What does Luke 13:15 mean?
A woman has been oppressed by a demon which kept her bent over for eighteen years (Luke 13:16). She comes to the synagogue on the Sabbath. Jesus is teaching. But He pauses and calls her forward. He declares her healed and touches her, and immediately her back straightens. The synagogue ruler is indignant. He scolds her as well as others in earshot. He tells them the Sabbath is not the appropriate time to seek healing; it is God's day of rest (Luke 13:10–14).Jesus has a different point of view, mainly that there are few things more fitting for Sabbath rest than for a Jewish woman—a daughter of Abraham—to find healing and freedom from Satanic forces and physical brokenness (Luke 13:16).
Over the centuries, scribes expounded upon the Mosaic law. They held the people in tight check so they would not anger God and compel Him to send the nation to exile again. In Ezekiel 20:21, God mentions several reasons He sent the southern kingdom of Judah into exile in Babylon, including "they profaned my Sabbaths." To avoid this, the scribes tried to figure out what exactly constituted "work" on the Sabbath. They decided on the idea of tasks needed to build the tabernacle. That could include constructing and finishing, as Jesus did to this woman's spine.
Many Jews follow the Oral Law carefully. In the early time of the Maccabees, a thousand Jews were killed in a battle because they would not fight on the Sabbath. Afterward, the priest Mattathias decided it was okay to defend yourself on the Sabbath. Later scribes developed the pikuach nefesh which affirms that life-saving medical treatment can be given on the Sabbath. That includes everything from giving medicine to trapping dangerous animals. After all, how can someone follow God's law if they're dead?
Jesus doesn't lean on the pikuach nefesh, however, because it doesn't go far enough: it doesn't include relief from chronic diseases or non-life-threatening conditions. Instead, He compares the woman to an ox or donkey. Oxen and donkeys can go without fresh water for a day, but good Jews still lead them to what they need. Why should the thirst of an animal be a greater priority than a suffering woman?
Luke uses "Jesus" when he describes His interaction with the woman (Luke 13:12). Here, he uses "Lord," emphasizing Jesus' authority over the Sabbath and the leaders in the synagogue (Luke 6:1–5). This is another example of the people refusing to correctly interpret the signs (Luke 12:54–56). Jesus is the embodiment of the coming of the kingdom of God, but all the religious leaders see is their own power slipping away.
The religious leaders learn half a lesson here. They learn that Jesus will work on the Sabbath if it means healing someone. So, they set him up, inviting Him to dine at the home of a Pharisee, but also inviting a man with dropsy. But they don't learn the other half of the lesson: Jesus will defend His choice to heal and shame their hard hearts (Luke 14:1–6).
