What would it be like to be the woman whom Jesus heals in today's passage? I imagined it thinking of the emotional roller coaster she must have went through that day.
The first think you need to know is that simply moving a handicapped person is a significant undertaking. Today with wheelchairs, special vans, etc, it can still add 20 to 30 minutes to a simple trip. Back then it must have been much more difficult. So her first emotion would have to be indecision - should I go to see Jesus or not?
Then there's the frustration while she calls friends and tries to find help to get her to the synagogue, followed by pain and discomfort as she is transported.
Once she's at the synagogue, she maybe experiences some peace as she quiets herself while others arrive. I'm sure she's excited as Jesus enters, followed by enlightenment as He's teaching and she's directly hearing Jesus' teachings.
But then Jesus calls her forward. That might have been frightening. She was certainly awestruck as Jesus touched her and said "Woman you are set free from your infirmity." And of course, she was thankful... extremely thankful as she realized she was healed.
But...
But then the synagogue ruler comes forward and reprimands Jesus for healing on the sabbath! That must have set both her fear and her anger on edge! She must have thought to herself "How can he say come back another day? Does he know what I went through just to get here?"
And then Jesus answers... and makes it perfectly clear what God intends the sabbath to be... humiliating the leaders and delighting the people with the wonderful things He was doing.
What do you think she felt then?
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