Gospel of Luke 13:10-17 recounts healing of infirm woman

The Gospel of Luke (13:10-17) describes Jesus teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath when he encounters a woman who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. Jesus calls her forward, tells her she is freed from her infirmity, and lays hands on her, causing her to stand upright and praise God.

The healing sparks a confrontation with the synagogue leader, who expresses indignation that Jesus performed a healing on the Sabbath. The leader suggests that people should seek healing during the six other days of the week. Jesus responds by calling the leaders hypocrites, noting that they untie their oxen or donkeys to lead them to water on the Sabbath, and argues that this daughter of Abraham should be released from her bond on the same day.

Commentaries on the passage emphasize the tension between rigid religious legalism and the practice of mercy and compassion. The event is presented as a demonstration of Jesus's mission to restore human dignity and provide spiritual and physical liberation.