A Bowed Back And A Handicapped Mind

Luke 13:10-13 KJV And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. [11] And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. [12] And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. [13] And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

I. INTRODUCTION—THE MIRACLES OF THE SABBATH

-This striking miracle falls into the category of one of the miracles that Jesus performed on the Sabbath.

-The seven Sabbath miracles were special miracles in themselves. Each one represented something beyond just a healing or deliverance.

• The man who was demon-possessed—Mark 1:21-26

• Peter’s mother-in-law—Luke 4:38-39

• The man with the withered hand—Matthew 12:9-13

• The woman who was bowed down—Luke 13:10-16

• The man with dropsy—Luke 14:1-5

• The crippled man at the Pool of Bethesda—John 5:5-9

• The man born blind—John 9:1-14

-All of these miracles proved the authority of Jesus over the spirit world and the physical world. Not only was their physical deliverance but there was also spiritual deliverance. In fact, I believe that we can go as far as to say that all healing is for the sake of holiness.

-To the man at the pool of Bethesda, the Lord said,

John 5:14 KJV Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.

-God never just transforms us for our own comfort but for His greater purpose.

II. THE WOMAN WHO WAS BENT

A. The Woman

-This woman, who is identified just a few verses later as one of the daughters of Abraham, had suffered from a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years.

-Eighteen years is a short time.

• Eighteen years can fly by when life is spent in happiness.

• Eighteen years is a short time when it is involved with the blessings of life.

• Eighteen years is a short time when you are reaching and accomplishing all you had hoped for.

• Eighteen years is a short time when you are involved in the joys of raising children.

• Eighteen years is a short time when you are surrounded by friends that help you overcome the challenges of life.

• Eighteen years is a short time when you are advancing in your job and enjoying the milk and honey of the Promised Land.

-But eighteen years can be a very long time.

• Eighteen years can drag by when you are consumed with the pain of a bent back.

• Eighteen years is a very long time to have to struggle to leave your home.

• Eighteen years is a very long time to have a body and mind that is vexed with despair.

• Eighteen years is a very long time to always be looking down at the ground.

• Eighteen years is a very long time to struggle with a mistake that changed your life.

• Eighteen years is a very long time to try and wash away something from the soul with soap.

• Eighteen years is a very long time to have to cover up with words what inflames the mind.

• Eighteen years can be an awfully long time to fight an infected, wounded spirit.

-The picture of this little woman is terrible. She was badly crippled up, bent at the waist, shuffling steps, ill-fitting clothes, and depressed in spirit. Everything she did was hosted by difficulty.

• Keeping her home was difficult.

• Walking was difficult.

• Sleeping was difficult.

-I have a feeling that it was over a period of time that her back was bent and deformed. It was a gradual deterioration that came on her. It is similar to the experiences that many of us have here today. It was not suddenly that this thing took place but over a period of time and suddenly she woke up one day and discovered that her life would never be the same again.

-She continued to keep the faith but there was very little peace, no joy, and no comfort. It had been so long since she had really just been able to feel the liberty of life and worship. But it is remarkable that she continued to go to church.

-It had been a very long time for her to really grasp what it was to be comfortable. After a while the physical need had become a huge mental obstacle for her. Slowly as time passed, her warped back finally warped her spirit. That is what Dr. Luke was pointing out to us when he writes that she had a “spirit of infirmity.”