When Jesus Saw Her

Come with me; I want to take you inside a story found only one place in the Word of God, Luke 13:10-13. Luke alone included it in his writings; perhaps because he was a physician, and as such was concerned about people's health. Is there an unknown underlying element, a reason we will find when we look into this account of a meeting that moved Jesus to do something without even being asked; action that came from the love and compassion of His Father's heart.

"And He (Jesus) was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 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. And when Jesus saw her, He called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And He laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God."

Jesus was known to spend each Sabbath teaching in one of the hundreds of synagogues throughout Israel as He traveled around the country. Just a side thought … I wonder if His subject this day could have perhaps been something to do with the doctrine of God's love and mercy.

The object lesson of that love presented itself to Jesus in the form of this woman in the synagogue that had a spirit of infirmity for the past eighteen years. She had an infirmity, a condition, which by divine permission from God had been brought upon her by an evil spirit, which was the cause of her condition.

When I say that it was by God's permission that Satan was allowed to inflict this infirmity upon this woman; I refer to the only reason I have found for the Book of Job being in the Bible … and that is to teach the Doctrine of God's Sovereignty and Providence.

It is to be observed in the Book of Job as well as other places in the Word that Satan is subject to the Sovereignty of God, and is dependent on His commands. But Satan, although incensed against mankind, and desiring to do harm is yet described as bound with a chain, and never dares to touch man unless God allows him access.

Therefore I assume with this woman's infirmity, as was also the case with Job, God allowed Satan … access to her.

In the Book of Job, a second conversation is recorded between God and Satan. God is basically saying to Satan … "I allowed you to take everything Job had, his possessions, his children, his health, and still you want more … his life. You want Me to destroy him without a reason." Job 2:3-6 (My translation)

Satan is urging God to afflict Job and would have had God do it Himself; but God afflicts not willingly; therefore, if it must be done, let Satan do it … who delights in such work. So God says … "He is in thy hand, do thy worst with him" … but gives him a limitation … "save his life. Afflict him, but not to death."

Ecclesiastes 3:1 … "To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven …"

God has a purpose for what He does and what He allows others to do and even a time when it is to be performed. God governs the world; but we cannot always see … the reasons for His conduct.

One of those reasons that we can't see, let alone understand, is why affliction is allowed to come to us. Sickness along with the sentence of death is part of the curse that God pronounced upon the world because of sin … and we are in it.

I don't believe God ever makes you sick.

But may I suggest there may be times … for whatever unknown reason … God gives the opportunity and the permission for Satan to bring sickness or disease to your body. Is God not sovereign? I think this may also be the underlying reason for this woman's infirmity.

Satan is one who delights in the opportunity and in the permission to inflict the tortures of sickness and disease on man, and who goes as far in producing misery as he is allowed … restrained from destroying man only by the express command of God.

There are times when God is the cause of how things work by intervening in our lives. At other times our decisions may be the indirect result of His influence at work on our lives to bring about "His Sovereign Will." I believe that God is sovereign over everything that happens in the world either by direct cause from His hand or the secondary causes He has already placed in nature … including the curse of sickness and disease operated by Satan.

God therefore is … ultimately responsible … for everything.

There is one point of truth and reality about the "Sovereignty of God" I want to nail down and feel I must hammer home. God must be in total control of everything created … everything. That's part of being Sovereign. If there is even one molecule that is not under His control, one tiny little speck running around in God's created universe that He is not in control of … just one … then that means that God is not in total control of what He made.

If anything is outside of His authority, outside of His control … including Satan and sickness; then He is no longer God over all things … and that can not be.

Now back to the woman in the synagogue.

Jesus always lived out the "will" of the Father; so if He healed this woman then it was the "will" of God to do so. But after He healed this woman, the leader of the synagogue became indignant because Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath, leading Jesus to respond in return with this question.

Luke 13:16 … " 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?"

With this question … Jesus is verifying the fact that Satan was the cause of this infirmity. Did Satan wait for the opportunity to inflict this woman with this disease when God wasn't looking? Was God unaware of what Satan wanted to do; was He caught off guard … or was God fully responsible by allowing Satan access to her if only by the fact that He didn't prevent this infirmity … perhaps to fulfill His plan and purpose in her and Christ's lives.

I know; I'm aware that this sounds like a lot of … "what if's" … but who's to say.

Observe, although she lived with this infirmity she went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day to worship. Life had to be difficult and hard for her … but she went.

"When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him" … This speaks to the compassion, mercy and grace of God from the fact that it does not appear that she made any request of Him, or even had any expectation of healing from Him; but as God has proven many times … before she could call he answered.

She came to Him to be taught, to get food for her soul; but the mercy of Christ also gave this poor woman relief from her bodily infirmity. It was God's "will" that she should … "be in health, even as her soul prospereth." (3rd John 2)

"And He laid His hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God." Even if we only had this one example, it alone is enough to confirm that God heals; but that has never been in question.

The two questions most people seem to ask about healing are …

1.) "Is healing always God's will for us?" The obvious answer must be no; for if God always healed every time, in every circumstance, at every age we would never need to die, and that's not God's plan.

2.) "Why aren't we healed every time we pray?" This answer is much more complex than the first. Faith can play a part … "Do we really believe that what we believe is really real?" Then there's doubt and unbelief. Jesus asked Peter one time … "Why did you doubt?" Has He ever asked you the same thing?

In truth … "I don't know." The answer to both questions has to do with His plan and purpose for your life … "God's unrevealed will" … the secret things that only He knows.

Any sickness or disease we experience is just another opportunity for Jesus to show His love and compassion one more time as He did with this woman in the synagogue that Sabbath day many years ago. And even if He doesn't, things are still just and right.

But from what I see in this story and from what Job teaches; Satan is sometimes allowed to work his evil; but many times he is not given that permission … God's Sovereign Will determines which happens. I have no problem with that.

God is sovereign you know.