The Complete Sayings of Jesus

Sabbath Cure of Crippled Woman: Hypocrites Shamed — Parables and Precepts: The Mustard Seed, Leaven.

A.D. 29. Age 32 Perea.

Luke 13, 10-21.

JESUS was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. Jesus saw her, and said unto her, Woman, thou are loosed from thine infirmity. He laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight. The ruler of the synagogue, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, said with indignation unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day. The Lord answered, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, who Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? His adversaries were ashamed: and the people rejoiced for the glorious things that were done by him. Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.¹ And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Footnotes:

¹This parable, and the one following, may with interest be compared with the similar ones from Matthew (13, 31-33) at the beginning of Part 29 in this book.