THE BENT WOMAN THAT JESUS STRAIGHTENED – Luke 13:10-17

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on May 13, 2018 under 2018 |

Bethany Bible Church Mother’s Day Sunday Message; May 13, 2018 from Luke 13:10-17

Theme: Our Lord shows mercy even in the place where religious regulation condemns.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

It’s my privilege, every Mother’s Day, to share a story from the Bible about a great woman of faith. There are many such women found in the Bible; and I don’t think we’ll ever cease to find great principles of faith to learn from them.

This morning, I ask you to join me in exploring a story of a woman of faith from the Gospel of Luke. We know very little about her. We don’t even know her name. But she nevertheless stands out—not so much because of what she herself did, but rather because of what the Lord Jesus did for her; and for the way He used her as an object lesson to teach an important spiritual truth to us.

Her story is found in Luke 13:10-17. Luke was writing about the ministry of Jesus and said;

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).

What a cause for praise to God in the synagogue her story came to be that day! And what great reason she herself had to praise God for what Jesus did for her! And what’s more, what a great and important lesson her story has to teach us about the mercy of our Lord in the face of the rigidness of religious ritualism!

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; I believe that this dear woman is being presented to us as an illustration of deep spiritual affliction. By saying that she is an ‘illustration’, I do not mean to say that she wasn’t a real person or that her crippling physical condition wasn’t an actual physical affliction. What I mean is that her historically true story is intended to serve a symbolic and instructive purpose for us—that the Holy Spirit has preserved her story as an illustration of the heavy, crippling weight of the condemnation of sin that one might bear within one’s being; placing her inner condition, as it were, on her ‘outside’ for us all to see.

I wonder how it would look if the true, inward spiritual condition of every one of us was made to show itself—to the fullest degree—in our outward appearances.¹ The apostle Paul once said, “though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16); and when he said this, he spoke of those who have been born-again through faith in Jesus. Praise God that though the outside is perishing, the inside of the redeemed man or woman is being continually renewed. But what if the opposite were true? What if those who are not right with God—and who thus are borne down with a burden of sin and guilt and condemnation before a holy God—actually wore that terrible condition on their outward appearance?

What if those who were trapped and ensnared by some sinful habit walked around crushed together and confined as if they were bound in chains from which they could not free themselves? What if those who feel incapable of living the life that God wants them to live were actually laying on the ground motionless and helpless—as paralyzed on the outside as they were on the inside? What if people came here today shuffling along slowly and laboriously and wearily—bent over and weighed down with a horrible burden on their backs outwardly, just as they feel inwardly because of the horrible burden of their guilt and condemnation before a holy God? What kind of a sight would it be if people showed up to church this morning bearing the outward appearance of the true nature of our souls apart from the pardoning grace of Jesus Christ! Would our church look like the porches along the Pool of Bethesda that we’re told about in John 5; where laid “a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed”?

That’s not really an unbiblical concept, by the way. It’s very much like the words that the Lord Jesus said to the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3—the ‘Lukewarm Church’—when He said,

“you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17).

It may be that many of us here today can be grateful that their outside appearances do not vividly reflect the reality of their inward condition. But our Lord knows each one of us through and through. He sees the truth. And I believe that the Holy Spirit saw fit to allow us to learn from this poor woman’s story—a story in which her outward appearance illustrated her inward condition, so that we can learn about our own need for Jesus’ rich mercy.

Luke tells us in verse 10 that Jesus was busy about His ministry of teaching. He said, “Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues …” Which synagogue it was, and in which city that synagogue was found, are things that are not told to us. They aren’t really important to the story though. What is important is that it was in a synagogue, and that it was—as verse 10 tells us—“on the Sabbath.”

And I believe this story is meant to teach us an important spiritual lesson—that our Lord shows mercy to the needy, burdened victims of the devil—even in the place where rigid religious regulations bring condemnation.

* * * * * * * * * *

So; first, let’s consider …

1. THE SAD BONDAGE OF THE WOMAN.

We’re told in verse 11, “And behold, there was a woman …” The way the story is told suggests that she is not someone that the Lord had met before. She, in fact, would probably not have been very easy to spot in a crowd because she would have been stooping low—below the heads and shoulders of others. Luke (who was a physician, by the way) wrote that she was “a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.”

Notice first that Luke tells us she had “a spirit of infirmity”. The word “spirit” here might mean simply that she had a ‘condition’ or was in a particular ‘frame of being’. But since we’re told later on in this passage that she was bound by Satan, Luke may mean for us to understand this to be a demonic spirit that was oppressing her—perhaps not necessarily ‘possessing’ her; but clearly afflicting her.

Not all illnesses or afflictions are the product of Satan’s direct attack; and it would be cruel to suggest that they were. But clearly, some afflictions are the product of the devil’s direct attack. The Old Testament story of Job certainly teaches us that this is so. And apparently, so does this woman’s story. She appears to be a woman who was oppressed by the devil physically—and perhaps even spiritually. She is a picture to us of how the enemy of our souls—the ‘accuser of our brethren’ as he is called in Revelation 13:10—can attack and harass and press down upon a person; making them his captive; binding them in chains of guilt and sin and shame and condemnation.

And then, we’re told that she was in this horrible condition for eighteen years. How old she was at the time of our story, and whether this dreadful affliction first came upon her early or late in life, is not told to us. But eighteen years, if you think about it, would be a very large portion of anyone’s lifetime. This affliction may have robbed her of the very best years of her adult life. Eighteen years would have been plenty of time for her to have sought all the help from doctors in that time that she could find. And yet, nothing seems to have helped her.

Luke tells us that she was “bent over”. Many have suggested that she had some kind of spinal disorder or spinal disease. The intensity of the word in the original language suggests that she was bent over severely—that she was doubled over in a crippling and life-impeding manner. It must have been horribly painful to even walk around, or to sit, or to lay down at night and seek rest. So long as she was in this condition, normal life would not have been possible for her. And what a picture this gives us of the horrible burden that the guilt of sin lays upon us—weighing us down—pressing us low—robbing us of life and joy! As King David put it with regard to his own time of guilt before God, “For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer” (Psalm 32:4).

And finally, notice that, as Luke tells us, she could “in no way raise herself up”. This, again, is a dreadful picture of the horrible burden of sin. Who could ever free themselves of it? Who could ever raise themselves up to the condition of holiness again? Try as hard as we may to free ourselves of it, we are helpless under the terrible burden of sin.

Quite frankly, if you can’t see your own inward-self in this poor woman’s outward condition, then you have never allowed yourself to come to terms with the truth of how holy God is—and of how guilty we all are before Him.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; someone has rightly pointed out that, even though she was in such a terrible physical condition—and also in a terrible spiritual condition as well—she nevertheless made her way to the synagogue that Sabbath day. She did what she could; and came to the place of worship.

And it’s very good that she came that day; because next, we see …

2. THE COMPASSIONATE MERCY OF JESUS.

Jesus was busy teaching in the synagogue that Sabbath day. And it may be that, from the vantage point of where He was standing, He could see over the heads of others and gaze upon her. Luke tells us in verse 12, “But when Jesus saw her …” The Bible, of course, doesn’t tell us this; but I suspect that His act of ‘seeing’ her was far more than simply an accidental glance. I believe His look was a ‘providential’ one—a look that was an act of deliberate mercy. I find comfort in knowing that, when we are trapped under the horrible burden of sin and are suffering, our Redeemer sees us.

And then, we’re told that “He called her to Him …” It may be that she had preferred to keep to the shadows or behind the crowd—unnoticed and unobserved. Eighteen years of crippling affliction may have made her very shy about being noticed. On her own, she may never have come forward and asked for anything of Jesus. But He didn’t wait for her. He took the initiative. He called her to Himself. I’m so very glad that, in my sinful condition and sense of condemnation, Jesus didn’t wait for me to go to Him, but instead called for me to come!

And then, Jesus calling her forward where everyone could see her, we’re told that He said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity”. And what wonderful words those must have been to hear! He knew the real nature of her condition. She was in bondage by the devil. And He, with but a command, set her free. He ‘loosed’ her. If Jesus makes us free, we are free indeed!

But it might have been that she then looked at herself afterward and said, “But wait. How could what Jesus said to me be true? I’m still doubled over. I’m still bent and crooked and in pain. How could it be that I am loosed?” And it may be that many people think that their burden can be loosed from them in only that way—just hearing words, but not having any real contact with Jesus. But look at what happens next. In verse 13, we’re told, “And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight …” It wasn’t until He placed His hands upon her—those hands that worked so many miracles—those hands that would soon bear the nails on the cross for her sins—that she was straightened. She had personal, immediate, direct contact with Jesus; and it was only then that she was made completely well and released from her bondage.

Dear brothers and sisters; always remember that! If you feel the weight of the guilt of sin—if you are held in bondage to some sinful habit or addiction—if you are pressed down by the enemy—you cannot be released for burden and forgiven of your sin by some formal, clinical, non-personal association with Jesus apart from real contact with Him. Many people try. They seek to simply use the mere ‘things’ of Jesus. They claim His promises. They recite His words. They think thoughts about Him. And they hope that such things alone will set them free. But that won’t work. That amounts to trying to do the work of Jesus without Jesus Himself. If you want to be freed from your burden, then you absolutely must come to Jesus Christ Himself by faith when He calls you; and you absolutely must have direct contact with Him in a personal way. Only through a personal, experiential relationship of love with Jesus Christ by faith can anyone be delivered from their spiritual burden. “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,” He said, “and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

And I even wonder if when Jesus placed His loving hands on her, He Himself tenderly straightened her upright. Everyone saw that it was done by Him and Him alone. And I love what we’re told about her at the end of verse 13, we’re told that she was made “immediately” straight. There was no slow, gradual recovery. There wasn’t a process of physical therapy, and there weren’t any scheduled trips to the chiropractor. She was straightened immediately … “and glorified God.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Wouldn’t you have loved to have been there that day? Wouldn’t you have loved to have heard the gasps of the crowd as they saw?—and heard her praises to God from her? Well; I have to admit to you, I would have loved to have been there that day not only for that but to also witness what happened next. It may have been that the woman got raised up; but someone else got all bent out of shape about it! And this woman wasn’t the only one that Jesus had to ‘straighten out’!

This is where we next see …

3. THE HYPOCRISY OF THE SYNAGOGUE RULER.

You see; his job was to be there and make sure everything happened in accordance with religious protocol—and in a way that was in keeping with the Judaistic traditions regulating the Sabbath. In verse 14, Luke tells us, “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.’”

Now; there are several interesting things to notice about this. First of all, notice that this man did not scold Jesus. Personally, I think he might have been a bit afraid to do so. After all, if this miracle-working Teacher named Jesus is able to make crooked people straight, then maybe—just maybe—He can also make straightened people crooked! This synagogue ruler’s words were meant to be heard by Jesus; but he spoke them to the crowd—and meant for Jesus to simply overhear. He wanted to make sure that Jesus no longer violated the Judaistic concept of the law; and that He didn’t do the work of healing people on the Sabbath any longer.

Second—if I may put it this way—consider what a dumb thing it was that he said. “Don’t come on the Sabbath to get healed. Come on one of the other six days. Only come to get healed on Sunday through Friday.” But no one had intentionally come on the Sabbath to be healed in the first place. Certainly, that poor woman didn’t. And what were they all supposed to do?—schedule a ‘miracle’ on one of the non-Sabbath days? And besides; to whom exactly were people supposed to ‘come and be healed’ on one of those other days? Did the synagogue ruler have a staff of healers on hand? His strange prohibition seems to have come more from a jealous desire to maintain control than from anything sensible.

And finally, consider that—according to the law of God—he really had no right whatsoever to prohibit the release of anyone’s burden on the Sabbath day; because the Bible taught that it was that sort of thing precisely that God intended to have happen on His holy Sabbath day!

This synagogue ruler had apparently forgotten what God Himself said in Isaiah 58:6;

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke? (Isaiah 58:6).

Jesus, then, was doing exactly what was supposed to be done on the Sabbath. He Himself is the Lord of the Sabbath; and He was acting in full conformity to what it goes on to say in Isaiah 58;

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken” (vv. 8-14).

The Sabbath was given by God as a day of rest—a day in which people were to cease from their work and concentrate on Him. But it was never meant to be a day that added to the burden and condemnation of people. Clearly, then, our Lord was fulfilling God’s word in showing mercy to the devil’s victims—releasing them and setting them free—even in the place where the distorted religious regulations of men condemn and restrict. He frees people from their burden of sin and condemnation, and does not allow them to then be put under the burden of religious rules and regulations.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Finally then, note …

4. THE SPIRITUAL LESSON TO BE LEARNED.

After hearing this man rebuke the crowd, Jesus turned to Him in verse 15 and said, “Hypocrite!” (Jesus is a good teacher. He is few on words and right to the point.)

A spiritual hypocrite is someone who puts on an outward show in front of others; but is not true to what he pretends to be. Jesus revealed this by pointing to a very common practice that even the synagogue ruler—and most likely all of the religious legalists in the synagogue—would have probably done that very day. In verse 15, He said, “Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?” And of course they did. It would be considered cruel not to do so. No one would tell their needy animal, “Sorry. No loosing of the bonds for you today. It’s the Lord’s holy Sabbath.” And so, arguing from the lesser to the greater in verses 16, He goes on to say, “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?”

I have to point out that Jesus knew how long this woman had suffered! Isn’t it remarkable how well He knew her story? But more; isn’t it remarkable how well He knew the hearts of those strict observers of religious rituals? They condemned Jesus—and also the woman that He healed. But He showed how their own hypocrisy condemned themselves.

And look who is burdened now! Verse 17 says, “And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame …” But it goes on to tell us, “and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.”

* * * * * * * * * * *

I love this woman for her story; don’t you? I love her because she illustrates the burden I bore in my own sin and shame and guilt apart from Jesus. I love her because she also illustrates how burdens are taken away by Jesus. He looses the devil’s captives; and makes the crooked ones straight. And I also love the Lord Jesus, who shows His mercy to such sinners even in the place where men use religious rituals and rules to condemn.

And I believe the best way to apply the lessons we learn from this dear woman’s story is to come to Jesus just as we are; and to let Him set us free and take our burden away without any fear. As the apostle Paul put it—in words that seem like the perfect conclusion to the story of Jesus’ healing of this woman;

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. (Galatians 5:1).

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1I’m indebted to a sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon on this passage for this illustration.