On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 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. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. (NIV)
You can read the verses around this Bible passage from the Internet Bible: - in English, and many other languages
Jesus came to release people from the grip of Satan's power, and from the curse of sin. But how could people know that He had power over the devil and all his bad works? Today's passage is a living parable. By calling the bent-over woman to the front of the synagogue, He not only tested her faith but also challenged the assumption that women and the sick should be kept out of sight because they were less worthy before God than the religiously self-important men.
For eighteen years, this woman had been unable to walk tall: an evil spirit had bound her. Perhaps it was thought to be a punishment for earlier sins. But however much others may have maligned her character, she was still in the synagogue worshipping God and looking to Him for mercy. That day she had faith in Jesus; enough faith to shuffle forward through the men, publically admitting her weakness; and enough faith to risk whatever Jesus would say about her or do to her. Perhaps Jesus would publically rebuke her, condemning her past sins; however, she responded to His call, trusting Him to say and do the right thing. Seeing her faith, Jesus publically declared her to be free from what had held her down: when He laid His hands on the woman, her bent back became straight and she was full of joy praising the Lord.
It was to be a big lesson for the religious people and their leader in that synagogue; and is significant for us too. Who has the power to put right something that has been irreversibly wrong for many years? Only Jesus! Put it the other way around: why did the Son of God come into the world? To destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8)! Jesus is not just a good man, a wise teacher or a sympathetic healer - He came in the flesh in order to deal with the corruption that spoils our souls and bodies now; and qualifies us for hell later. To trust Him is to be released from Satan's grasp and enter the kingdom of heaven. Even if others reject you, Christ who calls you will accept you, relieve you and restore you to be a person of praise. As Isaiah 61:3 said about Jesus, He would, "provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Prove that today by responding to His call, and encourage others to do the same.
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