Freed

“And when Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” Luke 13:12

Freed – From Jesus lips, this broken woman hears a tenderness that she has not known for a long time.  She has been used to, “Get out of the way” and “There is nothing I can do for you.”  She may have overheard, “Look at that poor thing” or “What did she do for God to punish her like that?”  This is not what she hears from Jesus.

Nevertheless, what Jesus says is not what we expect.  Jesus is healing a deformity of the spine.  We expect, “you are healed from your sickness.”  But Jesus uses a word that implies bondage, not illness.  He literally says that she has been let free.  The Greek verb is apolutrosis.  What is really means is so important that it changes everything about this verse.  This Greek verb is about paying a ransom in order to free a slave or prisoner.  It is the word for redemption.  Jesus is not healing this woman.  He is redeeming her from the bondage of Satan.

Jesus says that her illness was not the result of God’s judgment but rather the work of Satan.   Jesus affirmed that this illness was evil.  It was not part of God’s intention for this woman.  In fact, in the discussion that follows, Jesus specifically tells the objecting Pharisees that this woman had been bound by Satan all of these years.  On this day, Jesus fulfills one of the functions of the messianic announcement from Isaiah 61.  He releases a captive.

Did you notice that there is no mention of forgiveness?  There is no request for repentance.  There is no command to pray.  This action is a demonstration of God’s intention to release His children from the chains that bind them simply because God is merciful.  Jesus didn’t ask her to do anything to deserve freedom.  He just gave it to her.

Jesus came to loose every woman bound by the power of Satan.  The Scripture tells us that He took our weaknesses on Himself in order to release us from captivity.  What binds you today?  Where is the hopelessness of your life?  What bends your back with its heavy load?  What keeps you looking at the ground when God wants you to raise your eyes to heaven?  Come when He calls.  He will lay His hands on you and say,

“Woman, you have been set free.”

Today’s Response:  Today I will let Jesus free me from one of the things that bend my back.  I will let Him lay hands on me and make me free.