We continue our daily reflections on the supernatural acts of Jesus during His time among us. The gospel writer Luke shares the story of a woman who doctors today might diagnose with Marie-Strümpell Disease, a condition that involves the fusion of spinal bones. Currently, there are no known medicines that can cure this physical ailment. In this case, the disease had a spiritual cause rather than a medical one. Here’s the Scripture passage:
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10On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11and 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. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 14Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath." 15The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16Then 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?" (Luke 13:10-16).
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Early in the course of the disease, sufferers often notice that leaning forward alleviates their pain, leading to a gradual fusion of the spine until some patients are bent almost double. The bones become calcified, preventing them from straightening. This lady lived with this condition for 18 years.
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It was a Sabbath day, and the religious leaders regarded healing on the Sabbath as work prohibited by their trivial rules. With all the leaders watching, what would Jesus do? The woman sat there, silently trusting. Jesus knew the controversy that would arise if He healed the woman on the Sabbath day, but He valued people more than all the minor regulations the religious leaders had established. Those who sought His blood never intimidated Him! This passage is intriguing because Jesus didn’t heal her; He set her free from a demon that was causing her condition (v. 12). When He cast out the spirit, the woman was immediately released from her crippling ailment. The demon had not only caused this debilitating disease 18 years ago but was also keeping her spiritually bound. When Jesus laid His hands on her (v. 13), she instantly straightened up and began praising God.
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At the sound of the woman’s praise, the synagogue ruler angrily reprimanded her, accusing her of seeking healing on the Sabbath. What a cold-hearted man! It hardly seems right that he oversees a congregation of God’s people. Doesn’t it make you wonder how a man devoid of heart and compassion can lead God’s flock? He was indignant; what a strong word Scripture uses to describe him. Instead of feeling joy for this woman’s deliverance and healing, he was angry and upset. The synagogue leader did not scold the Lord for healing her but instead took his frustration out on the people in his congregation! This woman had patiently sat in her seat; it was Jesus who called her forward. It strikes me how the Lord was quick to defend this daughter of Abraham, a child of God, from the attacks of the evil one.
The enemy sometimes uses religious individuals to extinguish the praise of God. One would expect a synagogue leader to be a lover of people, yet this man showed no compassion whatsoever. His words revealed his heart. Something beautiful and God-honoring happened in his synagogue, and he was angry about it. However, on the other side, we see how kind the Lord is. He encouraged the woman by referring to her as a daughter of Abraham, even though she had just been released from a demon that had disabled her for 18 years. Jesus spoke words of love and affirmation to her. Can you imagine how kind and reassuring that must have been for the woman?
The Lord reminded the synagogue leader that animals were treated better than the Lord's people under the oppressive rules of Jewish leadership. Doesn't any man allow his animals to drink on a Sabbath morning? One can hear the compassion in His voice for this poor woman who has endured Satan's cruel bondage for 18 years. The Lord believed that not another day should pass. What about you? Isn't it time you were freed from whatever has held you captive? Call upon the Lord with all your heart, and He will hear you (Acts 2:21). Keith Thomas.
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To look at this passage in depth, go to the All Studies box and click the Gospel of Luke. Scroll down for study 36, Luke 13:10-20, Jesus and the Crippled Woman.
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