There are millions of people around the globe who deal with disabilities on a daily basis. There are people who cope with physical disabilities like blindness, deafness, dumbness, and paralysis—mental disablements like down syndrome, autism, and Asperger’s—psychological disorders like schizophrenia, paranoia, bipolar, and post-traumatic stress—and there are many other people who struggle with other more common disablements like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and good old-fashioned old age.
Whether these disabilities were there from birth or came later in life, it is normal to have them, and normal to have friends who have them, and if you have never had one, just wait—most of us will have one sometime before we die. Unfortunately, disability is a regular part of life! It is one of the realities of living in a fallen world. (Ryken 14)
Crippled by Satan’s Cruelty (10-11)
It was normal for Jesus to meet people with disabilities too. In fact, many disabled people flocked to Jesus because they heard that he had power to heal them. On one such occasion Jesus noticed a disabled woman while he teaching at a local synagogue on the Sabbath. Her body was severely disfigured. She was hunched over and could not straighten herself.
Now we don’t know if this woman was young or old, but we do know that she had suffered with this condition day after day for eighteen long years. She endured the chronic physical back, neck, and muscular pain of such a condition. She never had a good night’s sleep because she could not get her body in a comfortable position but she also bore the social and emotional scars of it.
If she was young, this disability probably prevented her from doing all of the things that young women like to do. It would have limited her capacity for work and most likely impeded her prospects of getting married and having her own family. Do you see her standing there looking at herself in the mirror? Do you see the sadness in her eyes as she stares at her contorted body and wonders if she will ever be normal? Do you hear the snickers and nicknames she was called by the kids in the community? Do you hear the heartache in her voice as she whispers, “What man could ever love a woman like me?” Do you feel the worry in her mind as she contemplates a future of ostracism, isolation, and helplessness?
If she was old, she was likely confronted by a completely different set of issues. Do you see her frustration at not being able to care for herself as she used to? Do you sense her guilt for having to rely on her children and other people to take care of her most basic necessities? Do you feel her deep discouragement? As anyone with a disability can testify, it is hard to be content with chronic pain and permanent limitations. In such circumstances, even someone who knows the joy of the Lord may be tempted to self-pity, at least sometimes.
But notice the source of the woman’s disablement. Its origin was not biological, but rather spiritual. As we see in verse 11, the woman’s condition was caused by a “disabling spirit.” This was no mere metaphor; there was an actual demonic oppression that hung over her. In verse 16, Jesus affirms that Satan is the one who bound her in this disablement. She was literally crippled by Satan’s cruelty. (Ryken 16)
These verses remind us that some human disablements are caused by demonic spirits. Now don’t misunderstand me; I’m not saying that every medical difficulty we have is a direct attack from Satan. I am simply saying that some mental, psychological, and physical problems have spiritual rather than biological sources. This is why some people consult a plethora of medical experts and still cannot find a proper diagnosis. I have a high level of respect for doctors (well, most doctors), but most of them have little to no training in the spiritual realm. Most medical schools don’t offer “Diagnosing the Demonic 101.”
We need to be careful how we approach these things. On one hand, we should not over-diagnose the demonic. We shouldn’t blame every tooth ache and back pain on the devil. Sometimes all we need is an aspirin or antibiotic to make us feel better.
But on the other hand, we should not discard the demonic. It is far more common than most Americans realize. We would be wise to at least consider the fact that the source of some disablements are spiritual rather than biological.
Likewise, it is prudent for us to remember that Satan’s cruelty in crippling this woman is only one example of the hatred he has for all of us. He seeks to steal, kill, and destroy and he uses many methods and strategies to try to steer us away from God’s purpose and plan for our lives. The best defense against Satan is a close relationship with Jesus Christ!
Cured by Christ’s Compassion (12-13)
As the disabled woman slipped into the back of the synagogue, Jesus immediately noticed her. Even though he was in the middle of teaching the Scripture lesson, he saw her body doubled over by disability and he observed the long grimace on her face. He did not leave her there to suffer under the weight of demonic oppression, but he took pity on her. He interrupted his sermon in mid-sentence and called her over to him. He laid his gentle hands upon her and spoke directly, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And she instantly stood up and glorified God—for the first time in eighteen years her body was straight and she didn’t feel any pain. Jesus delivered her from her demonic disability. She was cured by Christ’s compassion!
Jesus notices our disabilities. He understands our distress. He sympathizes with our sufferings and he has compassion for our complaints. Even when we think no one else knows about our situation, he knows all about our troubles: the burden of our guilt, the weight of our grief, the conflict in our relationships, and whatever physical limitations we have. He sees all of this and his compassion calls us to himself. He says, Come and be healed.” He touches us with his nail-scarred hands, and heals us to glorify God.
We should never think that our situation is beyond help. With Jesus, no case is incurable. No matter how long we have suffered, Jesus can heal us. No matter how long we have been in bondage, Jesus can deliver us. He can heal our bodies and souls from all of the deformities we face in this fallen world. Even if he chooses not to heal our bodies in this life, he will completely restore them in heaven. If you have not yet experienced Christ’s compassion, come to him today! (Ryken 18-19)
Seething on the Sabbath (14-17)
Well, as the text says, the woman glorified the Lord. It is certainly no surprise that verse 17 tells us that everyone in the synagogue celebrated with her. Well, almost everyone. The synagogue ruler was red hot and ripped mad because this healing took place on the Sabbath. He dampened everyone’s spirits by publically lambasting the crowd, saying, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on one those days to be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” This ruler obviously had a tightly wound personality. He was a cold-hearted curmudgeon—a legalistic killjoy who was suffering from a serious case of A.R.D.—anal-retentive disorder! Do you know anyone like that!
This man, like many of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, adopted a distorted interpretation of the Fourth Commandment, “Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy.” God certainly intended the Sabbath to be a day of worship and rest from one’s ordinary work, but it was not meant to be a day to withhold compassion from the oppressed.
Jesus criticized the critic with the harsh rebuke, “You hypocrites!” and used the example of watering animals on the Sabbath. He makes his point clear in verse 16 when he says, “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath.” His point is that if it is OK to care for the basic necessities of animals on the Sabbath, why wouldn’t it be OK to care for human needs on the Sabbath? Jesus is ultimately saying: Every day is a day for compassion!
Earlier this week I was having coffee and discussing life with my friend Jason Doe. Toward the end of our conversation he humbly said, “Oh, I wanted to let you know that I won’t be in church on Easter Sunday. My cousin Travis just got a job transfer from the southern border to the northern border. I am flying to Texas on Saturday to help him pack up and move home to Vermont.” Do you want to know what I said? I said, “How could you do such a horrible thing? How could you forsake church, especially on Easter Sunday? Can’t it wait until Monday?”
Of course, I am just kidding! Over the past year and a half, Jason has hardly missed a Sunday church service. Just as Jesus had compassion on the disabled woman on the Sabbath, I believe that God is perfectly fine with Jason helping his cousin move back home on Easter Sunday!
Now for the rest of you, if you are thinking about missing church on Easter, you better have a reason as good as Jason’s! Otherwise, I will look forward to seeing you all next Sunday!
In all seriousness, God gave us the Sabbath day to help us rest from our labor and focus on him in worship. Establishing a regular rhythm of work and rest and consistent church attendance are essential for a healthy and balanced life, but we should never become so legalistic about it that we neglect to respond with compassion to the basic human needs right before us.
God wants us to work hard! He wants us to take time to rest and reflect! And he wants us to be compassionate to others every day of the week! Do you know anyone who needs compassion today?
Well, after Jesus said this, his adversaries were put to shame, and for good reason. They should have been ashamed of themselves for how they responded. But the rest of the synagogue rejoiced at the deliverance of the disabled woman.
And that is a good lesson for us too. May we always rejoice when people experience God’s mercy and grace. May we always praise God for the glorious things he does in our lives and the lives of others!