So what exactly did this mean? The lady in the scripture passage had a crippled back. What infirmities did I have that Jesus was promising to loose me from? At the time, I was a single mom. I struggled with the loss of my oldest son; with bills; with trying to finish raising some of my damaged kids; with seeing how my past mistakes had affected my older kids; with doing physical work at a job that was ultimately going to get me nowhere and other similar issues.
Of course I had fantasies of sudden wealth and a life of ease. My family and I would walk in the proverbial rose garden from that time forward. Health and happiness would abound.
Well, that didn’t happen. These years later, I have remarried, but still struggle to make ends meet. My kids are grown, but some of them are wrestling with issues in their lives. One of them is in prison. I have a different job, but it is still physical, demanding work with very few benefits. Over the years, I have reminded myself of the epiphany of Luke 13:12, although I’ve been unsure exactly what infirmities He has loosed me from.
My answer was actually found in the next verse down: “And He laid His hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God”. I began to consider this woman. She had been bowed over for 18 years, no doubt in considerable pain. Her view of the world was limited, because her suffering prevented her from looking up. She may have been ridiculed; perhaps had no one to take care of or provide for her. She would have been considered unclean by Jewish law, because she was lame. In an instant, by one touch of the Master’s hand, her life radically changed. She could stand up straight. She could look to the heavens. She could jump. She could run. She could live a normal life, and be accepted among God’s pure people.
Naturally, her response was to glorify God. I picture this lady with her arms raised and tears of joy streaming down her face as she leapt and danced around her Healer. Who wouldn’t react in such a manner? But what if she had continued to shuffle along, hunched over and letting sorrow and defeat have the victory in her life, even after being made straight? Wasn’t that what I was doing?
What exactly had Jesus promised me? “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity”. Was there anything about money in that promise? Anything about having no sadness or problems? No. My Lord’s promise to me was that he would take away the things that made it difficult for me to look at Him; the things that made me impure and the hopelessness that crushed my soul. He would make me stand up straight and enable me to jump for joy.
His reassurance in I Peter 5:7 explains it perfectly. “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you”. I am loosed from my infirmity because I know He cares about me. He is holding me up, no matter what happens. Even when I can’t see it, He is opening doors for me. So what is my response? I will lift my hands to my blessed Redeemer and glorify Him. No longer will my burdens weigh me down – I will walk upright, leaping and twirling (not physically, of course – wouldn’t that be a sight?!). Lord, help me to embrace this reality – teach me to dance!
