第十三章

10 安息日，耶穌在會堂裏教訓人。 11 有一個女人被鬼附著，病了十八年，腰彎得一點直不起來。 12 耶穌看見，便叫過她來，對她說：「女人，你脫離這病了！」 13 於是用兩隻手按著她；她立刻直起腰來，就歸榮耀與　神。 14 管會堂的因為耶穌在安息日治病，就氣忿忿地對眾人說：「有六日應當做工；那六日之內可以來求醫，在安息日卻不可。」 15 主說：「假冒為善的人哪，難道你們各人在安息日不解開槽上的牛、驢，牽去飲嗎？ 16 況且這女人本是亞伯拉罕的後裔，被撒但捆綁了這十八年，不當在安息日解開她的綁嗎？」 17 耶穌說這話，他的敵人都慚愧了；眾人因他所行一切榮耀的事，就都歡喜了。

默想：

1. 會堂的主管“氣忿忿地”指出耶穌違反安息日的規矩，但卻看不出耶穌是出於他的憐憫心，來醫治這個婦人的；這顯出會堂主管對恩典的認識實在太少，且不認識自己的需要。得醫治的婦女因神的恩典，開口稱讚神；但會堂主管卻因耶穌的善行而發怒指責。耶穌不客氣地指出他的偽善——因為，他們會在安息日搶救、照顧牲畜，卻不願意為一個從撒但捆綁下得釋放的人而歡喜快樂。
2. 法利賽人以他們的熱誠與忠心來謹守宗教信仰的規條，至終卻忽略了“要愛人如己”的責任。我是否也可能利用一些規條的字面意義，而將不關心人的表現合理化？（例如，謹守準時參加崇拜，不願繞路去接人；堅持已行奉獻，拒絕幫助有需要的人？）
3. 我是否也以堅守規矩，作為不行善事的藉口？留心神在我心中的微聲細語。

Luke 13

¹⁰On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹and 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. ¹²When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.  ¹⁴Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”  ¹⁵The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶Then should not 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?”  ¹⁷When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Meditation:

1. The synagogue ruler was indignant because Jesus broke the rule of Sabbath.  Yet he could not see through the law and understand that it is out of compassion that Jesus healed the woman.  This shows how little understood grace was and how little desired.  The woman who experienced grace praised God.  But the synagogue ruler rebuked Jesus for helping her.  Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy that they would easily release an animal in order to care for them, but wouldn’t rejoice for a person released from Satan’s bondage.
2. In their fervour to keep all of their rules and regulations, the Pharisees ended up neglecting to love others.  I can also take the rules literally in order to rationalize my lack of concern for others (ie. insisting on tithing but refusing to help the needy; insisting on attending worship on time but refusing to pick up someone out of the way).
3. Do I make excuses for neglecting to do good?  Pay close attention to God’s whispering in my heart.

Family Time

Vv10-17, What did Jesus do on the Sabbath?  What was the attitude of the synagogue ruler?  What did Jesus’ answer?  Discuss the difference in Jesus’ attitude toward the woman and the ruler’s attitude.  Ask, “What does this teach us about helping people?” “How do people respond to Jesus, why?”