Jesus was teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath day. There was a woman who had been suffering for 18 years from an infirmity that left her twisted so badly that she could not stand up straight.
Jesus saw the woman, called her over and said:
Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.
He laid hands on her and she was immediately healed. She was able to stand tall, and she began glorifying God.
The ruler of the synagogue became indignant at Jesus because he had healed on the Sabbath day.
The ruler said to the crowd:
There are six days in which to do your work and you can be healed on any one of those days, but not on the Sabbath.
Jesus answered him:
You hypocrites, doesn’t each one of you lead your ox or your donkey to water on the Sabbath?
Shouldn’t this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for 18 years, be freed from her bondage on the day of the Sabbath?
As Jesus said these things, his adversaries were put to shame, and the whole crowd rejoiced because of all the glorious things that Jesus did.
Jesus continued:
What is the kingdom of God like? What should I compare it to?
It is like the grain of the mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his garden and it grew, and it became like a tree.
Then the birds of the sky made homes in its branches.
What else can I compare the kingdom of heaven to? It is like yeast, which a woman hid in three measures of flour, until it permeated all of the dough.
