himself; and in consequence ofthem, the saints enjoy eternal glory and
happiness: these are things of the greatestimportance, are wonderful and
amazing, and for which saints and angels will glorify God both here and
hereafter;and these occasionjoy, and gladness in the Lord's people now. For
not carnaland profane persons, or hypocrites, and formal professors, or
Pharisees,and self-righteous persons rejoice atthese things; but such as are
the Lord's own people, who are openly his; who have passedunder a work of
the Spirit of God, who have seentheir need of these things, and are sensible of
the value of them; who know Christ, and love him, and believe in him.

Geneva Study Bible
And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed:and all
the people rejoicedfor all the glorious things that were done by him.
Luke 13:17. The religious leaders and the people behave according to their
character;the former ashamed, not as convincedbut as confounded, the latter
delighted both by the works and by the words of Jesus.
17. when he had said these things] Rather, while He was saying these things.
were ashamed]See Isaiah 14:16 (LXX.).
Bengel's Gnomen
Luke 13:17. Κατῃσχύνοντο πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι αὐτῷ)Comp. Isaiah45:16,
LXX., αἰσχυνθήσονται καὶ ἐντραπήσονται πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι αὐτῷ [which
words were probably in Luke’s mind, whilst recording their partial
fulfilment].—πᾶς, all) The following verses should be compared with this.—
ἔχαιρεν, rejoiced) with a noble and ingenuous joy.—γινομένοις, whichwere
being done) by His word and His miracles.
Were ashamed.
Rev., more correctly, were put to shame.
Glorious things

See on Matthew 11:20.
Were done (γινομένοις)
Lit., are being done, denoting their being then in progress.
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Luke 13:14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesushad healedon
the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are sixdays in
which work should be done; so come during them and gethealed, and not on
the Sabbath day."
KJV Luke 13:14 And the ruler of the synagogue answeredwith indignation,
because that Jesus had healedon 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.
But the synagogue official Lk 8:41; Acts 13:15;18:8,17
indignant because Jesus hadhealed on the Sabbath Lk 6:11; Jn 5:15,16;Ro
10:2
There are six days in which work should be done Ex 20:9; 23:12;Lev 23:3;
Ezek 20:12

get healed, and not on the Sabbath day Lk 6:7; 14:3-6; Mt 12:10-12;Mk 3:2-
6; Jn 9:14-16
Luke 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
Luke 13:10-17 ReligionVersus Reality - StevenCole
Luke 13:10-17 Christ Creates Conflictin the Synagogue - John MacArthur
A COLD, CALLOUSED
"CLERIC"
But - term of contrast. Into what should have been a scene of joy and focusing
on God (as she was doing), arose angry opposition to Jesus'miracle.
The synagogue official - As we see overand over in the Gospels,the stiffest
opposition to Jesus arose fromthose who were supposedly the most
"religious." Things have not changedmuch, as much of the most intense
opposition to Spirit filled workers for Christ, comes from church leaders,
including the lay leaders (deacons,elders). I speak from personal experience!
As an aside, whateverrole Satan(or his minions) had in the woman's
infirmity, now jumped on this synagogue official. As Adam Clarke quipped
"It would seemas if the demon who had left the woman’s body (Ed: Although
there is no evidence she was actually possessed!) had gotinto his heart.”
MacArthur - Such an attitude is all too typical of false religion. Martin
Luther’s pastoralconcernfor the common people, who were subjected to
crushing burdens by the Roman Catholic Church, helped trigger the
Reformation. It was the sale of indulgences (essentially“getout of jail free”
passes from purgatory) that was the final straw for Luther. In 1517 the
Roman Catholic preacherJohan Tetzelarrived in the vicinity of Wittenberg

selling indulgences, using as part of his sales pitch the catchy advertising
jingle, “As soonas the coinin the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory
springs.” Appalled and horrified that his parishioners were flocking to
purchase them, Luther postedhis famous Ninety-Five Theses condemning
indulgences. That event sparkedthe Reformation. The Pharisees, too, cared
little for the common people, whom they contemptuously dismissedas “this
crowdwhich does not know the Law [and] is accursed”(John7:49). Jesus
denounced them as those who “tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s
shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a
finger” (Matt. 23:4). The dozens of paralyzing restrictions and regulations
associatedwith it had turned the Sabbath from a day of restinto the most
burdensome day of the week. (Ibid)
Steven Cole observes "One ofthe most effective tools that Satanhas used to
keeppeople awayfrom a relationship with the living God is dead religion.
When our Lord was on this earth, His main battles were not with raw pagans.
His main conflicts were with the religious crowd. Downthrough the centuries,
Satan, the mastercounterfeiter, has smuggledreligious people into churches
in order to keepthe others from a genuine, heart-transforming experience
with God. (ReligionVersus Reality Luke 13:10-17)
What a contrastthis synagogue officialis compared to another synagogue
official named Jairus in Luke 8
And there came a man named Jairus, and he was an official of the synagogue;
and he fell at Jesus’feet, and began to implore Him to come to his house; 42
for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as
He went, the crowds were pressing againstHim. (An inspired "parenthesis"
re: the healing of the womanwith hemorrhage) 49 While He was still
speaking, someonecame from the house of the synagogue official, saying,
“Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacheranymore.” 50 But when

Jesus heard this, He answeredhim, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe,
and she will be made well.” 51 When He came to the house, He did not allow
anyone to enter with Him, exceptPeterand John and James, and the girl’s
father (JAIRUS) and mother. 52 Now they were all weeping and lamenting for
her; but He said, “Stopweeping, for she has not died, but is asleep.” 53 And
they beganlaughing at Him, knowing that she had died. 54 He, however, took
her by the hand and called, saying, “Child, arise!” 55 And her spirit returned,
and she got up immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her
to eat. 56 Her parents were amazed; but He instructed them to tell no one
what had happened. (Lk 8:41-42-note and Lk 8:49-56-note)
Spurgeonon the synagogue official - Wretchedcreature, to be indignant at
Christ’s doing good! There is no reckoning with self-righteous people. They
are mad themselves, and they think others so. In what a cold-blooded,
heartless manner he must have saidit, you may well imagine. For a man not
to rejoice when he saw his poor fellow-creature thus healed, shows that he
must have been destitute of much milk of human kindness, and that bigotry
had dried up his soul.
Hughes adds "What a slabof ecclesiasticalgranite!He had no heart to pity
the poor bent woman’s plight, no eye for the beauty of Christ’s compassion,
no soul to rejoice with the woman’s deliverance, no earfor the music of her
praise.He was a chickenheartedreligious snob. He did not lower himself to
address Jesus directly but turned to the people....His heartwas pumping great
amounts of formaldehyde. He breathed arsenic. He fancied that he was a lover
of the Law and its protector. However, his lack of love for the woman showed
that he did not love his neighbor as himself, indicating that he did not love
God. The cold synagogue leaderwas aboutto be “iced” by Jesus." (Ibid)
Barclayexplains that "The president of the synagogue and those like him
were people who loved systems more than people. They were more concerned

that their own petty little laws should be observedthan that a woman should
be helped."
Rabbinic rules governed work on the Sabbath and forbade thirty-nine forms
of labor! (see list Mishnah Shabbat 7.2) The group of Jews atQumran in
generalwere even stricter than the Pharisees andthus one rule reads, “No one
shall help an animal in its delivery on the Sabbath day. And if it falls into a pit
or a ditch, one shall not raise it on the Sabbath.”
NET Note on the official's reaction - The irony is that Jesus’“work” consisted
of merely touching the woman. There is no sense ofjoy that eighteenyears of
suffering was reversedwith his touch.
Indignant because Jesus hadhealed on the Sabbath - The word indignant in
English normally means angeredat something unjust or wrong or showing
angeror annoyance at what is perceivedas unfair treatment. Clearly his
indignation was sinful not righteous indignation! Furthermore, his angry
reactionshows us how tight a grip the bonds of legalismhad on his mind and
heart. Little did he recognize that he was the one with the more serious "spirit
of infirmity" because his spiritual sickness wouldtake him straightto Hell!
Indignant (23)(aganakteofrom ágan= very much + áchthos = pain, grief) is a
verb which means to be oppressedin mind, to be grieved, to be resentful, to be
aroused. Aganakteo reflectsintense displeasure. To be indignant againstwhat
is judged to be wrong. It describes Jesus'righteous indignation when His
disciples rebuked those bringing children to Him (Mk 10:13-14). More often
aganakteois used to describe an unrighteous indignation including that
manifested by Jesus'owndisciples (Mt 20:24 and Mk 10:41 = of the 10
indignant toward James and John, Mt 26:8 and Mk 14:4 = indignation as the

"wasting" ofexpensive perfume anointing Jesus!)and finally the ugly
indignation of the hypocritical religious leaders (Mt 21:15, Lk 13:14).
Aganakteo - 7x in 7v - feel indignant(1), indignant(5), indignantly(1). Not used
in the Septuagint.
Matthew 20:24 And hearing this, the ten (disciples) became indignant with
the two brothers.
Matthew 21:15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful
things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple,
"Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant
Matthew 26:8 But the disciples were indignant when they saw this (Mt 26:7),
and said, "Why this waste?
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw this (Mk 10:13), He was indignant and said
to them, "Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the
kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Mark 10:41 Hearing this, the ten beganto feel indignant with James and
John.
Mark 14:4 But some were indignantly remarking to one another, "Why has
this perfume been wasted?

Luke 13:14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesushad healedon
the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are sixdays in
which work should be done; so come during them and gethealed, and not on
the Sabbath day."
Healed (cured)(2323)(therapeuo fromtherapon = an attendant, servant)
means primarily to care for, to wait upon, minister to. It has two main senses
in the NT, one speaking ofrendering service (Acts 17:25)and the more
common use describing medical aspects suchas to take care of the sick, to
heal, to cure (Matt. 4:24; 12:10;Mark 1:34; Luke 6:7; 10:9), to recover
health, to restore.
MacArthur makes the excellentpoint that "The synagogue ruler’s continued
unbelief despite the undeniable miracle he had seenconfirms the reality that
miracles do not produce faith (Matt. 11:20; Luke 16:31;John 12:37). Saving
faith is produced by the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the penitent." (Ibid)
Begansaying to the crowdin response - The Greek verb for response is
usually rendered answer. It suggests the official was trying to "answer" this
miracle by attempting to invalid it as performed at the WRONG TIME!And
notice he answers notto Christ but to the crowd!He did not have the courage
to speak to Jesus but it was a barb ( an aggressive remark directedat a person
like a missile and intended to have a telling effect)clearly directed at Jesus!
Spurgeonadds "He did not dare to speak to Christ. I suppose the majesty of
Christ’s manner overawedhim, so he struck at the people directly, and at
Christ through them. Now our Lord did not go sideways to work when he
replied to him."

There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and
get healed, and not on the Sabbath day - The irony of his indignant reactionis
that his soul was far more "crooked" thanthe poor woman's body and he did
not gethealed! It is also not clearwhat "work" Jesushad done for He had
only spokenand then touched the woman. These interactions could hardly be
called"work" but that small detail would not hold back the cold-hearted
synagogue officialfrom accusing Jesus ofof "work." Whatdifference did
truth make to these hypocrites any way?
Work...done (2038)(ergazomaifromergon = work)means to engage in an
activity involving expenditure of effort. To work effectively.
Should - The verb dei in expresses necessity. The idea is that God had
commanded work must or ought to be done during the 6 days, and that they
were to rest on the Sabbath.
Hendriksen observes that the synagogue official"misinterpretedthe divine
Sabbath commandment. To be sure, he was literally correctwhen he said,
“There are six days on which work must be done.” See Ex. 20:9, 10;Dt. 5:13.
But he evidently ignored such interpretative passagesas Ge 2:1–3;Isa. 58;
and Micah6:8.
He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?
-Micah 6:8-note

Barclay- The Jewishlaw was that it was perfectly legalto help someone on
the Sabbath who was in actualdanger of his life. If Jesus had postponedthe
healing of this woman until the morrow no one could have criticized him; but
he insisted that suffering must not be allowedto continue until to-morrow if it
could be helped to-day. Over and over againin life some goodand kindly
scheme is held up until this or that regulation is satisfied, or this or that
technicaldetail workedout. He gives twice who gives quickly, as the Latin
proverb has it. No helpful deed that we can do to-day should be postponed
until to-morrow.
Mattoon- When your priorities are out-of-wack, and your heart is filled with
rage, bitterness, or anger, it is difficult to get your focus on the needs that
other people have in their lives. How many times through your life have you
observedpeople griping and criticizing others who are trying to meet needs,
solve problems, and serve the Lord Jesus Christ? Unfortunately, we have seen
many like this in our lives. They deflate instead of inflate our strength. They
discourage insteadof encourage us in our efforts. They sift our strength and
joy like a mosquito that drains blood from its victim and leaves an irritating
itch. You will find that those who are backslidden or evil oppose the work of
God or goodworks.
Steven Cole's Illustration of DeadReligion's joyless anger - Here this poor
woman has this dramatic healing and all this synagogue officialcando is get
angry and lecture everyone on the proper time to come for healing!
Incredible! But we’ve all met people just like him. I once performed a
wedding at a church in San Bernardino, because the bride and groom were
afraid that if they held the wedding at our church in the mountains, guests
might not be able to come because ofsnow. The church required that their
pastor stand up front with me and have a part in the ceremony. Before the
ceremony, he invited me into his office. He lit up a Marlboro and I noticed an
overflowing ashtray on his desk. I also noticed a fairly recent certificate of
graduation from a seminary on the wall and so I asked, “Didyou go into the

ministry as a secondcareer?”He said, “Yes, I did it so that I could live with
myself.” I didn’t say anything, but I thought, “Whata reasonto be in the
ministry!” During the ceremony, as I was giving the message, a girl near the
front stoodup and flasheda snapshot. Nothing had been said to the
congregationabout not taking pictures, but this minister interrupted me.
“Justa minute!” he snapped. Pointing directly at the girl, he snarled,
“Pictures are not allowed!This is worship and we don’t allow pictures during
worship!” I don’t remember how I recoveredfrom that one, but it was a
classic example of joyless, angry, dead religion breaking through at a time
when there should have been greatjoy. Sadly, many Christian homes are
marked more by rules and by angerthan by heartfelt joy in the Lord. I’m not
suggesting that there should not be any rules or that they should not be
enforced. But I am saying that if we have reality in Christ, the atmosphere in
our homes should be thick with joy and not with anger. Anger is a deed of the
flesh, but joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:20, 22). (ReligionVersus
Reality Luke 13:10-17)
Luke 13:15 But the Lord answeredhim and said, "You hypocrites, does not
eachof you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead
him awayto waterhim?
KJV Luke 13:15 The Lord then answeredhim, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth
not eachone of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and
lead him awayto watering?
You hypocrites Lk 6:42; 12:1; Job 34:30;Pr 11:9; Isa 29:20;Mt 7:5; 15:7,14;
23:13,28;Acts 8:20-23;13:9,10
does not eachof you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall
and lead him away to waterhim Lk 14:5; Jn 7:21-24
Luke 13 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Luke 13:10-17 ReligionVersus Reality - StevenCole
Luke 13:10-17 Christ Creates Conflictin the Synagogue - John MacArthur
THE INCONSISTENCYOF
THE SYNAGOGUE RULER
But the Lord answeredhim and said - Notice that Luke accentuatesJesus'
authority by calling Him Lord or kurios.
You hypocrites - This is not a "gentle Jesus" reaction, but honest, righteous
indignation! Woe!Notice also Jesus'use of the plural, hypocrites. The leader
was not alone in his hypocritical thinking! Although only one hypocrite had
come forth to call Christ out by addressing the crowd, Jesus threw a big net to
catchall the religious hypocrites (“you and all those in agreementwith you"),
for any one of them gladly would have spokenthe same heartless, evilwords.
And no doubt there were many in the synagogue thatday who sided with the
synagogue official.
Leon Morris says that his hypocrisy was shownby "his professedzealfor the
Law in objecting to a deed which fulfilled the spirit and the purpose of the
law."
Cole points out that this synagogue official"pretendedto be concernedabout
people-they could come and get cured on other days-but he wasn’t concerned
about people at all. He was just concernedthat someone had violatedhis rules.
He was like a store owner I read about who became so obsessedwith keeping
his store neatthat he lockedthe doors during much of the day to keepout
customers because theywere messing up his shelves!He had forgottenwhy he
was in business. The Bible teaches a proper use of the Lord’s Day. We should
setaside one day in sevento worship God and to restfrom our normal work.

But to come up with intricate rules of what you canand cannot do to observe
the Sabbath leads to hypocrisy. People end up focusedon the rules and
neglecting the point, which is to meet with God and His people and to rest
from the regularroutine."
Hendriksen notes that although "this ruler professedto be so thoroughly
concernedabout keeping the law, his real concernwas to discredit the Great
Benefactor!"
Wiersbe adds that "The bondage of the ruler of the synagogue was worsethan
that of the woman. Her bondage affectedonly her body, but his bondage
shackledhis mind and heart. He was so bound and blinded by tradition that
he ended up opposing the Son of God! Elbert Hubbard calledtradition “a
clock that tells us what time it was.” The ruler of the synagogue couldnot
“discernthis time” (Luke 13:12, 5, 6) and he stood condemned." (BEC)
Spurgeon- It servedhim right. This is just the word that would naturally
come to the lips of the Saviour. Becausebe was loving and tender, he could not
endure this hypocritical indignation: “The Lord then answeredhim, and said,
Thou hypocrite,”
Spurgeon- The Jews had reduced the Sabbath to a day of idleness and luxury.
The only thing they forbade themselves was the doing of anything. Now the
Sabbath was never intended to be spent in idleness and luxury. It should be
spent in the worship of God; and works of mercy and works of piety make the
Sabbath Day holy, instead of being contrary to its demands. And our Saviour,
by giving rest to that poor burdened woman, was in truth, making Sabbath in
her body and in her soul.

Hypocrites (5273)(hupokrites from hupó = under, indicating secrecy+ krino =
to judge) describes one who acts pretentiously, a counterfeit, a man who
assumes and speaks oracts under a feigned character. A hypocrite is someone
who pretends to be something he or she is not.
William Barclayon hypocrites - Originally the Greek word hupokrites meant
one who answers;it then came to be speciallyconnectedwith the statement
and answer, the dialogue, of the stage;and it is the regular Greek word for an
actor. It then came to mean an actorin the worse sense ofthe term, a
pretender, one who acts a part, one who wears a mask to cover his true
feelings, one who puts on an external show while inwardly his thoughts and
feelings are very different. To Jesus the Scribes and Pharisees were menwho
were acting a part. What he meant was this. Their whole idea of religion
consistedin outward observances, the wearing of elaborate phylacteries and
tassels, the meticulous observance ofthe rules and regulations of the Law. But
in their hearts there was bitterness and envy and pride and arrogance.To
Jesus these Scribes and Pharisees were menwho, under a mask of elaborate
godliness, concealedhearts in which the most godless feelings and emotions
held sway. And that accusationholds goodin greateror lesserdegree ofany
man who lives life on the assumption that religion consists in external
observancesand external acts. (Matthew 23 - William Barclay's Daily Study
Bible)
Barclayin another note on hypocrites adds that "Anyone to whom religion is
a legalthing, anyone to whom religion means carrying out certain external
rules and regulations, anyone to whom religion is entirely connectedwith the
observationof a certain ritual and the keeping of a certainnumber of tabu's is
in the end bound to be, in this sense, a hypocrite. The reasonis this--he
believes that he is a goodman if he carries out the correctacts and practices,
no matter what his heart and his thoughts are like. To take the case ofthe
legalistic Jew in the time of Jesus, he might hate his fellow man with all his
heart, he might be full of envy and jealousyand concealedbitterness and

pride; that did not matter so long as he carried out the correcthandwashings
and observedthe correctlaws about cleannessand uncleanness. Legalism
takes accountof a man's outward actions;but it takes no accountat all of his
inward feelings. He may wellbe meticulously serving God in outward things,
and bluntly disobeying God in inward things--and that is hypocrisy.....There is
no greaterreligious peril than that of identifying religion with outward
observance. There is no commoner religious mistake than to identify goodness
with certain so-calledreligious acts. Church-going, bible-reading, careful
financial giving, even time-tabled prayer do not make a man a goodman. The
fundamental question is, how is a man's heart towards God and towards his
fellow-men? And if in his heart there are enmity, bitterness, grudges, pride,
not all the outward religious observancesin the world will make him anything
other than a hypocrite. (Mark 7 - William Barclay's DailyStudy Bible)
Does not eachof you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall
and lead him away to waterhim? - A rhetorical question of course!The
obvious answeris one the hypocrite could not refute for he knew everyone
would take care to water his beastof burden on the Sabbath for even the strict
code of the Mishnah allowedhumane treatment of animals, but ironically
limited similar humane treatment of humans! What a contrastJesus
presentedwith the hypocrite who was willing to untie (luo) his beastof burden
but was unwilling to see a woman"untied" (luo = "released" in Lk 13:16)
from a horrible deformity!
Bock - Jesus’question is rhetorical, a statementthat the Jews oftenlabor for
their cattle’s sake. Theycannotdispute that this is common practice
(indicated by hekastos, each), whichraises the issue of how an animal can fare
better than a human on the Sabbath. Thus the leaders are condemned by their
own practice. They show compassionto animals, but not to humans. It is this
issue of inconsistencyand priority in creationthat Jesus raises....howcanan
animal be treated with more concernon the sacredday than a person? Such
an attitude is a reversalof the createdorder (Luke 12:6–7;1 Cor. 9:9). (Ibid)

Leon Morris - On the Sabbath, animals could be led out by a chain or the like
as long as nothing was carried (Shabbath 5:1). Water could be drawn for
them and poured into a trough, though a man must not hold a bucket for the
animal to drink from (Erubin 20b, 21a). If animals may be caredfor in such
ways, much more may a daughter of Abraham be set free from Satan’s
bondage on the sabbath.
Jesus made similar arguments in Luke and Matthew
Luke 14:5+ (context Lk 14:1-4) And He said to them, “Which one of you will
have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a
Sabbath day?”
Mt 12:11+ (contextMt 12:9-10, 12-14)And He said to them, “What man is
there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will
he not take hold of it and lift it out?
Steven Cole - The religious leaders valued their rules over relationships and,
as Jesus pointed out, they even valued their animals over people. On the
Sabbath, they felt free to untie their ox or donkey and lead them to water, but
they didn’t want Jesus to heal this womanwho had been bound by Satanall
these years. It was not only in Jesus’day, by the way, that people valued their
animals more than they value people. I have encountered people who allow
their dogs to come at me with their teeth bared, but when I defend myself,
they getangry at me for threatening to harm their dogs!Deadreligion always
has mixed up priorities. It glories whenpeople keepthe rules, even if their
hearts are far from God. It is happy with outward conformity, even though
relationships are shattered. It boasts in numbers, even if there is open sin in

the camp. But reality with the Lord focuses ondeveloping and maintaining a
heart of love for God and for others.
Hughes on Jesus'reply to the official - This was an unanswerable indictment
using the canons of Jewishlogic qal wā hōmer, arguing from the light to the
heavy. (Ed comment: "qal wā hōmer," is also known as an "a fortiori"
argument or line of reasoning "from the lesser[treatment of beasts of burden]
to the greater[treatment of the woman who was burdened!]" If an animal
which they themselves had bound for a few hours should be loosedon the
Sabbath, how much more a daughter of Abraham whom Satanhas bound for
eighteenyears.)
Bock - Mostsee a minor-to-major argument here: what is true of animals is
more true of people. Satan had bound the womanfor eighteenyears, and she
should be loosedfrom this bond, even more than the ox should be loosedon
the Sabbath to eat. Jesus is arguing that the woman’s relationship to
Abraham, the man of God’s promise, makes her healing on the Lord’s day not
wrong but appropriate, even necessary. Whatbetter day to reflecton God’s
activity than the Sabbath?...Jesus arguesthat his act does not violate the
Sabbath, but fits the very spirit of the day. What better wayto celebrate the
Sabbath! The difference in the views of Jesus and the synagogue leadercould
not be greater. (Ibid)
Untie his ox or his donkey - As explained below in using the verb luo, Jesus
was clearlymaking a play on words.
Untie (3089)(luo)means to loose, release, dissolve. This word means to set free
what is bound. What is ironic is that Jesus uses the verb luo in His question,
which is the root word of the verb freed or apoluo and is also the verb Jesus
used in Lk 13:16 to describe her release! It is as if He was saying, you

hypocrite, you will loose a beastof burden but not loose a woman who is
burdened! Notice the hypocrite's mouth was shut ("bound" if you will) by the
truth of Jesus'question, and thus he dare not answerHim a word! Indeed, the
closing of the sinful hypocrite's mouth reminds me of Paul's words in Romans
3 regarding the effectof the Law which "is holy and righteous and good" (Ro
7:12-note)...
Now we know that whateverthe Law says, it speaks to those who are under
the Law, that every mouth may be closed, (phrasso = "may be fenced in" so to
speak)and all the world may become accountable (hupodikos from hupo =
under + dike = judgment - so it means under sentence, condemned) to God.
(Ro 3:19-note)
Comment: Indeed, this hypocrite would give an accountof his wretched
words at his judgment! Woe!
Spurgeon- A very conclusive argument. You may do deeds like this on the
Sabbath; and you may come and be healed on the Sabbath, even though it
should involve you in a journey. It is so needful that you should get the bread
of heaven, so needful that you should getthe blessing of Christ, that on this
day you may come and be healed.
NET Note - The charge here is hypocrisy, but it is only part one of the
response. Various ancient laws detail what was allowedwith cattle;see
Mishnah Shabbat 5 (see below) The Mishnah also describes the wells at which
cattle can drink without violating the Sabbath (m. ˓Erub. 2.1–4). At Qumran,
CD 11.5–6allowedtravel up to two thousand cubits (three thousand feet) for
pasturing (Marshall 1978:558–59;Manson1949:275).

Jesus was humiliating his opponents

Jesus was humiliating his opponents

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Jesus was humiliating his opponents

Similar to Jesus was humiliating his opponents (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (16)

Jesus was humiliating his opponents