Luke 13:10-17-10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.
The woman we meet in this story, dealt with her situation for 18 years. For 18 years she lived bent over. For 18 years, all she could see was the ground. How do you perform the tasks of daily life in that condition? How do you avoid accidents when you can’t look ahead to see where you are going? How painful is the condition of a person whose back is never straight? What kind of quality of life can that person have? She couldn’t even sit up in bed. How did the weight of her body, constantly hanging forward, negatively impact the rest of her body? Just thinking about having to live in that condition for even a week, and without pain medication, sounds impossible to me.
And what is so stunning about the story, what stands out to me, is that the woman was in the synagogue. How she got up the courage or stamina or mental fortitude to leave her home is beyond me. I don’t know anyone who would fault a person in that condition for staying at home and even staying in bed. I mean, when she got to the synagogue, she couldn’t fully participate. She couldn’t see the words on the screen. She couldn’t watch the person singing the special. She couldn’t look around to see who else had joined her in the house of God. She was socially isolated in her everyday life and would also be socially isolated in the place of worship! I mean, social interaction is probably a partial motivation for many to go to church. She couldn’t even experience that! What determination she had to meet with God.
We’re told in verse 16 that she was a God lover. She was a “Daughter of Abraham.” Here’s what I believe. I believe this visit to the synagogue wasn’t a one-time event. I believe it was something she did regularly, consistently, and being in an atmosphere where her faith could be strengthened gave her the ability to endure in the worst of circumstances.
Notice something else…Her condition wasn’t the result of a birth defect or tragic accident. It wasn’t simply part of the aging process, but Luke tells us that she had been crippled by a spirit, a demonic spirit, for 18 years. In addition to being physically debilitating, this was a spiritual attack. Satan had been coming against her, literally crippling her for 18 years.
Listen, Satan is still slithering around, looking for ways to cripple you, whether physically, spiritually, socially, financially, or emotionally. Satan never has good intentions for you. His goal is to get you bent out of shape any way He can. If you question whether you need Jesus in order to handle him, let me tell you without reservation, you do. I John 3:8 tells us, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Is Satan harassing you? Oppressing you? Messing with your peace? Jesus can take care of him today!
Notice again how verse 12 begins: When Jesus saw her. The same Jesus that saw the woman who was bent over that day is here today, and He sees you.
Jesus knows your heart, and He knows your hurt. He knows what you are dealing with right now. He knows what you have been dealing with for months, years, maybe even longer, like this woman. He knows what you are pained by or preoccupied with that could get in the way of your worship, that could get in the way of your pursuit of Him. He knows what isolates you from fellowship with Him and others. He also knows when you press on to worship and glorify Him. He knows when you push past obstacles that are part of your real, earthly experience to meet with Him. He sees you.
Jesus saw the woman, and He called her to come to Him. He declared, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” After that, He put His hands on her and she straightened up. She stood up. She lifted her eyes to see the One who touched her, the One who healed her, and she gave Him praise. She wasn’t just physically healed. The demon that had tormented her, also had to flee. A demonic attack had been the root of her issue. She was physically free, but for the first time in 18 years, she was also spiritually free.
Listen, Jesus saved you to set you free. Don’t settle for bondage when the Great Emancipator calls to you! Come to Jesus, and let Him free you today!
