SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2025 | AFTER PENTECOST PROPER 16 (C)

10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.* 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.”* 15 But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water?* 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”* 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition (Friendship Press, 2021), Lk 13:10–17.

Good morning,

On this preschool Sunday, we have not changed the texts as I think there is no need to do so. The gospel text especially is perfect for today, because what do we hope to teach our youngest children if not that the heart of faith is to love one another, to help those who are afflicted, and to choose compassion even when rules seem to get in the way?

Jesus was in a synagogue on the Sabbath, possibly to the dislike of the leaders as they saw him as a threat to their comfortable lives, and here comes a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. Jesus, moved with compassion, casually healed her and she was finally free of her ailment of 18 years and praised God who provided the power.

You would think the religious leader would take it as an opportunity to praise God as well, but oh no....instead, he resorts to legalism to undermine Jesus indirectly by complaining about the woman coming on the Sabbath to be healed! How dare she do that, she had 6 days in the week to do so!

Jesus takes the bait, because it is just too outrageous - you still take care for your animals on the Sabbath, so why should it be wrong to heal her on the Sabbath? The leaders were put to shame and people were rejoicing upon hearing that.

The religious leaders were of course already prejudiced against Jesus as he chose not to play by their rules and it is true that there can be a great deal of comfort and security in following rules and having other rule followers around. It becomes sort of a common language - you follow the rules or you don’t and there are objective markers to recognize that.

Jesus shattered this black and white view of obedience, one that is rooted in compliance rather than compassion. Jesus doesn’t say that observing the Sabbath is wrong, but the issue is the lack of reflection - the world just doesn’t stop spinning on the Sabbath and certain things just remain true - animals need care and so do those in need! And Jesus’s response is brilliant because he appeals to a compassion they already practice. He says, 'Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey and lead it to water?' Notice, he frames this not as a chore or a business transaction, but as a basic act of mercy. You wouldn't let an animal suffer from thirst, even on a holy day. Jesus's point is devastatingly simple: If your compassion rightly extends to your livestock, how can you possibly withhold it from this woman? He uses their own small, daily acts of mercy to expose their massive, eighteen-year-long failure of compassion for a fellow human being, a daughter of Abraham.

And from the prophets and from Jesus himself, we know which one God cares for more. It is about helping those that cannot give back or make it profitable for you. It is about being a community that is rooted in compassion rather than compliance. Compliance is often like a business transaction - you obey and I will keep you safe/fed/in community. You don’t obey and suddenly we have a problem that needs a response as well - taking away of rights, privileges, or belovedness.

Now with compassion, it is not so clear cut and suddenly the whole business transaction falls apart as we know, in our hearts, that you cannot truly put a price on compassionate help and it is something to be freely given without requiring anything in exchange. Jesus helped the bent over woman, because he felt for her and wanted her to be free from her ailment. He didn’t collect any copay or expected anything in return! Is he feeling good about it? I bet! Is he hoping that it will lead to the glorification of the Father? Most definitely, but that doesn’t mean there is a price of admission! For the religious leaders, the price of admission is obedience - do as we say and good things will happen to you.

Jesus comes into the synagogue and breaks down this parasitic relationship - somebody got help even though they came on the wrong day! The horror! And more than that, he affirms her belovedness as the daughter of Abraham that is irrespective of her behavior, her “compliance.” And you can see that people do not cheer right away, but rather look to the leaders and Jesus to see which way it will go. And I think they recognize that Jesus’ arguments are more sound and as such begin to rejoice. The leader’s callback to the Sabbath is weak - the Sabbath, as clearly shown in Exodus, is about liberation, not bondage.

It would be pretty easy to pin the discussion as a reflection of the early Christianity coming to terms with 1st century Judaism, but these two understandings were already present in Judaism of the time - House of Hillel would represent the more lenient interpretation and the House of Shammai would be stricter.

[the house of] Shammai says: ‘Contributions for the poor are not allotted on the Sabbath in the synagogue, even a dowry to marry an orphan young man to an orphan young woman. Quarrels between husband and wife are not adjudicated and one does not pray for the sick on the Sabbath.’ The house of Hillel permits these activities.” (Tosefta Shabbat 16:22)

The reason given is that none of these things are to be present in the world to come, so they should not happen on the Sabbath, which is the preview of the world to come. And then at the heart of it is also the principle of pikuach nefesh (saving a life), which overrides almost all other commandments, including the Sabbath.

In more strict understanding, it only applies to immediate, life-threatening situations, but Jesus pushes this understanding to go beyond, towards bodily and spiritual liberation. Jesus looked at the woman and understood that her suffering had been a long standing hindrance not only to her quality of life, but most likely her spirituality as well. Her bodily condition may have not been acute, but we could argue that any amount of spiritual distress is life-threatening as we are grass and fragile vessels held up by God’s mercy and love and if we feel disconnected from that....oh, so many things can go wrong!

Beloveds, the bottom line is that compliance should never override compassion in a religious community like ours - out there in the world is a different story and is often ruled by threat of violence and/or bullying - imposing financial sanctions and tariffs on whole countries, taking over cities and territories by force, withholding funds from institutions for differing opinions, restricting access to food and other aid… Just a few days ago, my country, Czechia, commemorated the 57th anniversary of the invasion by Warsaw Pact armies - paratroopers, tanks, and other weapons of war descended on Czechoslovakia to quell a liberal heading of this Soviet satellite republic. Simply put, we weren’t obedient enough!

That just doesn’t fly in the Kingdom of God, where the wellbeing of the other takes precedence just like Jesus showed us in this story. Rules are worth following only inasmuch they do not prevent us from relieving someone’s suffering. Let us remember that and never lose sight of the necessity of compassion. The good news is that Jesus was relieving suffering wherever he went during his earthly ministry - feeding the hungry, exorcising those that were possessed, lifting the marginalized, empowering women.… Let us do so as well! Amen.

Notes

A woman with a crippling spirit - was waiting 18 years for this moment - Jesus delivers - the leader of the synagogue scoffs at it (does not attack Jesus, but the woman) - Jesus disagrees - his opponents were put to shame and the entire crowd was rejoicing.

MIracles are seen as “work”?

Most people want good for others -? x scarcity mindset or cleanliness

Exodus - Sabbath as liberation

Deuteronomium - Sabbath in creation

Bent woman -> becomes a daughter of Abraham

Jesus freed her - liberation

Community of compliance or community of compassion - is community built on compliance or compassion?

Leader feels endangered - rules must be followed

Isaiah: blessings come for us from helping others. Trampling on Sabbath - I don’t think that acts of mercy are that

What can it say about the community it was written in?

Psalm: promises - we need to know them

Finding the depths of praise