In today’s Gospel, a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years is bent over and unable to stand up straight. Eighteen years is a long time. Was she old or relatively young? Today we understand more about the direct connection between our emotional/mental state and our bodies. What was it that crippled her 18 years earlier? Did she experience something traumatic?
What might be crippling you or someone you care about today? A “crippling spirit” negatively impacts our personal selves, our families, our friendships, our communities. A “crippling spirit” keeps us from being free, no matter how invisible the chains might be.
Jesus announces, Woman, you are set free from your ailment. (vs. 12) As he lays his hands on her, she is immediately healed and stands up straight. She’s set free. What might it look like for us to be set free?
Pastor Bruce Arnevik