36 · Words and actions of Jesus

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

Luke 13:10–17

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Jesus lays his hands on an adult woman who has long been bent over and is now beginning to stand upright in a synagogue.

Jesus sees a woman who has been bent over and unable to straighten herself for eighteen years.

Does healing break the Sabbath?

Choose a perspective

There is no score – choose the perspective you find closest and discuss why.

Discuss: When does a good rule begin to prevent what is good?

After your discussion: compare with our assessment

Our assessment

A follows Jesus' argument. He does not say that the Sabbath is meaningless. Instead, he argues that the woman's release belongs on the Sabbath. C captures Jesus' concrete comparison. If people untie an ox or donkey to give it water on the Sabbath, how much more should this “daughter of Abraham” be released from an eighteen-year bondage?

36 · Luke 13:10–17

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Text & context

Full translation

10 He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 There was a woman who had had a spirit of weakness for eighteen years. She was completely bent over and unable to straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said, “Woman, you are released from your weakness.” 13 He laid his hands on her, and immediately she stood upright and glorified God. 14 But the synagogue ruler became indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath and said to the crowd, “There are six days on which work should be done. Come and be healed on those days, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 The Lord answered him, “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? 16 But this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years – should she not be released from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” 17 When he said these things, all his opponents were put to shame, while the whole crowd rejoiced at all the glorious things being done by him.

Translated from the Greek text – SBLGNT

What is happening here?
Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman is there who has been bent over and unable to straighten herself for eighteen years. The woman does not explicitly ask for help. Jesus sees her, calls her forward, tells her that she is released from her weakness, and lays his hands on her. She immediately stands upright and glorifies God. The synagogue ruler objects because the healing occurs on the Sabbath and appeals to the six working days. Jesus responds by comparing the woman's release with the ordinary act of untying an animal to give it water even on the Sabbath. The story is therefore built around the question of what the Sabbath means when a person who has been bound for eighteen years can be released.
Notice this

The story is filled with the language of binding and releasing. The woman has been bound for eighteen years. Jesus says that people on the Sabbath untie their animals to give them water. Then he asks: “Should she not be released?” The conflict is therefore not merely rule versus miracle, but what the Sabbath should mean for a person who is bound. Also notice that the woman never explicitly asks Jesus to heal her. Jesus sees her. He calls her forward. He releases her.

Language & translation

From the Greek

πνεῦμα ἔχουσα ἀσθενείας – pneuma echousa astheneias

having a spirit of weakness Luke uses language connecting the woman's condition with a “spirit of weakness.” Jesus later says that Satan has bound her.

συγκύπτουσα – synkyptousa

bent over Describes being bent or stooped forward.

ἀπολέλυσαι τῆς ἀσθενείας σου – apolelysai tēs astheneias sou

you are released from your weakness The verb comes from apolyō, to release, set free, or dismiss.

λύει – lyei

unties / releases Jesus uses lyō for untying the ox or donkey from the manger.

ἔδησεν – edēsen

bound From deō, to bind. Jesus describes the woman as having been bound by Satan.

οὐκ ἔδει λυθῆναι – ouk edei lythēnai

should she not be released? Again lyō is used. The contrast between being bound and being released is central to Jesus' argument.

θυγατέρα Ἀβραὰμ – thygatera Abraam

daughter of Abraham Jesus identifies the woman not merely by her condition but as “a daughter of Abraham.”

ὑποκριταί – hypokritai

hypocrites The plural shows that Jesus' rebuke extends beyond the synagogue ruler alone.

Translation note

Independent English translation from the Greek text, using SBLGNT as the primary Greek edition.

Compare for yourself

Read Luke 13:10–17 alongside other Sabbath controversies, such as Luke 6:1–11 and Luke 14:1–6. Pay particular attention to:

  • apolyō
  • lyō
  • deō
  • “daughter of Abraham”
  • eighteen years
  • the animal being untied to receive water
  • the woman being released from bondage

Also compare how Luke describes illness and release in different passages without automatically making every story identical.

Continue the conversation

Discuss further
  1. Why do you think Jesus takes the initiative when the woman does not explicitly ask for help?
  2. What does the phrase “daughter of Abraham” add to Jesus' argument?
  3. How does the comparison between untying an animal and releasing the woman work?
  4. How can someone distinguish between taking a religious rule seriously and applying it in a way that undermines its purpose?
Parallel passages
  • Luke 6:1–11
  • Luke 14:1–6
  • Mark 2:23–3:6
Sources
  • The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition (SBLGNT), Michael W. Holmes, ed.
  • Luke 13:10–17
  • Standard Greek lexical resources for astheneia, synkyptō, apolyō, lyō, deō, thygatēr, and hypokritēs