Sunday we continued in week-50 of our series, The Gospel. If you missed this week’s message, you can catch up on Facebook now.
As we explored Luke 13:10-21 on Sunday, we saw the compassion, love, and power of Jesus on full display. Right in the middle of a very public setting, the Scripture introduces a woman who had a “disabling spirit” plaguing her life for 18 long, painful years. This condition had been a daily struggle and reality for this woman as she was “bent over and could not fully straighten herself.” Its doubtful that this woman had any clue of how her life was getting ready to change that day, but then “Jesus saw her.”
So often in the midst of our own trials, pain, or suffering, the enemy tries to convince us that God doesn’t see us. If that lie doesn’t work, he then tries to convince us that even if God does see, He doesn’t care. If still that isn’t enough to stop us from seeking God in faith, the enemy tries to convince us that if He does see us and He does care, He doesn’t have the power to help us. Yet again, nothing could be further from the truth!
As we watched an incredible healing unfold in the Scripture, I challenged you to imagine yourself in the synagogue with the unnamed woman that day. If we were sitting there on that Sabbath day, we would see something sad occur. Right after witnessing a life changing miracle that set a suffering woman free after 18 years of struggling, those who should have been rejoicing and glorifying God instead got angry!
What in the world could they have possibly been angry about? A perceived violation of the Law of God concerning the Sabbath. If a genuine violation of God’s revealed will had taken place, perhaps the ruler of the synagogue who got indignant had something to be angry about. Turns out, it wasn’t the Law that Christ violated but the twisted religious traditions of the people. This man dismissed an undeniable work of God, and then had the audacity to try and rebuke the sinless Son of God, all because his religion had blinded him to the heart of God.
It wasn’t God’s will for this hurting woman to suffer one more moment. Most of us today don’t have the condition that this woman had, but we do have a disability in our life. Merriam-Webster defines a disability this way: a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person’s ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. If I might add, there are times where a disability, that is something that interferes with or impairs our ability to live the life Christ has called us to, comes from spiritual battles or bondage.
As we close out this week’s devotion, I want to remind you: Jesus has the power to set you free too. As Jesus spoke to this woman, He boldly proclaimed: “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” Jesus still has the authority, power, and compassion to set you free today too. Whatever shackles you are struggling with, whatever bondage is holding you captive, today I pray you would humbly and urgently cry out to Christ. When He sets you free, you will find true freedom.
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36 ESV)
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