“What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!”
MARK 1:27
She must see Him. He was in Perea teaching at the synagogue. The pain was especially intense today. It would be easier to stay home. Better to just rest. But something else inside her compelled her to go. Besides, she had grown used to the pain. Her deformity was part of her now. For as long as she could remember, she had been bent double. The pain had come suddenly. When? She thought for a moment, calculating the time. It was eighteen years ago. She woke up one morning with stiff joints and pain in her lower back. She remembered how leaning forward helped to relieve the pain. As the insidious pain continued, she continued to compensate by leaning forward. Eventually, her spine froze permanently, making it virtually impossible to stand up straight. Yes, I must go.
When she arrived at the synagogue, she made her way toward the women’s gallery. She was thankful for an empty seat on the first row. Climbing had become nearly impossible. When Jesus stood up to teach, He immediately noticed her. Her bent posture forced her eyes to look upward at Him. She squirmed as He studied her for a moment. He seemed to know something about her even she didn’t know. Then He called her over. She slowly moved toward Him, her eyes continuing to strain upward. In a gentle but commanding voice, He proclaimed, “Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness!” Then He touched her. She felt His power move directly to her spine, loosing and freeing bone and cartilage that had held her captive for years. Instantly, she could stand straight. And, oh, how she praised God! She was healed and set free (Luke 13:12–13)!
Early in His ministry, Jesus commanded an evil spirit out of a man in Capernaum and amazed the crowd by His teaching and authority. Even the evil spirits obeyed Him! Near Caesarea Philippi, He commanded an evil spirit causing deafness and muteness to come out of a child and never come back (Mark 9:25). Throughout His ministry, He went around healing all who were under the power of the devil (Acts 10:38). Now, in the final months of His ministry, He responded with compassion to this woman who suffered for eighteen years from a form of arthritis caused by an evil spirit (Luke 13:11).
That Satan would attack people and cause physical illness should come as no surprise. Scripture warns us to be alert because our great enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). But not all physical or mental illness is caused by a direct attack from Satan. There are many causes of sickness in our fallen world. Certain diseases have an organic cause, physiological change to some tissue or organ of the body. We can fall sick by contacting the source of an infectious disease. Malnutrition causes illness and death in many Third World countries throughout the world, and even in parts of the West. For many, a compromised immune system due to fatigue, burnout, or failure to care for our bodies contributes to poor health. Whatever the direct cause of illness, Satan is the original source of all disease, because he is the source of all evil (John 10:10). He brought sin into the world in the garden, and sickness and disease came along with it.
But Jesus came with good news! He has power and authority over all things (Matthew 28:18). Just one touch from Him restored what the enemy had stolen from this woman for eighteen long years. And He gave us the same authority to cast out demons and heal diseases in His name (John 14:12). Whatever enemy you face today in your journey toward wellness, whatever power the enemy has used against you, Jesus is more powerful. Whatever lies he has told you about your prognosis, Jesus is the truth. No matter how long you have suffered, Jesus has the final authority. Even evil spirits obey Him.
Lord, thank You that You are a God of compassion and Your heart’s desire is to set me free. Lord, You have the final authority over sickness and disease. The enemy may have plotted against me, but You have the power to destroy his evil plans. You have the power to make me whole. If there is a spirit at the root of my illness, I command it to go now in the name of Jesus and never come back!
Lord, thank You that You are more powerful than the enemy. In Your name, I reclaim everything he has stolen from me! I praise You, Lord, for the victory You have won for me! I am more than a conqueror in You (Romans 8:37). I love You, Lord.