Deep Within the Heart

Luke 13:10-17

Jesus heals a woman bent over for eighteen years on the Sabbath. The synagogue leader objects, citing the commandment. Jesus exposes the gap between the law’s outer form and its inner purpose, saying the Sabbath serves human need and liberation.

Scripture gives two grounds for Sabbath: God’s rest in creation and Israel’s release from slavery. Healing on the Sabbath fulfills both by restoring rest and freeing from bondage. The woman’s longtime suffering shows the urgency of mercy, which aligns with God’s ongoing work of setting people free.

The sermon warns against rigid rule-keeping that ignores people’s burdens, noting contemporary parallels like immigration debates. It proposes a biblical image: stone tablets on one side, a living heart on the other. Jeremiah’s new covenant writes God’s law on hearts, guiding compassionate action over mere external compliance.

Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.