Description
The story of the woman bent double speaks of a woman who had spent eighteen years of her life literally bent double by the weight of the ‘spirit’ that ailed her. While we have no idea what her particular ailment was, we do know that women in situations like this would have been shunned from religious and community life. Even if we do not know what caused her suffering, we can imagine what her life must have been like as she struggled with her crippling ailment.
As she receives Jesus’ touch, the woman is able to stand up straight and she begins to praise God. What an amazing sign of Jesus’ healing power!
Yet even as this happens the Pharisees who are watching become angry. Instead of seeing the extraordinary change that has happened in the woman’s life, they are more concerned that Jesus has broken the religious law by healing the woman on the Sabbath. They criticise Jesus telling him that: “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.”
Jesus’ response to the Pharisees is quite an angry one as he calls them hypocrites. They break the law every time they untie their oxen or give their animals a drink on the Sabbath. Can they not see that this woman who has suffered for 18 years has suffered enough?
In the response of the Pharisees and the crowds to Jesus’ words we see the divided response to his ministry. The “entire crowd were rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.” But his opponents were put to shame, no doubt increasing their anger towards him.
