10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.11And 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.12When Jesus saw her, he called her over
and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’13When he laid his hands on her,
immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.14But 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.’15But 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 away to give it water?16And 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?’17When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
Context
135 See Darrel W. Amundsen & Gary B. Ferngren, ‘Virtue and Medicine from Early Christianity through
the Sixteenth Century’ in Earl Shelp (ed), Virtue and Medicine: Explorations in the Character of Medicine, (Dordrecht/Boston/ Lancaster: D. Reidel Publishing, 1985), 49-59.
Jesus is on his journey to Jerusalem, and this miracle story, found only in Luke, stands out in the midst of the teaching discourses of Jesus. The last healing story reported by Luke was the exorcism of the mute demoniac, a one-verse account that introduces the controversy about the source and significance of Jesus’ power to drive out demons (11:14-23). On that occasion, the analogy is used in which Satan is the strong man guarding his castle and Jesus is the stronger one, who by “the finger of God” defeats Satan and rescues those enslaved by him.136 In this story, the woman is said to be
crippled “by a spirit” which suggests that Jesus’ healing intervention is part of the cosmic battle against the forces of evil that cripple and diminish human persons that Luke
describes in 11:21-22, and 10:18.137 This episode also comes immediately after the
parable of the barren fig tree, which is part of Jesus’ discourse on the need for repentance and timely reform (11:1-12). With the exchange following the cure, the episode
identifies the leader of the synagogue and other opponents of Jesus as prime examples of those in need of reform.138
Details of the Healing Account
The cure takes place within a synagogue, where Jesus is teaching on a Sabbath. This teaching sets the context for what comes after the cure between Jesus and the antagonist,
136 Luke’s use of the “finger of God” (cf. Matthew “power of God”) is a deliberate allusion to the prophetic
power of Moses (cf. Exod 8:19). Johnson, Luke, 183.
137 This story however does not fit the usual pattern of an exorcism story in Luke: there is no word of
confrontation or protest by the unclean spirit, no direct command by Jesus to drive out the unclean spirit, no sign of struggle as the spirit is driven out (cf. 4:31-37; 8:26-39; 9:37-43). Note Luke’s summary verses 4:40-41, which highlight the combative nature of Jesus’ work of exorcism (cf. Mk 1:32-34). Graham Twelftree argues that “for Luke, all sickness has a demonic dimension (is evil), even though it may not be caused by demons” therefore, “in all healing God’s adversary is being subdued.” Twelftree, In the Name of
Jesus, 133-134. For that reason, Twelftree classes this story as a healing miracle rather than an exorcism. Jesus the Miracle Worker, 296-297.
who in this case is the leader of the synagogue. Luke depicts Jesus once again using his
power (cf. 4:14, 36; 5:17) to cure a woman long afflicted with a physical evil.139 Luke
stresses the details of the woman’s disability, describing her being “bent over” and “unable to stand up straight.” In contrast with the last healing scene, the woman neither approaches Jesus nor petitions for a cure. This provides further clues to the state of her diminishment and loss of agency. It is Jesus who calls her over and cures her by his words, and by laying his hands on her. Luke reports an immediate cure. The woman stands up straight and begins praising God, which signifies the restoration of the woman to her dignity, the renewal of her relationship with God, and the return of her status as a member of the worshiping community.
Bovon notes that Luke uses “the devil” (ὁ διάβολος) seven times (especially in 4:1-13), and “Satan” (ὁ Σατανᾶς) five times in the Gospel (10:18; 11:18; 13:16; 22:3, 31).140 The two terms are equivalent, and Luke uses them most often in reference to the temptations of Jesus (4:1-13), the evil at work in Judas (22:3) and the “sifting” of the disciples (22:31). However, Luke also presents the devil as the causative agent of many human afflictions and sufferings, as this current account illustrates. The time of Jesus is the period of liberation when the Messiah by the “finger of God” is conquering the devil, stripping his armor, and reclaiming human lives that have fallen into his possession (11:17-22).141 Yet the victory is not final until the Parousia, and individual persons must
139 Ibid.
140 Bovon, Luke 1, 141-2. In Bovon’s view, Luke has no developed demonology, and though he is aware of
the “supernatural forces that imprison humanity,” he knows far more about the liberating power at work in Jesus.
141 Johnson, Luke, 183. Twelftree points out that Luke’s deliberate reference to “the finger of God” which
mirrors Exodus 3:20, 7:4-5, 8:19 and 15:6-18 is to draw a parallel between the miracles of Moses by which God released Israel from bondage and the miracles of Jesus, by which God released people from the
turn from the power of Satan to the Reign of God (Acts 26:18).
The reaction of the leader of the synagogue illustrates the contrast between Jesus’ acceptance of the woman and the dismissive attitude displayed by Jesus’ adversaries toward the afflicted woman. The synagogue leader’s intervention – venting his
discontent on the crowd – and the way Jesus responds suggest that the afflicted woman is not a person of status and power, but a lowly person to whom the Lord God is showing mercy. The objection of the synagogue leader demonstrates his failure to see the “finger of God” at work in the cure of the woman which signals the arrival of God’s Kingdom (11:20). The objection to this saving act provides a window into the social burdens that have weighed down upon this woman and crippled her. Earlier, Jesus has denounced the lawyers for loading people with burdens hard to bear (11:46). Here, Luke’s Jesus comes to the defense of this powerless woman by stressing that the welfare of a human being ought to take precedence over the Sabbath obligations (6:1-11).142 On this occasion Jesus interprets his healing act as a release of an afflicted person from the bonds of Satan. His argument is an example of a minori ad maius reasoning, arguing from the lighter matter to the more grave.143 If it is permissible to loose the tether of a domestic animal and lead
it to water on the Sabbath, then it is also permissible to loose the bonds of this long suffering woman and restore her to health. Jesus’ reference to her as “a daughter of Abraham” places her firmly within God’s plan of salvation in fulfillment of the promises
bondage of Satan. Twelftree also carefully examines the question of the historicity of the exorcism stories from Christian and non-Christian sources and argues that exorcism was very likely a part of the ministry of the historical Jesus. Jesus the Miracle Worker, 177-178, 281-292
142 Fitzmyer, Luke X-XXIV, 1011. 143 Ibid, 1011-1012.
made to Abraham and his descendants (1:54-55).144 In his depiction of Jesus’ ministry, Luke frequently highlights the dignity – perhaps the term inalienable dignity is apt here – of marginalized and afflicted persons who are despised by society. The parable of the Lost Son (15:11-32) presents the social outcast as God’s lost children, and God as the father who looks at them from afar with compassion and rejoices on their return. In 16:19-31, the poor man Lazarus is taken to Abraham after his death where he receives the consolation that he deserves but never received in this life. In 19:9, Jesus refers to
Zacchaeus as a “son of Abraham,” stripping away the label and social stigma associated with his occupation, and locating him firmly in the realm of God’s mercy. This emphasis on the dignity of persons is characteristic of Luke’s depiction of Jesus’ healings, and Jesus’ outreach to such persons often challenges the flawed perceptions and attitudes frequently found within the community.
Significance for Medical Ethics
The healing of this afflicted woman is a concrete example of God lifting up the lowly (cf. Mary’s Magnificat 1:46-55), the release of captives from bondage, liberation of the oppressed, and the proclamation of God’s acceptance in Jesus’ healing ministry (4:18- 19). Jesus’ healing act reveals his mercy toward the woman whom he recognizes as a “daughter of Abraham,” thus an heir of God’s promise of mercy which is being fulfilled in his person and ministry. The saving intervention begins with Jesus seeing the woman, which Luke often associates with compassion (ἐσπλαγχνίσθη): Jesus’ reaction on seeing the widow of Nain (7:13); the Samaritan on seeing the wounded man (10:33); and the father on seeing the lost son (15:20). Jesus extends hospitality to the woman, restoring
her to health and to participation in community life, in contrast to the synagogue leader who remains inhospitable to her. This story fits the triangular pattern in Luke, as Byrne identifies, in which Jesus shows the hospitality of God to a lowly or marginalized person who responds to him, and the onlookers who mutter and murmur in discontent.145 As
Byrne points out, the lowly persons and those labeled “public sinners” are often the ones who find God’s favor because they are most receptive to it, while the disgruntled
onlookers are the ones in need of conversion, for they often resist the restoration of estranged members into the community of God’s People.146 The objection of Jesus’ opponents shows their resistance to the liberating work of God: the restoration and gathering of God’s children that is taking place right in their sight.
This story particularly illustrates the liberating nature of Jesus’ healing acts.147 Luke’s depiction of the woman, who is bent over and unable to stand up straight, is emblematic of many persons, especially women, who are weighed down by social
structures that diminish persons and take away their agency. Jesus’ intervention liberates the human person from things that hinder personal integrity and health, relationship and participation in community life. His saving acts – both the physical cure and his defense of her against criticism – highlight a particular aspect of healing and health: freedom. This healing account links the theme of liberation in Jesus’ inaugural address with his
145 Byrne, The Hospitality of God.
146 In the controversy about Jesus and Beelzebul (11:14-23), Jesus warns, “whoever does not gather with
me scatters” (11:23), highlighting the battle in which Jesus engages, and one has to take sides either with him or with Satan. The verses on the wandering spirit (11:24-26) also emphasize the need for those who have been liberated from the bondage of Satan to be gathered and protected within the community of the Renewed People of God (cf. Acts 26:18). Johnson, 180-184; Fitzmyer, 916-925; Twelftree, In the Name of
Jesus, 96-98.
147 For Tannehill, “release” is a broad category which includes (1) release for the economically poor, (2)
release through healing and exorcism (4:31-5:16); (3) “release” of sins (αφεση αμαρτιων). The Unity of
healing ministry. It presents physical affliction as a form of bondage from which persons ought to be released, so as to live with freedom and the dignity of God’s children. Jesus’ intervention exposes the injustice within human structures, and the way social
perceptions and customs can contribute to the bondage and dehumanization of persons. Again, we are called to identify the various forms of bondage that affect persons of our time. Among them are the various forms of addictions that diminish persons and destroy family relationships: drugs and gambling are among the most serious and destructive. Christian health practitioners are also confronted with the problem of
poverty that causes ill health, and the increased risks of contracting HIV among the poor, especially poor women, across the globe. From their work with HIV/AIDS sufferers in Haiti, Paul Farmer M. D. and David Walton assert that “the promotion of social and economic rights for the poor … is the key missing ingredient in the struggle against a pathogen that makes its own preferential option for the poor.”148 They recount unsettling stories of women who, out of economic necessity, enter into risky relationships and then end up with young children and AIDS. Most disturbing among the modern forms of bondage is the trafficking of women and children from poor countries for prostitution purposes.149 Luke’s account of Jesus’ healing of the woman with a bent back is a
powerful witness to Jesus’ solidarity with the downtrodden, and the Christian mandate to
148 Paul Farmer and David Walton, “Revealing and Critiquing Inequities: Condoms, Coups, and the
Ideology of Prevention: Facing Failure in Rural Haiti” in James Keenan (ed), Catholic Ethicists on
HIV/AIDS Prevention, (New York/London: Continuum, 2005), 109.
149 See for instance, Ostrovschi, Nicolae V. ; Prince, Martin J. ; Zimmerman, Cathy ; Hotineanu, Mihai A. ;
Gorceag, Lilia T. ; Gorceag, Viorel I. ; Flach, Clare ; Abas, Melanie A. “Women in Post-Trafficking Services in Moldova: Diagnostic Interviews Over Two Time Periods To Assess Returning Women's Mental Health,” BMC Public Health, April 14, 2011, Vol.11, 232-243; Zimmerman, Cathy ; Hossain, Mazeda ; Watts, Charlotte “Human Trafficking and Health: A Conceptual Model to Inform Policy, Intervention and Research” Social Science & Medicine, 2011, Vol.73(2), 327-335.
liberate human persons from forces that enslave and diminish them. The imitation of Christ requires the recognition of the dignity of the poor and afflicted persons and to find practical ways to restore them to the state of living worthy of their true dignity.
2.5.3. Cure of the Blind Man of Jericho – Luke 18:35-43 (Mk 10:46-52/ Mt 20:29-