22. A WOMAN WITH A HUNCHBACK (Luke 13:10-17)

BACKGROUND: The synagogue was a place where people gathered on Saturdays to hear God's word. Women didn't have any say in religious matters at that time; they were sitting or standing on the balcony or in the back row. We don't know what was wrong with the back of this woman, but perhaps it was similar to being hunchbacked.
  1. Imagine the everyday life of this woman during the 18 years of her disability.
    • How do you think other people treated this woman with a hunchback (vs. 14)?
       
  2. If you had become disabled in your teens, what do you think would have been the most difficult thing for you?
    • If you had been disabled when still young, what would you have thought about God who allowed it to happen?
       
  3. When Jesus dealt with demon possession he always addressed the demon directly. He does not do it here, which indicates that this woman was not possessed. What does Jesus mean when he says that it was Satan that bound her (vs. 16)?
    • What kind of things can bind us people so that we can't live full lives?
       
  4. The woman didn't come to the synagogue to get healed. What did she come for?
    • What did it mean to this woman to hear God's word once a week?
       
  5. Why didn't this woman ask Jesus for help? Think of various reasons.
    • How do you think she felt when Jesus called her to come forward in front of all the people?
    • What made her do what Jesus asked her to do?
       
  6. According to this text, what helps people who are in one way or another bound by Satan? (Keep to the text!)
     
  7. What does Jesus mean by calling this woman "a daughter of Abraham"? Think of various possibilities. (As for "Abraham", see note in study #28.)
     
  8. How does the attitude of Jesus towards this woman differ from that of the synagogue ruler?
    • The ruler of the synagogue thought he believed in God. What was lacking in his faith?
    • What was binding the ruler of the synagogue?
GLAD TIDINGS: Satan would eventually bind Jesus himself - with nails to the cross. That is why he now can free from Satan's power all who want to become free.

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