HEALING THE BENT OVER
Luke 13:10-17
Introduction: This past week I was in New
York attending the Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Summit. It has been a long
time since I’ve been to a conference where I was emotionally and spiritually
challenged and enriched at the same time. How many of you have either heard or
did the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Course? Though I have been teaching
and applying the principles of Emotionally Healthy Spirituality for the past
twelve years God has challenged me a fresh in three areas of silence, solitude
and Sabbath keeping. Learned a few skills of incarnational listening (listening
with empathy) and Incarnational presence (being fully present in a conversation
or with someone) and many more.
Here are a few pictures from the
Summit: Peter and Geri Scazzero who are the architects of this whole movement
called Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. They would say, “It is impossible to
be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally Immature.” Let’s hear more
about why every Christian in particular need to pay attention to our Emotional
and Spiritual Health. Video Presentation.
In
the future I hope to talk more about Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, which I
believe help Hope Church to fulfill its mission that says, “Glorifying God by
becoming devoted followers (Disciples) of Christ. Today I am talking a slight
detour from my series of teachings on The Lord’s Prayer.” Let’s look at the
passage we read and see what principles we can learn. During his ministry on the earth Jesus performed many
miracles of healing. And he is still performing miracles by his Holy Spirit. In
the passage we read, we see three main characters. We see Jesus teaching in a Synagogue,
a bent over woman and a synagogue leader. What was the response of Jesus to
this bent over woman? How did the woman respond to her healing? How did the
officials react to the healing?
I BENT
OVER WOMAN
Vs
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.” We don’t know much about
this woman, all we know that she has been crippled for eighteen years and could
hardly stand up straight. Jesus healed several people who were physically sick:
like the blind man, leper, paralytic, etc. But this woman’s situation seems to
be somewhat different. It was more spiritual and physical.
Can
you imagine what this woman had to endure for eighteen years? Being bent over
means, probably she couldn’t work hence she must have come under heavy financial
burden. She couldn’t stand up straight means she had to forgo all the things
that many of us take them for granted. Such as enjoying the moon and star lit sky,
the delightful nature, and the pure joys of playing with children and hearing
their laughter etc. She must have been
living in isolation. Being bent
over also means that her vision was narrowly focused. In spite of all that this
woman was perhaps a regular attendee of a Synagogue on a Sabbath day. When I
read this story I cannot help but wonder, whether this woman ever sought for
healing prayers from a Rabbi? Because she was a woman, and crippled was she only
allowed in the outer court, hence restricted access? Or did she retire thinking
this is my lot in life, and no one can set me free?
II. JESUS:
SAW, CALLED, AND TOUCHED THE WOMAN
Vs
12-13, “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.” What do we see in
these two verses? Jesus took note of this woman’s embarrassing situation. But
he didn’t stop there he called for to come forward. Then he said to her,
“Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” In other words, “Woman you are
free from your sin. Then he laid his hands on the woman and healed her.
Immediately
this woman was straightened up and praised God. Let’s see how many social
customs that broke inorder to set this bent over woman free. Firstly, when Jews
conveniently avoided the sick, crippled and women in general Jesus saw this
woman and reached out to her. Secondly, men did not talk to the women openly in
the public let alone a crippled woman. Jesus called her to come forward in
front of every one. Can you imagine what would that mean for that woman? She would be breaking a custom and enter into
the male section of the Synagogue and go to Jesus, but she didn’t care. Thirdly,
Jesus gently spoke to her saying, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.
Fourthly, He put his hands on her and healed her.” Immediately the woman straightened up and
praised God.
We
know that this miracle did not go down well for the Pharisees, they began to
say to people, if you want to be healed come during the six days but not on the
Sabbath, (we are to hear and meditate
upon our scriptures). Jesus challenged their rational with these questions, ““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? 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?” With those words, Jesus put the Pharisees in their
place and placed the woman right back where she belonged in the community as a
daughter of Abraham. Jesus restored her dignity.
What
an amazing story of God’s power at work. Let me bring this into our context. Before I
gave my life to Jesus, I went to Church every Sunday, read the Bible, said my
prayers regularly. Though I was maturing chronologically, I was spiritually and
emotionally an infant. All I was concerned was with my own sinful desires. In a
way I was like this woman who was bound by Satan and bent over for eighteen years.
I was not truly enjoying the abundant life and freedom that God has promised
and desires to give to anyone freely who would seek him.
But
thank God one day Jesus saw my bent over state, called me to come forward and
as I went forward he touched me and healed me. All of a sudden, I became
straight and began to praise God, that was the day of my salvation. After that
there were many other times I was bent over by my own fears, and my inability
to manage my own emotions. But God is committed to straighten up my bent over
state so that I would continue to enjoy his abundant life.
Just
like the woman in the story many are bent over and bound by Satan. We see them
everywhere. Satan is crippling people physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Over the years I noticed many sincere Christians who attend church regularly,
get involved in ministry yet bent over with heavy loads of guilt and shame.
They are unable to lift their head up and praise and thank God for all the
wonders around them. How are you bent over and constricted today?
Jesus
is the same yesterday and today and forever. He doesn’t change. He is the same
today as he was all those years ago in that Synagogue. He wants the same for us
as he wanted for that poor long-suffering bent over woman. Jesus saw her, Jesus called her forward, Jesus
said to her, Jesus put his hand on her and healed her and Jesus restored her dignity.
Similarly, Jesus sees you. He is calling you by your name to come forward to
him. He is saying to you “Woman, and man you are set free from all that binds
you today” So that your dignity will be restored.
Jesus
wants to set you free from all that is bending you over and robbing your peace,
joy and wholeness. You don’t have remain bent over, you can be healed and be
made whole today. The wounded healer Jesus is
longing to touch and heal you from everything that is bending you over. But you need to hear his
voice and respond to his invitation. Will you
listen to his voice and come to Him, so that you can be mad whole and walk away
into freedom? Or would you ignore it and remain bent-over all of your life? The choice is yours. Let us pray now, and if you
would like more prayer please meet me in the front. Amen!
