Luke 13:10-21

Be still: Father, thank you for this day and this precious time. May I learn something of your heart for me. Amen

Read: Luke 13:10-21

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, 'Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.' (vv10-13)

Encounter: You  haveprobably heard the phrase 'rules were made to be broken'. Honestly, I quite like rules. Ok, I might have been a bit of a teacher’s pet at school, finding comfort in knowing I was doing the 'right' thing. But over time, I realised I measured myself by my achievements and how well I kept rules, and that that was an unhealthy idol. The rules ended up ruling me and over time I lacked a freedom I once had.

When Jesus cured the woman, the Pharisees reaction revealed they’d become so consumed with protecting religious structure and rules that they missed the heart of God standing before them. The Sabbath was meant to create space for rest, restoration, and encounter with God, yet their rigid thinking left no room for Jesus’ work.

This mirrors our world today. We live in a world that tells us if we want to be successful, we have to do this or that — to fill our schedules, achieve more, know more, work harder, and be more productive. Psalm 19:7 reads ‘Make wise the simple.’ God is not looking for hearts crowded with self-sufficiency, but hearts humble enough to look to him.

The woman’s physical condition may also reflect something about our own lives. Weighed down and exhausted, we become spiritually bent over, making it super difficult to lift our eyes to Jesus. Religion can become so rigid that it leaves little room for relationship.

Jesus sees the woman, heals her completely, lifts her up, fully restores her freedom and draws her into worship. She immediately stands straight and praises God. What incredible freedom after 18 years of being stuck!

Apply: What is filling my mind and life so much that it leaves little space for Jesus? Have I confused knowledge and performance with intimacy with God? 

Devote: Lord Jesus, thank you for your gift of Sabbath and your way of living that is designed to build my relationship with you. Help me to make steps into complete freedom so that I live a life with hands and eyes raised daily to you.