Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for 18 years
Lk 13:10-17 10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness." 13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, "There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day." 15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? 16 "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?" 17 As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
There are many people who don’t understand God, but think they do. As a result, they persecute those who do understand God. The Jews in Jesus’ time didn’t understand God’s purpose for the Sabbath, and they ended up wrongly judging and persecuting people concerning the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was meant for man to spend time listening to God. God didn’t want you to work to your benefit on the Sabbath without first getting direction from Him, but He had no issues with you working to help someone else in need of your help.
From this passage we see that God helps people when they are ready to receive it, and when the time is right from His standpoint, and He is not bothered if hypocritical people are upset about it. We should have the same attitude when it comes to helping people.
We also see that some sicknesses are caused by demon possession, and that these demons operate under the direction of Satan (v11, v16). But let’s not go overboard and think that all sicknesses are caused by demon possession.
We also see that God can take that which is bent double and crooked and make it straight again, even if it was crooked for a long time.
Think about what happens when you are bent double, and you cannot straighten up at all... you are half as tall as you should be, and cannot see or reach for anything much beyond half your height; you cannot run very fast; you cannot fight to defend yourself; reading, writing, typing are all not as easy; sitting and sleeping is difficult.
Now apply this to the spiritual realm…
A spiritually bent person is of limited use to God; there is not much they can do. Many people are bent double in a spiritual sense – they are not of much value to God for building His kingdom. They have no interest, or don’t seek spiritual gifts and the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or neglect to develop or use their gifts. Some of them are like this for a very long time after being born again.
The spiritual application of this miracle is that God can take a spiritually bent person and straighten him up. But you have to let Him.
Let God work in you and make you useful for His kingdom.
Allow Him to first straighten your motives and values and attitudes and thoughts, and let Him make them good.
Like Jesus, have concern for God’s kingdom (Lk 2:49). Greatly desire to build God’s kingdom (Jn 5:17). Seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Ac 2:38-39). Earnestly ask for spiritual gifts (Lk 11:13). Ask and expect to receive (Lk 11:9-10). Don’t seek your own glory while building God’s kingdom (Is 42:8). Don’t use your gifts to make you financially rich (Ac 3:6). Develop your gifts. Don’t be afraid of persecution. Be like David in the presence of Goliath. Don’t worry about what people say.
Consider 2 Tm 1:6-7.
2 Tm 1:6-7 6 For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Timothy had a valuable spiritual gift, which he received when he was baptized in the Holy Spirit, which happened when Paul prayed for Timothy. But Timothy was somewhat timid and didn’t develop his gift as strongly as he should have. If you are like Timothy, neglecting your gift, then what the Holy Spirit says to Timothy here is also what the Holy Spirit says to you – don’t neglect the valuable gift you have, but start using it. Remember that, on judgment day, God will ask you what you did with that gift, and you don’t want to be like the guy who buried the one talent that he was given.
There are three things to remember when developing your spiritual gift. One, it is a source of power – i.e. it can accomplish stuff, and so you have to use it; don’t waste its power. Two, the motive behind using it must be love – it is for the benefit of others, and not to exalt you. Three, you must use it with discipline – when and how God wants you to use it, and not otherwise.
What can stop you? Your timidity! If you worry about what others will think and say, you will hesitate to use it. If you are too embarrassed to make mistakes while using it, you will hesitate to use it. Don’t let these things stop you. If you make a mistake, learn from your mistake, and repent, and bounce back. The apostles made a few mistakes too; so did many men of God; but that didn’t stop them from exercising their gift, and neither did the thought of making a mistake.
Jn 15:8 "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
It is not God’s will that you be of limited use to Him, but that you bear much fruit.
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