Message

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JESUS SET US FREE

Luke 13:10-17

Key Verse: 13:12 “When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”

  Last week we heard the message titled, “Repent or Perish” We have the tendency to judge others, thinking that we are better than them. When bad things happen to others, we often think that they deserve such things. I think like this whenever I see another driver receiving a ticket from a police officer. But how did Jesus warn us?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Instead of judging others, we must view our own sins and repent. Repentance is not only changing our thoughts, but also changing our lives from sin to God. It requires our obedience to God’s word in our daily life. Jesus gave us two options, whether we “Repent or perish.”

  Today, Jesus does not warn us, but shows us his unceasing compassion for sinners like us. Jesus demonstrated his compassion by healing a crippled woman. Jesus said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Today, let us learn how Jesus healed this woman and how he gave her a new body and a new life.

  This story happened on a Sabbath while Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. A synagogue is a Jewish meeting place for worship and Bible study. As we do every Sunday, Jews did not work on the Sabbath but gathered at the synagogue to hear God’s word. Jesus was teaching the word of God while surrounded by many. The eyes of everyone followed each movement of Jesus. But Jesus’ eyes fell on a woman who was hidden by the crowd. Jesus focused on her. Who was she? Look at verse 11. “and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.” Outward appearance is important to a woman. So women usually take longer to make up and dress than men. Men need to make sure to only make positive comments about women’s outward appearance. But to this woman, her outward appearance was no longer important. She no longer cared about make up and dresses because she had been crippled for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. Literally speaking, she was a hunchback. Until we lose our health, we don’t realize the importance of being healthy. How blessed we are when we are free to walk and free to stretch out! But this woman could not straighten up at all. She could not cook properly because she was bent over. She loved children, but she couldn’t hug them dearly because of her crooked back. While others were walking, jumping, and running, she was always creeping along like an American possum. She could only see people’s legs and feet. There was no heaven to her, but only ground. This woman was an object of sympathy.

  Verse 11 says that she had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. So she was really crippled not by her deformed body, but by Satan. In verse 16 Jesus said that Satan had kept bound her for eighteen years. Human beings are spiritual beings. People believe that our bodies are separated from our spirits. But, body and spirit are intimately related to each other. For example, when you are gripped with fear, you cannot move even a finger. Fear paralyzed your whole body. But when you are filled with the Holy Spirit, your body produces unlimited strength and energy. The woman in this passage had been filled with sorrow and despair. Whenever she tried to straighten up, Satan whispered to her, saying, “No, you can’t. You are crippled. Give up!” In this way Satan had bound her not for a year, but for eighteen years. For eighteen years not only her body but also her soul had been crippled.

  When Jesus saw her, his heart went out to her. He was filled with compassion for her. So he stopped teaching and called her forward. But it was not easy for her to appear in public. Even though she didn’t care about her outward appearance, her pride as a woman kept her from standing in public. Until now she had received enough contempt and humiliation from people. Appearing in public, especially before the critical and judging religious leaders, was like killing herself. However, her desire to be healed overpowered all these obstacles. Above all, she was moved by Jesus’ compassion. She did not expect that Jesus would notice her among the crowd. Jesus could have ignored her or delayed healing her. However, Jesus stopped teaching and called her forward. By faith she came to Jesus.

  What did Jesus say to her? Look at verse12, “When Jesus saw here, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Jesus proclaimed her freedom from infirmity. Here the word ‘infirmity’ defines the state of being ‘in-firm”, of being weak and sick in body. Biblically speaking, infirmity is not confined to physical ailments, but also implies moral and spiritual frailty caused by Adam’s original sin. In the beginning, God provided men with strong and immortal bodies. There was no sickness, pain, aging, or death in the beginning. God made men perfect. However, Adam failed to keep this blessing. He sinned against God by disobeying God’s word. Since then, Adam was cursed and began to suffer from infirmity, along with his wife. God said in Genesis 3:16, “To woman he (God) said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.” To Adam God said, “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life….By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Ge 3:17-19)

We are the descendants of Adam and Eve regardless of our differences of race, nationality, and culture. As long as we keep these infirm bodies, we suffer from weaknesses and sickness. This woman suffered from her crippled body. She was also accused by Satan who had bound her with sorrow and despair for the last eighteen years. Now Jesus calls her to stand. Now, the day of liberation has come. The day of healing by God’s mercy has reached her. Jesus sets her free from her infirmity, saying, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” When Jesus sets her free, she is free indeed.  Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin….So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (Jn 8:34,36)

Jesus has authority to set us free from our infirmities. Jesus has power to heal us from all our sickness and weakness. The prophet Isaiah prophesied about this in Isaiah 53:4,5 “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, …But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”  At that time, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. Why was Jesus going to Jerusalem? He was on his way to Jerusalem to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah. He was going to Jerusalem to take up our infirmities and carry our sorrows. He would soon suffer and die. He would be nailed to the cross and would shed his precious blood. By his wounds we have been healed. By his death we have been freed from eternal condemnation. We praise Jesus who took up our infirmities in order to set us free. We give thanks to Jesus for his sacrificial death on the cross for our sins.

Today Jesus is willing to show his love to us. He is willing to set us free from our infirmities. I believe that Jesus has already set you free from your infirmities today. I believe that Jesus has healed you from your chronic sickness and weaknesses by his mercy and power. Jesus is also ready to set you free from whatever binds you. What really binds you in body and soul?  Some may be bound by addiction to internet surfing or watching pornography.  Others may be bound by despair, sense of failure, and sense of loss. I pray that Jesus may set you free from all of these. Still others may be bound by fear, hatred, anger, lust and other evil spirits. May Jesus set you free from all these infirmities! May Jesus set you free from all obsession, oppression, and addiction! If Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed. Amen.

What did Jesus do after he said this to her? Look at verse 13. “Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.” Jesus healed the sick by putting his hands on them in only a few cases. Jesus could have healed her just by saying the words. His words had enough power and authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal the sick. However, Jesus put his hands on her. He touched her. It was the healing touch of God’s hand. The Messiah demonstrated his compassionate love for the crippled woman. When the hands of Jesus touched her, all her sorrow was gone. All the wounds deep in her soul were healed. No one had wanted to be touched by her, even by accident. People had avoided her as much as possible. But Jesus put his hands on her and healed her. Jesus’ touching love saved her soul and lifted her up. When Jesus put his hands on her, immediately she straightened up and praised God. She was set free from her infirmity as Jesus had proclaimed. Her heart was filled with joy and thanks to God. In the past, she could not sit on a chair properly. But now, she stood up and praised God with joyful singspiration.

 There was a young girl in Astana Kazakhstan. When she was a year old, her parents left her. She grew up under her grandmother. However, anger and bitterness grew in her heart as years went by. She felt abandoned by her parents. She abused her body and soul until her anger subsided. She hated her life. So she attempted to commit suicide several times. Each time she failed. However, she met a UBF missionary and began to study the bible. Through the bible studies, she came to know that God made her life beautiful and that he had a great plan for her life. It took time for her to understand this. However, she began to taste the love of God little by little through Jesus. Finally she accepted God’s love, by which he sent his One and Only Son Jesus Christ to die for her sins. The moment she accepted Jesus as her Savior and Lord, she became a new creation. Her life was completely changed from darkness to light, from death to life. She began to praise God by singing and dancing. Jesus set her free from her infirmity and gave her a new body and a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

There is no failure and despair in Jesus. Jesus took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. He has power and authority to set us free from our infirmities. Above all, he is full of compassion and mercy for helpless and powerless sinners like us. I pray that we all may hear Jesus’ word and be healed from our weaknesses and sickness. Amen.

While the woman was praising God with joy, there was a very unhappy man among the crowd. He was the synagogue ruler. He was indignant because Jesus had healed her on the Sabbath. So he said to people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” (14) In modern terms, he meant, “Do not go to hospital on Sunday. Wait until Monday to be healed.” How did Jesus answer the man? Look at verses 1516. “The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not his woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” What Jesus meant was that the woman was much important and precious than animals and that she deserved to be healed anytime and anywhere.  Love goes beyond the law. In fact, the spirit of the law is love. In exercising love, there are no limitations or restrictions.

Look at verse 17. “When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.” I believe that some day we all will be delighted with all the wonderful things Jesus has done for us. The day when we are liberated from these mortal bodies and clothed with new, glorious heavenly bodies, we will be delighted with our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul described the day of liberation saying, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.”  (1 Cor 15:51-54) Amen.

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