Jesus Heals a Bent-Over Woman
Biblical Stories of Healing
Reflection By Scott Stoner
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
- Luke 13:12-13
For eighteen years, the woman had been bent over, unable to stand straight or look up. During those eighteen years, had anyone really seen her? If we ask the “What do you see?” question introduced by Brian Cole on Sunday, we learn that what Jesus saw was a child of God who needed healing. He saw and knew that her need for healing was more important than the law that forbade healing on the Sabbath.
God’s desire for healing always prioritizes human need over human-made religious regulations. In this story, Jesus reveals that, paradoxically, even religious systems can be complicit in causing people to bend over and be unable to stand tall. Sometimes the church itself has been complicit in bending people over with shame, exclusion, and oppressive theology.
It is worth noting that Jesus called the bent-over woman forward and laid hands on her before she even asked. God’s healing isn’t always dependent on our request—sometimes divine love takes initiative, seeing our bondage even when we’ve normalized it. It’s possible that after eighteen years, this woman had stopped imagining she could stand up straight.
Making It Personal: What, if anything, is keeping you bent over right now, perhaps not necessarily physically, but emotionally or spiritually? What invitation for healing might God be offering to you right now that eventually could help you to stand upright?