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| Archbishop Averky (Tauchev) Explanation of the four Gospels IntraText CT - Text |
(Luke 13:10-17)
During His stay in Galilee, while teaching in the synagogue, the Lord performed a miracle by curing a woman that was deformed for eighteen years and could not straighten up. The head of the synagogue became indignant, because the healing took place on a Saturday, which according to the law prohibited any type of activity. Turning to the people, he expressed this indignation aloud. For this, the Lord called him a hypocrite (as He usually called the Pharisees), indicating that his indignation was aroused not by an imaginary violation of the Sabbath, but through plain jealousy of the Lord-Healer. With this, the Lord explained that the performance of good deeds are not prohibited on the Sabbath, if it is permitted to attend to essential earthly matters e.g. care for farm animals. “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound — think of it — for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” i.e. it is precisely on the Sabbath that it is timely to create benefactions to those in need. “Daughter of Abraham,” i.e. the cured woman was a native Judean, and the head of the synagogue, on whom rested the responsibility of caring for his flock, should have been happy for Christ Savior’s benefaction. Yet he is indignant.
The words “Satan has bound,” have differing interpretations: some surmise that the woman’s sickness is a result of the workings of an evil spirit, permitted by the Lord to deform her body, just like he allowed, for example, righteous Job to be afflicted with leprosy: others construed that the woman’s illness was the result of her iniquitous life. Saint Gregory **Dvoyeslov considers that the fruitless fig tree the deformed woman — are two examples of one and the same essential corruptness of the human race. After hearing the Lord, those opposed to Him became ashamed, because they, of course, could not deny the fairness of His words. The rest of the people — the common people — rejoiced for all the glorious things that were performed by Him.