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The story of the crippled woman in the Bible brought to our time and age. My conviction is that Jesus is still in the business of restoring lives and identities… His transformation power is available to you and me today no matter how broken you are!
Luke 13: 10-17 Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath
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 sickness of this woman was probably much more than just her body: we need to realize that we as persons are a unity even though there are physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological elements within us.
There is always a link between these areas; however, we have to realize that it is not always clear when looking at a person. It is hard to read the true state of the inner life by the appearance of people.
If the true state of our inner being was visible at this very same moment, how would we like at this moment? If our outer appearance were a true and faithful reflection of our inner state, how would we see each other at this moment?
Some of us might not want to sit for long with the person we’re sitting next to at the moment knowing their real inner appearance! Sometimes that is the problem: that we can sit right here and do everything possible to keep a right appearance.
If our spiritual and psychological conditions would determine our physical appearances, our whole city would look like one big hospital. And many would run from their dear ones out of sheer shock! Already now I have, at times, a hard time seeing myself in the mirror, as I become aware of my true inner appearance!
Let us leave this scary scenario behind us realizing that in the same way as Jesus was in the synagogue, He is here with us. He is in our midst and although He sees our inner appearances as well as the outer ones… He remains close, faithful, and loving! There is anyway nothing that can be hidden from His sight!
The woman described in this portion of Scripture must have been easily overseen in the synagogue. Her sickness made her bent over and as she walked around, she was always bowed down… she was not easily seen in the crowds. Maybe hardly anyone noticed her while coming and going to the synagogue.
While Jesus was teaching, he saw her… most probably He must have been on another platform for Him to be able to see her in the crowd. But He saw her!
He sees you and I in our crippledness, in our loneliness, in our brokenness. Today Jesus might see you wherever you are! You, who are not noticed by anyone else! He sees those who are never seen before.
The fact might be that no one ever has shown care for you. No one knows where you have gone through, and no one might know how hard life has been to you. No one knows your crippledness inside and the scars that you have carried. It has been hard for you to expose these things to anyone because you were afraid that no one might understand, no one might care…
You might feel totally alone in our own isolated world of scary experiences and hardships.
There might be many who would like to share and carry this burden together with you… but it might feel as if it doesn’t make a difference. What does make a difference though, is the fact that Jesus on that day, in that synagogue gave his attention, his love, his compassion and His time to that woman! He had his eyes solely on her!
He has His eyes on you today! He will not bypass you; He wants you to experience a sign of His love today!
Back to the woman in the Scripture: The bend over woman: cripples by the spirit (demon) (vs. 16) she was bound by Satan.
It is important to realize that Satan has his hand in this case. He must have had a screwed way of binding her since the bondage was not broken in 18 years!
Normally, in the Scriptures when Jesus addresses demonization, He never touches the person. Here with this woman, He does!
The enemy can in a short time bring a tremendous bondage. Satan had bound her and even though he bowed her down: he could not take her life! Even though her head was facing the ground!
Like with Job in the Old Testament, who was stripped from everything that was dear to him…yet, Satan could not take his life! If Satan cannot kill, he will try to quench or bind people. He can hit but can’t kill! Yet in the midst of this she was a daughter of Abraham and when she was healed, she praised the Lord. I wish we could have been there hearing her praise! The releasing power of Jesus must have been wonderful and sweet!
He saw her! We have seen the woman in the eye of our imagination… Now I want you to look again with me at Jesus.
Why should He do the same today?
Because he cares! (Vs.15!) That is reason enough!
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