Scripture: Luke 13:10-17 (NRSV) – “Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.  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.  When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’  When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 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.  But the Lord answered him and said, ‘You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?  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?’  When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things he was doing.”

Message: In Chapter 13 of his gospel, the writer we know as Luke brings the issue of fruitfulness towards God into sharp focus.  Following on from the parable of the unproductive fig tree (Luke 13:6-9) (the sweet fruit of the fig tree being a symbol of knowledge of God), Luke contrasts the lack of fruitfulness in the synagogue leader (and by implication the Judaism of the time) with the fruitfulness of Jesus.

It is a story that should give all of us pause for thought.  Doctrine, customs, practices and the prevailing social forces sweeping around us can, over time, dull our spiritual senses – both as individuals and collectively as institutional churches within Christianity.  We cannot hope to help those who are crippled by the many injustices of our time if we continue to cripple ourselves by making pious excuses for not acting as Christ would.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,
Grant us this Lent
The humility to be honest about the things that bind us.
Give us courage to break those bonds,
So that we may stand as resurrected people
Following more closely in your footsteps
Of fruitfulness and grace.
Amen.

Mike Evans
Midsomer Norton Methodist Church
Midsomer Norton, United Kingdom

Revised:  February 18, 2025