Jesus' Labor of Love

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1. Introduction
The story that I studied is found in Luke 13:10-17. The passage contains a typical example of challenge and riposte. While teaching in the synagogue one Sabbath Jesus sees a woman who was bent over due to her crippling disability. When Jesus heals her, the ruler of the synagogue indirectly challenges Jesus’ right to heal her on the Sabbath. He addresses the crowd saying that they should come to the temple the other six days of the week for healing, but they should not come on the Sabbath. Jesus replies by accusing the teachers themselves of being hypocrites. They often take care of their animals on the Sabbath, but they became unjustly indignant because Jesus heals a person on the Sabbath.
2. Honor & Shame vocabulary and/or actions
The ruler of the synagogue addresses the crowd not Jesus. I believe the leader is trying to take advantage of this supposed miscue by Jesus. Silva describes this sort of encounter in his book, “The challenge-riposte is essentially an attempt to gain honor at someone else’s expense by publically posing a challenge that cannot be answered.” The leader is seeking to gain honor and dishonor Jesus with his challenge.
Jesus calls the leaders hypocrites. He is publicly accusing them of not being what they profess to be. This is slander of their character, as Jesus sharply responds to the issued challenge.
Jesus calls the woman a daughter of Abraham. Names are an integral to honor. Jesus has not only healed this woman, but he elevates her in the eyes of the public by reminding them that she is not just a woman, but a daughter of the esteemed Abraham who is worthy of being healed.
Luke directly states that Jesus’ adversaries were put to shame. Jesus successfully defended His ho...

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...th are very arbitrary and of human design. This passage inspires me to make my ministry more active in times when a person is in need. No matter what day it is, if I am able to give aid to someone there is no better time for ministry.

Works Cited

DeSilva, David A. Honor, patronage, kinship & purity : unlocking New Testament culture. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
Torgerson, Heidi. 2005. "The healing of the bent woman: a narrative interpretation of Luke 13:10-17." Currents In Theology And Mission 32, no. 3: 176-186. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2014).
Green, Joel B. 1989. "Jesus and a daughter of Abraham (Luke 13:10-17) : test case for a Lucan perspective on Jesus' miracles." Catholic Biblical Quarterly 51, no. 4: 643-654. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed January 27, 2014).

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