So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?

 

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

- Luke 13:10-17 

 

Yesterday we read that were present at that season some who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.  And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.  Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."  He also spoke this parable:  "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.  Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none.  Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?'  But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it.  And if it bears fruit, well.  But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

 

Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."   As we have previously read in the Gospel (Luke 6:7) the scribes and the Pharisees had built up certain traditions around the Law.  According to such tradition, healing was considered work, and so it was not permissible on the Sabbath.  Because of this the ruler of the synagogue responds with indignation.  My study Bible comments that those who enforced such tradition felt they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but such legalism made them insensitive to God's mercy.

The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.  Jesus responds with a command, "think of it."  My study Bible cites patristic commentary, suggesting that this command directs us to a spiritual meaning for the eighteen years that this woman has suffered.  In the Greek expression, this number is literally translated "ten and eight years," and both St. Ambrose and Theophylact see ten as representing the Ten Commandments and eight as representing grace -- for the day of Resurrection is frequently called the "eighth day."  So, therefore, humanity is lifted up by faith in Christ, which fulfills both law and grace. 

Let us notice that the text tells us that this woman had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  This "spirit of infirmity" is not a figurative expression for illness but an indication that her illness was caused by an unclean spirit.  We can think of her "bent over" state as a signal of oppression in some sense, by an entity hostile to humanity placing upon her a kind of unjust burden and affliction.  Jesus' words in delivering her healing confirm this understanding, for He tells her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  She has become unbound, in her healing, from the thing that literally held her down, "bent over and could in no way raise herself up."   This is language that tells us she was held in some sense captive by something that only Christ could free her from.  Jesus tells us directly that Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years.  It gives us a picture of unseen warfare, a spiritual battle, with Christ as the One who is powerful enough to liberate this woman from the force that held her captive and harmed her.  If we think of illness in this sense, it gives us a different sort of picture to ponder than the usual concepts we have of medicine and healing, in which simply finding the right solution -- such as a procedure or a pharmaceutical -- is the key to healing.  We do not think of affliction or illness as a manifestation of spiritual force of some kind.  But perhaps we need to shift our focus, generally speaking, and consider what it means that affliction is seen also in these spiritual terms.  Perhaps it broadens our modern perspective into something better than what we know, despite the advances in science that have helped so many.  Perhaps it gives  us a picture not only of how the demonic might work, but even more importantly for our purposes, it gives us a sense that healing the body or even the mind should not be thought of as separate from spiritual healing -- or rather, the state of true health must include all of the above.  A young man suffers from a very rare cancer in a family of my acquaintance, and there is no one who could tell him or his beleaguered parents that the struggle to find him a cure is not also a tremendous spiritual battle, that takes its toll on every level, and needs every kind of help that can be given.  Another friend has just lost her husband to a different type of cancer, and her need is all-encompassing; supported by a strong faith she already had, no one would deny her their added prayers for every step of that difficult journey with her husband's illness, as well as her grief and that of her family.  Who can deny such impacts, or characterize such illness as something merely purely physical?  While we might not want to categorize every illness or affliction as coming from the same type of source, our real healing should never leave out or be blind to this very real spiritual battle we find in the Gospels.  For Christ has called Himself the "stronger man" who is the One effective against the strong man that binds this world (Luke 11:14-23).   Let us not neglect our spiritual reality midst every problem or affliction we have, because we are more than the body and we need all His help, all the time.