Freedom from slavery! Luke 13:10-21

Many years she had lived with this crippling disease. How long ago was it that she was well? ah, yes, eighteen years ago! She did not remember what it was like to walk straight! Abnormal had been her normal for a long time! She had learned to live crippled, always walking with a bent doubled back. Who cared about the bad treatment from the people? The jokes they made about her? the insults? Surely they hurt, but walking this way took too much effort and she had no energy to fight back.

She had heard about a man who had the power to heal. Everyone was talking about him! As a matter of fact, she had made it to this place with difficulty, moving around the crowds to hear what He had to say. He was speaking about God’s love, mercy and forgiveness of sin! A promise of eternal life where brokenness like hers would not exist and suddenly, He noticed her and called her! He called me she thought!

It was the Sabbath and He was teaching in the Synagogue. He had so much hope that they would listen and accept this free offer He had brought to them! He knew that the time was short but He didn’t dare rest! He knew that this people’s freedom were at stake. If they did not listen or believe in Him, they would suffer a horrible eternal punishment! Certainly the Father loved them! He knew that perfectly well for the Father and Him were and are in Unison!

He knew their terrible fate if He didn’t go through with the plan! Yes it was going to be hard, painful!  Overwhelming to think about the price for their freedom, but it  was so hard to see what Satan was doing to this people and how blind they were! How blind they are! This woman He saw in the crowds, She wasn’t really sick. Satan had taken over her mind and her body and she appeared sick but all she needed was Jesus’s power in her! All she needed was to walk with God or this would have never happened to her!

He loved her as He loved them all! He had to heal her! He said to her:  Woman, you are free from your sickness! He had to lay His hands on her to clean her up from Satan’s power over her! immediately, the evil spirit left the woman and her body became erect again! Ah, If everyone could rely on His power! For if they did, they would ignore Satan’s lies. They would live a life of freedom and not slavery! Why can’t they listen? Why won’t they listen?

What a happy day that was! She could walk again! She could see the people in front of her instead of her tired knees and having a glance of the world through them! She did not care when the synagogue official was indignant that Jesus had healed her! He Had freed her! She could enjoy life again and she intended to Praise God with her freedom!

The synagogue official was reprimanding the people! Not Jesus! He must have been afraid or cautious about someone who had such power! but referring to the people  he said; If you want to be healed, come any other day except for the Sabbath! There are six days in which we work but the Law says, we must keep the Sabbath!

Can you imagine? As if he could offer any healing himself aside from the Master! The nerve! The blindness! The arrogance! Ha! but The Lord said to him. Does not each of you untie your ox and your donkey from the stall and lead them away to water them on the Sabbath? You are such hypocrites! You have double standards! Freeing this woman, who is Abraham’s daughter, and whom Satan has bound for eighteen years is not important to you?

Yes, use the Sabbath to proclaim God’s mercy so that Abraham’s children will have a chance to receive the gift of freedom! That is more important than your rules and laws! The people were so happy with Jesus that day! They were rejoicing over the great things He was doing! That day brought much more freedom than just the released of a poor slaved woman! that day caused many in that crowd to listen to the Master and were themselves freed from their slavery!

Today, You and I are Abraham’s children. In the old testament in Genesis 26:4, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, and that through them all the nations of the world would be blessed.  In Galatians 3:29, Paul says that if we are Christ’s then we are Abraham’s children heirs according to promise. Isn’t this exciting! May God bless you through His scriptures and give you hope!

One more comment on this passage is that this particular story of Satan’s bondage over someone and its result in sickness, is not always the case. There is plenty of scriptures that tell us that sometimes, sickness is in our lives for other reasons including to glorify God!