Daily Bible Reading 7th October 2026 // Luke 13:10-17
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
There are three points that require our attention and consideration in this story: the nature of the miracle that was performed, the reaction of the synagogue leader to it, and the ultimate significance of the miracle in the context of the gospel. As to the miracle itself, we are told that the woman had a spirit of infirmity. Some take this in general terms as simply descriptive of illness in the physical realm; others, more accurately, and in line with what Jesus Himself says in 16, as a work of Satan. It is true that all illness is ultimately traceable to Satan, as all sin is: illness is simply a shadow, a foretaste, a part, of death, and death is something that Satan is responsible for, and has the power over. It is true also that dealing with demons is not usually referred to as healing (as it is referred to in 14), and that the casting out of demons was not performed by the laying on of hands, but by the word of command. But it was in fact the synagogue ruler, not Jesus, who spoke of it as healing. Jesus loosed her from her infirmity (12). Also, the laying on of hands followed the casting out (12, 13) (cf also Mark 9:27). Also, when a 'spirit of infirmity' is spoken of, it is generally indicative of some supernatural influence or power. This is not to say that illness was a psychological one, and 'all in the mind'. This demon possession was physical, and real. Beyond that, we cannot say. But we should not be afraid of the implications of this word, namely that human lives - minds and bodies - can be assailed by alien powers, which can do them terrible despite. Here, it was for a period of eighteen years. But the power of the Lord was present to deliver, and that in a sovereign way. It was an unsolicited miracle. There was no expression of her need: the initiative was all with Him. And it was by His Word that the miracle was wrought. It was a word of power. This is the glorious picture of the gospel, this is what the gospel is about: every miracle He wrought was the gospel in microcosm; for every one of them was possible because of what the gospel is - the power of God unto salvation confronting the human situation! Here is the Stronger than Satan loosing the captives!