Sin, Sickness And Healing

When you study the New Testament seriously you come upon some curious passages about illness. I consider the following one of them. It's about a woman who appears to have had idiopathic scoliosis, advancing for the past eighteen years. We don't know that, of course. All physician Luke says is that she was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. He goes on to record Jesus' healing and this comment by Jesus to the ruler of the local synagogue (Luke 13:11-17).

"And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" 

Why does our Lord describe her illness as a binding by Satan? Curious, to say the least. The idea of binding is common in the N.T. Strong men are tied up, a demoniac couldn't be bound with chains, colts are tied to a post and—note this—Jesus gives Peter and the other disciples the authority to bind and to loose (Matthew 16:17-19). This authority is called "the keys of the kingdom of heaven" and is invariably understood within the church to refer to the authority to forgive or retain forgiveness of sins.

Is there a connection between illness and unforgiven sins? Most assuredly or should I say sadly. Here's what the Apostle James writes:

"Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16).

When James describes people being sick he chooses a verb (kamno in Greek) used only one other time in the N.T. in Hebrews 12:3. In that chapter the Hebrews author talks about struggling with sin, particularly when the struggle is against others who are hostile and angry with you. As I read that I can't help but think about the many families in which there are daily conflicts between husband and wife, between parents and children and between siblings. The quarrels and hostility never end. That's why the Hebrews writer urges us to consider Jesus so that we don't get weary (kamno = sick) and lose heart, become discouraged and give up in body, mind and soul.

I can imagine this woman enduring 18 years of this kind of life until she was bent over with discouragement and hopelessness. She would never get out of her marriage. She would never be rid of the man who beat her down with his bitter words, his endless demands, his demeaning remarks and  his frequent physical attacks.

Then along comes our Lord, fully aware of what has been going on, intimately aware of the true nature of her sickness. He calls her to Himself and, laying his hands on her, says, "Woman, you are freed from your sickness, your weakness, your disability." In other words, "Ma'am, God loves you even if your husband hates you. I love you and accept you into my fellowship. Feel my hands upon you. I want to be in touch with you right now and forever to bless and guide you. You are not the stupid, ignorant, useless pile of garbage that man has been saying you are all these years. You are a precious, wondrous and beautiful daughter of God. So straighten up. Move on. I'm with you and together we'll make it through the days ahead until one day we will dwell together in the Father's house."

Perhaps this good news will help you, dear reader, as well. Satan cannot condemn you now that Jesus is in your life. He may send demons to accuse, mock and malign you through members of your family, people at work or your so-called friends. Their ugly words may be making you sick, bending you over with and weighing you down with suffering, pain and weariness. But consider Jesus. Go to your pastor or a believing brother or sister. Tell them about your sin, weakness and sorrow. Confess your part in all of this. Then open yourself to allow them to speak the words of Jesus upon you so you may be forgiven, loosed and freed. Discover the freedom that is rightly yours in Christ. And then move on with your life under the blessing of Jesus, your Savior and Redeemer.