“And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” Luke 13:16
Dear Ones:
It came about in the ministry of the Lord Jesus, that a woman came to him, “…which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years.” (Lk.11) She was so bowed down that she could not lift up herself. When the Lord saw the woman, who certainly did stand out in the crowd, He called to her, and said unto her: “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.” After Jesus laid his hands on her, she immediately was made straight, and glorified God. There are many reasons for which the Lord Jesus healed this woman, and in this way. He is the great Teacher of things which are greater than what is seen, or perceived.
We know that the Lord did nothing except first He saw the Father doing it. (Jn. 5:19) Or rather, He did only that which was the will of His Father. Because He was filled with the Spirit, He was quickened by the Spirit to recognize that this woman was “a child of Abraham,” a woman of faith, and that the Father’s will was to heal her. Scripture does not tell us much about the woman, but one wonders what was going in her mind and heart when hearing the Lord Jesus speak, or being spoken about. Since she had true faith, there must have been the thrill of hope, not only for heaven, but also, perhaps, for present healing and blessing. In any event, there was certainly the stirring of faith in her heart, hearing the voice of Christ. However, even though she had true faith, it was not strong enough to loose herself from her infirmity. That which was needed was the authoritative word of Christ, specifically bringing the power of God to bear to loose her bonds, which were not just physical ones. Christ, in addressing the Pharisees would describe the woman’s condition by declaring, “…ought not this woman, being a child of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound…be loosed.?” (v.16) Satan had a role in this woman’s condition and suffering. The effect of his power was that the woman’s body was subject to him imposing his will upon her. Only a greater power than that of Satan could loose this woman from his power, resulting in being set free from her infirmity.
At the beginning of Christ’s ministry, he stood up in the synagogue and declared, that “…the Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…” (Lk. 4:18) He then would go on to say that the result of that anointing, fullness, and calling of God, would be: “…(preaching) deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (v.19) What did He mean by this? In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes of the Father’s work in Christ, “…who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and have translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.” (1:13) The power of which the Lord spoke to Nicodemus, in order to be born of the Spirit, was that of God alone. It was a power communicated to the believer in response to faith, escaping the control, and domination, of Satan, in order to live in the power of the Spirit, under the reign and rule of Christ.
If one is to overcome by faith the lies and distortions of Satan, rising up and casting off the works of darkness, living in the glorious liberty of the Spirit, where Christ is Lord, the believer must have a vision of the truth of, “… the exceeding greatness of His (Christ’s) power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of His mighty power.” (1:19) This power belongs to the Christian, because the Christian belongs to Christ, and is in union with Him. We are to live by the same Spirit and power that Christ knew, and by which He overcame all the power of the enemy.
Dear Father, Fill us with the power of Christ, to live in the glorious liberty of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad