Crippled by Satan

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The woman had been stooped over for 18 years.  She did not have the ability to straighten herself up.  Imagine the discomfort and public shame this brought.  Likely her backbone vertebrae had become fused together.  But she caught the eye of Jesus.  He saw her, called her over to him, and spoke words of healing to her.  She received the Great Physician’s touch and immediately straightened up.  She glorified God (Luke 13:10-17)!

Later in his discussion with the Synagogue leader, Jesus says she had been bound by Satan for 18 years.  Satan had crippled her physically.  The term Luke uses to refer to her condition is a broad one meaning weakness, disability, or being without strength.  It is mostly used to refer to physical illness or just to the overall human predicament of being frail and weak.  We are all crippled!  Satan wants to bind us in his slavery.

Disabilities are a tool of Satan.  Satan bound this woman for 18 years.  Satan brings tremendous pain and suffering upon our world today.  When we are suffering with our own infirmities we ask “Why?”.  The answer is sometimes easy, but often it is more complicated or mysterious.  Satan is a part of the answer!  God gets blamed for far too much of the chaos Satan causes!  We should be mad at Satan!  We must realize he can use these disabilities to hold us in bondage.  We must not let Satan use our weaknesses.  He must not be allowed to turn our pain into his triumph.

Jesus wants to loose us from the bondage of Satan (Luke 13:10-17; John 8:31-36),  We must determine to allow our weaknesses to bring us closer to God.  Our weaknesses can either be used to bind us under the hand of Satan, or we can choose the freedom of Jesus.  God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).  May we be set free and glorify God with our lives!