Gospel in Art: Ought not this daughter of Abraham be loosed from this bond?

Photo of Renoir in his wheelchair, On the easel, portrait of Mrs Tilla Durieux. In the background, portrait of Mrs Colonna 1914

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 26 October 2026
Luke 13:10-17

At that time: Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, 'Woman, you are freed from your disability.' And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, 'There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.' Then the Lord answered him, 'You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?' As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.

Reflection on the vintage photograph

"A daughter of Abraham." It is easy to pass over those words as we read about Jesus healing a woman who has been bent double for eighteen years. Yet they are central to the encounter. Jesus identifies her as someone who belongs to God's covenant people, an heir to the promises made to Abraham. She has a place within that great story of faith. We are not told her name, and perhaps those around her had grown accustomed to recognising her chiefly by her condition, not by her name Jesus speaks of her belonging. He reminds everyone who she is: a woman whose dignity and place among them have never been diminished by her suffering.

That makes his question all the more powerful: "Ought not this woman… be loosed?" To Jesus, her healing is entirely fitting for the Sabbath, the day set apart for God, rest and freedom. If people will untie an animal so that it can drink on the Sabbath, how much more should this daughter of Abraham be released from what has held her captive for eighteen years? Just as an animal thirsts for water, this woman thirsts for healing. If an animal may be led to drink on the Sabbath, surely she can be led to be freed from the suffering that has bound her for eighteen years.

There is an invitation here for us too. How easily someone becomes "the difficult colleague", "the elderly neighbour" or "the person who always needs help". We see the burden or the inconvenience often more than we see the person.... In fact, we gradually lose sight of the person. Jesus asks us to look again, to recognise a dignity that illness, age or circumstance cannot take away.

This photograph of Pierre-Auguste Renoir invites us to look a little longer. We see the artist, now an older man, using a wheelchair, but we also see an artist at work, still looking closely at the world and finding something he wants to paint. In his later years, Renoir lived with severe rheumatoid arthritis, which caused considerable pain, damaged his joints and eventually made walking impossible. His hands were badly affected too, making the work he loved increasingly difficult. Yet he continued painting, finding ways to adapt as his movement became more restricted. The wheelchair tells us something about his circumstances; the easel reminds us how much more there is to know about him!

Of course, Renoir did not need to keep producing beautiful paintings to remain worthy of attention and care. His dignity would have been just as complete had he been unable to lift a brush. That is what connects this photograph with Jesus calling the woman in today's Gospel "a daughter of Abraham". He recognises a dignity that her suffering has never taken away. We might allow this image to remind us of a dignity in everyone, even when they need help. Needing help is part of someone's life. It should never become the whole of their identity in our eyes.

LINKS

Christian Art: www.christian.art
Today's reading: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-13-10-17-2026/