Jesus Heals a Woman
on the
Sabbath
Fall 2023 *40th* Birthday
21; UK, Amsterdam, Israel
age 21 to age 40 = 18 Years
The term spirit of infirmity
occurs in Luke 13:11 specifically in the KJV
Here a woman who had been crippled for
eighteen years
is healed by Jesus on the Sabbath day.
Luke says she has a “spirit of infirmity” or a “disabling spirit”
or a “sickness caused by a spirit”
or is “crippled by a spirit”
Quite simply then, this “spirit of infirmity” is a
demon who caused the
woman to be crippled for eighteen years.
The Bible is clear that spiritual warfare exists.
Ephesians 6:12 says,
“For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against
the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
And, from Luke 13, it is clear that evil spirits can
sometimes cause physical maladies.
However, it is not
clear that there are specific spirits
whose “specialty” is such
things as sickness or poverty or anger.
Luke’s reference to the
“spirit of infirmity”
indicates that, at least in that one case,
a demon had been
granted power
to
inflict a disability.
Extrapolating a doctrine that categorizes demons
according to the afflictions
they cause goes beyond what the
Bible teaches.
We need to be careful not to overemphasize the power of demons.
Many human ailments are simply caused by living in a fallen world, and there are many instances in Luke’s gospel of people being healed of diseases with no mention of a demonic cause.
In Luke 13 Jesus specifically speaks of Satan
having bound this woman
But, in many other cases of healing,
He simply heals
with no mention of evil spirits involved.
The major thing to observe from Luke 13:10–17 is
the
power and compassion of Jesus.
In an instant,
He overcame the disability this
woman had been
struggling with for eighteen years.
He healed her on the
Sabbath day,
to the indignation of the
Pharisees.
He responded to her need with compassion,
calling the woman a
daughter of Abraham
(verse 16) and
highlighting how much
God loved her and was willing to free her.
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