{"id":66153,"date":"2024-01-26T17:22:52","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T23:22:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?page_id=66153"},"modified":"2025-11-08T09:47:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T15:47:50","slug":"healing-of-the-crippled-woman-and-other-teachings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/healing-of-the-crippled-woman-and-other-teachings\/","title":{"rendered":"Healing of the Crippled Woman and Other Teachings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

Healing of the Crippled Woman and Other Teachings<\/h1>\n

Reading Assignment:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Luke 13:1-22<\/td>\n <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Did you understand what you read?<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. When did some talk to Jesus about what Pilate did to some Galileans?<\/li>\n
  2. Whom did people blame for this disaster? Why would people do such a thing?<\/li>\n
  3. What other disaster recently happened? What wasn’t the reason for the event, according to Jesus?<\/li>\n
  4. What should people understand regarding their own lives?<\/li>\n
  5. What is the point being taught in the parable of the barren fig tree?<\/li>\n
  6. When did Jesus come across the crippled woman?<\/li>\n
  7. Did she ask to be healed? Did she know what Jesus was planning to do?<\/li>\n
  8. Why was the synagogue official upset?<\/li>\n
  9. What was wrong with the official’s reasoning?<\/li>\n
  10. What was the result of what Jesus said?<\/li>\n
  11. How is the church like a mustard seed?<\/li>\n
  12. How is the church like leavening?<\/li>\n
  13. Where was Jesus heading?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t

    Healing of the Crippled Woman and Other Teachings<\/h1>\n

    Commentary on Disasters\u00a0(Luke 13:1-5)<\/h2>\n

    During the time Jesus was teaching the disciples in front of a great multitude, as discussed in the previous chapter, some people told Jesus about a recent event: Pilate had killed some Galileans, mingling their blood with the sacrifices. The topic may have arisen because Jesus had scolded the people for not paying attention to the signs of the times.<\/p>\n

    The event reported to Jesus is one that historians have not been able to verify until this time. However, it does fit what we know of the character of Pilate. When Pilate first took office, Josephus reported that he decided to move his headquarters from Caesarea to Jerusalem. He had the Roman standards brought into Jerusalem and set up an office in the corner of the Temple area. This upset the Jews so much that Pilate had to move back to Caesarea [Josephus, Antiquities\u00a0<\/i>18.3.1-2;\u00a0Wars\u00a0<\/i>2.9.2-4]. At another time, wanting to display the image of Caesar, Pilate sent soldiers under the cover of night to hang their ensigns, which included the image of Caesar, in the Temple. For five days, he kept the images under guard, but then finally gave in when he realized the Jews were willing to die to have the images removed [Josephus, Wars\u00a0<\/i>2.169-174,\u00a0Antiquities\u00a0<\/i>18.55-59].<\/p>\n

    On another occasion, when he sought to build an aqueduct to supply water to Jerusalem, he used the Temple’s funds to finance the project. A riot broke out, so Pilate had his soldiers dress as the people and mingle with them. At his order, they began beating the rioters until order was restored [Josephus, Wars\u00a0<\/i>2.175-177,\u00a0Antiquities\u00a0<\/i>18.60-62]. On yet another occasion, he attempted to hang shields in the Temple, which met with similar protest, and the emperor, Tiberius, had to order him to remove the shields. What we see is a man who failed to consider the beliefs of the people he ruled. That he had some Galileans killed in the Temple doesn’t sound out of character.<\/p>\n

    What is interesting is that the people placed more blame on the Galileans than on Pilate. From Jesus’ response, we gather that people thought that they had done something wrong to bring this terrible fate down upon them. But Jesus asked if they were really worse than all other Galileans. His answer was, “No.” But if these people did not repent of their own sins, they would also die.<\/p>\n

    Jesus points to another recent event. A tower in Siloam, believed to be a suburb of Jerusalem on the south side, fell and killed eighteen people. Jesus asks if these people were worse sinners than anyone else in Jerusalem. Again, his answer is “no.” But because of the sinners in Jerusalem, they would all die if they did not repent.<\/p>\n

    The point is, people tend to think that bad things happen to bad people and good things happen to good people. If something bad happens, then the assumption is that the person involved must have done something bad. You would think that the accusations of Job’s friends would have dispelled this idea, but it persists nonetheless. One reason is that God will at times visit disaster on evil people. And Jesus warns the people that, as a whole, they are heading for disaster if they do not change.<\/p>\n

    Parable of the Barren Fig Tree\u00a0(Luke 13:6-9)<\/h2>\n

    To illustrate his point, Jesus told a parable about a fig tree planted in a vineyard for three years that bore no fruit. He ordered it cut down, but his gardener convinced him to wait one more year while he cultivated it and fertilized it. If it did not produce fruit the next year, it would be cut down as ordered.<\/p>\n

    Israel was the barren fig tree. God had cared for the nation, but it had not benefited God in any way. So extra attention was given to it in the teachings of John, Jesus, and later the apostles, to see if the people would bear fruit for God. But if the nation did not respond, it would be destroyed.<\/p>\n

    Healing of the Crippled Woman\u00a0(Luke 13:10-17)<\/h2>\n

    On one Sabbath, as Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a crippled woman. A spirit within her had caused her, for eighteen years, to bend over double so that she could not straighten up. The length of time she had suffered shows that this wasn’t something staged. Jesus calls her to him and then tells her she is freed from her illness while laying his hands on her. She did not ask for healing from Jesus, and Jesus did not ask for a demonstration of faith in him.<\/p>\n

    Immediately, she straightens up and gives glory to God for her healing. Such could not happen with an ordinary cure, as there would need to be time for recovery.<\/p>\n

    The ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus did this on the Sabbath day. As we have seen before, the Jews had come to believe that absolutely no work was to be done on the Sabbath. Perhaps he reasoned that, as a prophet, Jesus couldn’t work on the Sabbath day.<\/p>\n

    But Jesus gives him a well-deserved tongue-lashing. Calling him a hypocrite (or pretender or actor), he points out that any of those present would untie one of their animals on the Sabbath day so they could drink. This woman was bound by Satan for eighteen years and was released on a Sabbath day. This is God’s day for worship under the Law of Moses. What better way to glorify God than to see God’s enemy defeated and a woman of Israel freed on a day commemorating Israel’s freedom from slavery (Deuteronomy 5:14-15)?<\/p>\n

    Saying this humiliated all of Jesus’ opponents present, while the rest of the multitude rejoiced over the miracle.<\/p>\n

    Parables on the Kingdom\u00a0(Luke 13:18-21)<\/h2>\n

    Miracles were not done simply for the sake of bringing glory to the miracle worker. Now that Jesus had everyone’s attention, he seized the opportunity to teach two fundamental truths about the kingdom of God, also known as the church. These are two of the parables Jesus taught earlier in Galilee concerning the kingdom. (See the lesson on “Parables of the Kingdom” and Matthew 13:31-33 and Mark 4:30-32).<\/p>\n

    The church, like a mustard seed, will start small but grow rapidly. Jesus’ point is that you cannot determine the results by looking at the beginning. Like leaven, the church is again shown to grow, but the way it grows is not easily seen – only the result. Because the church is spread by individual Christians teaching others, it spreads rapidly in a hidden fashion from person to person.<\/p>\n

    Concluding the Tour of Judea\u00a0(Luke 13:22)<\/h2>\n

    Jesus begins to head toward Jerusalem as he finishes his tour of Judea. Combining this with John’s account, we realize that it is nearly time for the Feast of Dedication. He does not head straight to Jerusalem but winds from village to village on a journey that takes him in that direction.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrior Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Gospel Accounts\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext Lesson\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Healing of the Crippled Woman and Other Teachings Reading Assignment: Luke 13:1-22   Did you understand what you read? When did some talk to Jesus about what Pilate did to some Galileans? Whom did people blame for this disaster? Why would people do such a thing? What other disaster recently happened? What wasn’t the reason…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":10690,"menu_order":101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-66153","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10690,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/","url_meta":{"origin":66153,"position":0},"title":"The Gospel Accounts: A Chronological Harmony","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 27, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Gospel Accounts A Chronological Harmony by Jeffrey W. Hamilton, 2009 \u00a0 Index by Verses Discussed Table of Content The Four Gospel Accounts The Announcements of John and Jesus' Births Jesus' Birth and Childhood John's Ministry Jesus' Baptism and His Temptations The First Year of Teaching The Beginning of Jesus'\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/scan0078.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/scan0078.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/scan0078.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32512,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/jairus-daughter-and-other-healings\/","url_meta":{"origin":66153,"position":1},"title":"Jairus’ Daughter and Other Healings","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Jairus' Daughter and Other Healings Reading Assignment: Matthew 9:18-34 Mark 5:21-43 Luke 8:40-56 Did you understand what you read? Who was Jairus and what was he needing from Jesus? As Jesus went to Jairus' house, who touched him? How long had she been ill? Why was Jesus' question about who\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23151,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/a-study-of-john\/the-healing-of-the-noblemans-son\/","url_meta":{"origin":66153,"position":2},"title":"The Healing of the Nobleman\u2019s Son","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Healing of the Nobleman's Son Text: John 4:44-54 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The reception of Jesus by the Samaritan was vastly different from the Jews of Judea \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They checked his message and agreed that he was the Messiah - John 4:42 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The Jews from Galilee also accepted Jesus. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They had seen the miracles\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65921,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/jesus-among-the-gentiles\/","url_meta":{"origin":66153,"position":3},"title":"Jesus Among the Gentiles","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 13, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Jesus Among the Gentiles Reading Assignment: Matthew 15:21-39 Mark 7:24-8:9 Did you understand what you read? List the insults given to the Canaanite woman who approached Jesus. Why was Jesus appearing to be rude to the Canaanite woman? When Jesus healed the deaf and mute man, what did he command?\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Outline-Map-of-Palestine.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Outline-Map-of-Palestine.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Outline-Map-of-Palestine.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66167,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/teachings-beyond-the-jordan\/","url_meta":{"origin":66153,"position":4},"title":"Teachings Beyond the Jordan","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Teachings Beyond the Jordan Reading Assignment: Luke 13:23-14:24 John 10:40-42 Psalm 6:8 Did you understand what you read? Where did Jesus go when he left Jerusalem? What impressed people concerning the things John had said about Jesus? Why would there be few saved? Why would the Pharisees warn Jesus that\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Outline-Map-of-Palestine.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Outline-Map-of-Palestine.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Outline-Map-of-Palestine.gif?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66039,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bible-studies\/the-gospel-accounts-a-chronological-harmony\/the-adulterous-woman\/","url_meta":{"origin":66153,"position":5},"title":"The Adulterous Woman (Gospel Accounts)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Adulterous Woman Reading Assignment: John 7:53-8:11 Did you understand what you read? When everyone left after the feast, where did Jesus go? Where was Jesus on the following morning? Who was with him? What was he doing? Who brought a woman to Jesus? What was the charge against her?\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Jerusalem.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Jerusalem.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Jerusalem.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Jerusalem.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/66153\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}