29 October 2018
Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
“When Jesus saw her, he called to her…”
The woman, crippled by a demonic spirit, listened and with the same courage Bartimaeus displayed, went to Jesus. He lay His hands on her, and she was set free. Yet those around her, who considered themselves to be upright and free, were “indignant” not because Jesus healed a crippled woman but because He did so on the day of rest. She was oppressed, bowed down and twisted in her flesh by a demon; the leader of the synagogue was twisted of heart.
And so Jesus realizes there are two people in need of healing on the Sabbath: the woman crippled in her flesh, and the leader crippled in soul. Remarkably, the same medicine is required: humility. The woman is already humble: for eighteen years she endured her condition, and yet she continued coming to the synagogue, continued coming to God for comfort and help. When the day came, she saw the Lord and heard His call, and she found freedom. At least freed from her affliction she could, truly, enjoy the Sabbath rest. Yet the ruler of the synagogue, in his pride, has nothing but unrest: rather than marvel at the miracle that took place before him, he sees only a violation of the Law. Pride: the root of all sin, the sin of Satan and his fallen angels. Pride bound this man’s heart, crippling it such that it had no mercy, no compassion, and no humility. So Jesus loosens that demonic chain around the leader’s heart with the truth.
“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 have been set free on the Sabbath day from this bondage?”
Scripture tells us that “…all his adversaries were humiliated…” They were reduced from being proud and upright to being humbled, bowed over in shame. But this was the result of Truth, not demonic oppression: in this humiliation they are freer now than they were before, when they believed themselves to be righteous and living in the freedom of the Law. How wrong they were! The crippled woman came to Jesus when He called; the adversaries of the Lord could not come to Him until He cured their deafening pride.
And so we ask ourselves: what keeps us from coming to Jesus when He calls, even if the way to Him is difficult? Yesterday a blind man saw Him with great clarity; today a crippled woman went to Him in spite of her condition. Both received not only healing, but a new freedom in Christ: Christ desires the same for each of us. Are we humble enough to approach Him, to allow the Truth to shine a light into the recesses of our heart, to allow Him to lay hands on us and break our chains of pride?