JESUS was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, He called to her and said, "Woman, you are set free of your infirmity." He laid His hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, "There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the Sabbath day." The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the Sabbath day from this bondage?" When He said this, all His adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by Him.
The WORD
For Biblical writers, Abraham has more than historical status. His character has multiple dimensions that can show various spiritual themes. The most frequent image for Abraham is that of the ancestor to whom God gives promises and with whom God makes a covenant. Abraham is the progenitor of the Israelites. This paternity is not merely biological but has spiritual dimensions: It connects the Israelites with God’s covenant promises to Abraham.
To be a child of Abraham is to enjoy a special status before God. This is a privilege given to Israel, in contrast with other peoples. But it carries with it a responsibility, and in Jesus’ time, it is understood to mean faithfulness to the Law. The Pharisees believe that those who do not know and observe the Law may be biologically descended from Abraham but they are not his true children. John the Baptist, on the other hand, preaches that unless the Jews produce the good fruit of repentance, their boast of being Abraham’s children won’t redound to anything (Lk 3:8).
Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, is certainly not a son of Abraham in the eyes of the religious leaders. But because of his repentance which is attested by his determination to amend his former ways, Jesus calls him a "son of Abraham" (Lk 19:9). In today’s gospel the same epithet is accorded to a crippled woman; Jesus calls her a "daughter of Abraham." The synagogue leader is indignant that Jesus cures her and thus violates the Sabbath rest. He is more interested in the Law than in the state of the woman. She may only be a "woman," and may be sick, but for Jesus she enjoys the privilege of being a descendant of Abraham, and should therefore be released from the bondage of Satan any time – even on a Sabbath.
SOURCE:
"365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph. 
