DAUGHTER OF ABRAHAM

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Opening Prayer

Lord, You are my rock and fortress. All I am and hope to be is in Your hand.

Read LUKE 13:10–17

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

Meditate

“When Jesus the Word spoke, his words were filled with grace and truth; they were sincere and important. It was words the world was waiting to hear” (John Killinger).

Think Further

It is remarkable, and somehow fitting, that the only time a woman is specifically called a “daughter of Abraham” in the whole of the Scriptures is on the lips of Jesus (16). This statement is the culmination of his act of healing in the synagogue service, in which he identifies the woman, calls her forward, speaks to her, touches her and heals her. He doesn’t stop there. Jesus not only defends what he has done for the woman but, more importantly, he elevates who the woman is. Even though she has been bound by Satan, she is still a person of worth. Even though she has been banished to the margins of society, she is still welcomed, and, even though she stands alone, she is wanted by God. The essence of the kingdom of God was seen both in Jesus’ healing of the woman and in his words about her!

The synagogue was divided that day. The opponents of Jesus were humiliated by what he had said, whereas the people were delighted with the things “he was doing” (17). His behavior demonstrated the grace and inclusion of the kingdom of God, but his words carried truth that cut to the heart of misinterpretation and intolerance. His behavior was attractive, but his words were potentially divisive.

John tells us that Jesus came in “grace and truth” (John 1:14,17) and this represents the paradox at the heart of the kingdom of God and the Gospel. Grace throws the doors open to every person and proclaims “the kingdom is for you,” yet truth brings restriction through the demands and expectations of the kingdom. Grace includes, while truth, if not embraced, can often exclude. Somehow Jesus reconciled that tension, both within himself and in the way he ministered to his world.

Apply

Which best describes you: filled with grace or truth? How can you combine these characteristics more effectively?

Closing prayer

Father, I pray that my words will be filled with grace and truth. I also pray that my life will be filled with grace and truth.

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