Some Rules Are Meant to Be Broken, Sometimes—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 11C (Luke 13:10-17)

  

Luke 13:10-17 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

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.

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                Most rules have a purpose, but sometimes the realities of the moment require that these rules need to be broken. This is especially true when a life is at stake, or at the very least when human flourishing requires it. One of the Commandments, which according to Scripture was given to the covenant people, involved keeping the sabbath holy. The Sabbath, according to Scripture, involved the seventh day of the week. According to the first creation story in Genesis, “On the seventh day God finished the work that he had done. So, God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work he had done in creation” (Gen. 2:2-3). When God gave Moses the commandments, one of those commandments involved the Sabbath, which was to be kept holy. The commandment is one of the most expansive of the so-called Ten Commandments:

⁸ “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work. ¹⁰ But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.  (Exod. 20:8-11).

The rule was rather strict. If you did any work on the Sabbath, you would be put to death. The reason for this strictness had to do with honoring the Sabbath that God had set in place in the act of creation (Exod. 31:12-17). The rules governing the Sabbath are found throughout Leviticus as well. There are numerous references to the keeping of the Sabbath elsewhere, including in Ezekiel and Nehemiah. In other words, the Sabbath played an important role in defining the covenant relationship between God and God’s people. So, it should not be taken lightly.

                Along came Jesus, whom I believe sought to hold true to the commandments of God, and yet at times he either redefined them or broke them. Perhaps he did this because he believed they had been abused or misused. This is what occurs here in Luke 13. As we open the passage from the Gospel of Luke chosen for this particular Sunday, which by the way is not the Sabbath Day (it is the first day of the week, not the seventh), we find Jesus teaching in a synagogue. We’re not told where this synagogue was located, but Jesus continues his final journey to Jerusalem. He has been proclaiming a message of repentance (Luke 13:1-5). In the verses just before our reading, Jesus told a parable about a barren fig tree. According to this story, if a fig tree fails to bear fruit, it will be cut down, though patience is required (Luke 13:6-9). This parable speaks of judgment and its possible delay, so that the people have a chance to repent.

                As Jesus engaged in a teaching session in a synagogue somewhere near Jerusalem, he noticed a woman afflicted by a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. Luke writes that she was “bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.” It’s important to note that Luke mentions that the woman was “afflicted by a spirit.” The assumption here is that this was a spiritual condition requiring a spiritual remedy. Of course, Jesus is equipped to provide such a remedy. What follows reminds us that Jesus was not only known as a healer, but also as an exorcist. While she is afflicted with this spirit, according to Luke’s narrative, she doesn’t approach Jesus. Rather, Jesus makes the first move, simply declaring that she had been set free from her ailment. He doesn’t take any direct or overt action; he just speaks to her. It’s like he’s saying, “Hey, you, lady, you don’t know this, but you don’t need to be bent over like that anymore.” It’s only then that he laid hands on her, that she stood up straight and began to praise God. What is interesting here is that while Luke mentions that she is afflicted by a spirit, Jesus isn’t portrayed as engaging this spirit to heal the woman. He simply tells her that she’s free and then touches her, after which she stands up and gives praise to God. Jesus doesn’t seem to do anything controversial here.

                While Jesus’ actions might not seem controversial, the leader of the synagogue wouldn’t agree with that assessment. He was indignant with Jesus for healing on the sabbath. The leader turns to the crowd and tells them that there are six days when work should be done. Therefore, this healing could take place on any of those six, but not on the sabbath. From the description of what takes place here, it doesn’t seem like Jesus engaged in “work.” He simply touched the woman, and she stood up straight, which led to praise to God. The leader, for his part, didn’t dispute Jesus’ ability to heal, just the timing.

                Jesus had a ready response to the leader, in which he asked the community what constituted forbidden work. Calling the leader and those who might agree with him hypocrites, he asked them to answer a question about actions they might take on the sabbath. So, suppose you have an ox or donkey, won’t you untie it and lead it to water? The answer would be, of course. It would be cruel to do otherwise. Therefore, since this woman is a daughter of Abraham, who has been bound by this spirit for eighteen years, doesn’t she deserve to be set free from her affliction? In other words, why should she wait for another day when she could be free right now? Isn’t she worth more than an ox or donkey?  

                When Jesus put it that way, how could you disagree with his assessment? Surely this woman deserved to be set free then and there. So, according to Luke, Jesus’ opponents “were put to shame.” They didn’t have an answer to his response. With that, the crowd, recognizing that what had taken place was a godly act, began to rejoice “at all the wonderful things that he was doing.” Yes, Jesus won the day!

                Rules play an important role in life. They set boundaries and guard rails, letting people know what is permitted and what isn’t. There are, of course, exceptions to our rules. Sometimes they need to be bent or even broken so that good may come forth. The rules regarding the sabbath had a purpose. They delineated a time for worship to honor the Creator who rested from the process of creation. If the Creator needed to take a break, surely we do as well. But the needs of the moment can require that we break the commandment regarding the Sabbath. For Christians, there is an entirely different question, and that has to do with whether the Sabbath is something that Christians need to observe. It should be noted that the Sabbath marked the seventh day of the week, which is Saturday, not Sunday. As to when Sunday came to be viewed as a Sabbath, it’s difficult to pin down.  But, it is good to rest, but sometimes you need to engage in something designated as out of bounds rather than keep the sabbath (if you keep the sabbath, which is not Sunday but Friday sundown to Saturday sundown). Something good can be done any day of the week, including the Sabbath.