Scripture Stories
Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath—Doing good on His holy day


Matthew 12:1–12; Luke 13:10–17

1:53

Jesus Heals a Woman on the Sabbath

Doing good on His holy day

Jesus and His disciples walking through a field.

Jesus and His disciples were walking through a wheat field on the Sabbath day. They were hungry, so they picked some wheat and ate it. Some Jewish leaders called Pharisees saw them. The Pharisees had made many rules about the Sabbath day. Picking wheat was against their rules.

Matthew 12:1–2

Pharisees ask Jesus why He doesn’t honor the Sabbath.

The Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t honor the Sabbath. Jesus answered that they had done nothing wrong. God gave us the Sabbath day to bless us, not to make our lives harder.

Matthew 12:2–8; Mark 2:27

Jesus notices a woman while teaching in the synagogue.

Later, Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath day. Jesus noticed a woman there. She couldn’t stand up straight. She had this problem for 18 years.

Luke 13:10–12

Jesus blesses the woman.

Jesus asked the woman to come to Him. He laid His hands on her to bless her.

Luke 13:12–13

The woman is healed.

Right away, the woman stood straight. The leader of the synagogue was mad because Jesus was healing on the Sabbath.

Luke 13:13–14

Jesus explains why He healed on the Sabbath.

Jesus said that helping this woman was the right thing to do. It is right to do good on the Sabbath. The leader was ashamed, and the people in the synagogue rejoiced because the woman was healed.

Luke 13:15–17; see also Luke 6:9