Holy Trinity Church, Westward Ho!

Reflection from Rev Alison Roberts

Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath

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. (NIV)

Reflection

Imagine yourself crippled, that you’ve been bent double for years. That every aspect of your life has been affected; your relationships, your ability to work, you’re having to depend on charity and of course your mental health is a disaster zone, in how you view yourself and how you believe others see you. You are a mess of suffering on so many levels.

Imagine then a chap looking at you, across the synagogue, he calls you over, then prays and lays his hands upon you.

Then imagine yourself being instantly, instantly healed of all bentness, pain and suffering.

Imagine how you’d respond as the synagogue officials’ anger that Jesus shouldn’t have healed you on a Sunday, of all days.

Surely this is some bizarre comedy; complaining about Jesus’ action? No one seems to be taking on board the phenomenal healing that has just taken place, has to unarguably mean that your life has been totally transformed right in front of everyone’s eyes.

Jesus recognises the synagogue official’s hypocrisy and doesn’t hesitate to call them out. He sounds angry or is it frustrated or something else……………

Either way he seems clear that his action in response to suffering, tops any crazy Sunday rules.

What a man…..

To put suffering of others before anything else……

Before himself……

Wouldn’t you want to follow such a man?

Dare you risk following this man?

Prayer…………………

There are times in life

when we are called to be bridges,

not a great monument spanning a distance

and carrying loads of heavy traffic,

but a simple bridge to help one person from here to there over

some difficulty

such as pain, grief, fear, loneliness,

a bridge which opens the way

for ongoing journey.

When I become a bridge for another,

I bring upon myself a blessing.

for I escape from the small prison of self

and exist for a wider world,

breaking out to be a larger being

who can enter another’s pain

and rejoice in another’s triumph.

I know of only one greater blessing

in this life, and that is,

to allow someone else

to be a bridge for me. Amen

(The Bridge by Joy Cowley)

Holy Trinity Church, Westward Ho!

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