In brief
The bent-over woman is met by Jesus in a synagogue on the Sabbath. A spirit of infirmity had afflicted her for eighteen years: “She was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up” (Luke 13:11). Jesus sees her, speaks to her and lays his hands on her; at once she stands up straight and glorifies God. The synagogue ruler is indignant at a healing on the Sabbath; Jesus calls her “a daughter of Abraham” whom Satan had bound. Her story shows a Savior who frees and lifts up.
What does the name The Bent-Over Woman mean?
The Bible does not give her name. Luke presents her as “a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years” (Luke 13:11) and says she was bent over: hence the name the bent-over woman. Jesus calls her “a daughter of Abraham” (Luke 13:16), a title that speaks of her belonging to the covenant people.
The story of The Bent-Over Woman
Eighteen years bent over, in the synagogue
Luke 13:10-11Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath. A woman is there who “had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. She was bent over, and could in no way straighten herself up.” She asks for nothing, does not cry out, does not come forward. She is part of the scenery, as she has been for eighteen years. But she has come to the house where the word of God is heard.
Woman, you are freed from your infirmity
Luke 13:12-13“When Jesus saw her, he called her, and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.’” Then he lays his hands on her, “and immediately she stood up straight and glorified God.” Jesus takes the initiative: he sees her, calls her, touches her. After eighteen years she stands upright, and her first reaction is to praise God.
The indignation of the synagogue ruler
Luke 13:14The ruler of the synagogue, “being indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath,” does not speak to Jesus but to the crowd: “There are six days in which men ought to work. Therefore come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day!” Before a woman set upright and glorifying God, he sees only a breach of his rules.
Hypocrites! The ox, the donkey and the daughter of Abraham
Luke 13:15-16The Lord answers: “You hypocrites!” Each of them frees his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it to water. “Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound eighteen long years, be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” Jesus restores her dignity: she is not a case, she is a daughter of Abraham.
The adversaries’ confusion, the crowd’s joy
Luke 13:17“As he said these things, all his adversaries were disappointed and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.” The scene ends on two opposite reactions: the shame of those who preferred the rule to the person, and the joy of those who saw God at work. Jesus then goes on to the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast.
Test your knowledge
What The Bent-Over Woman teaches us
- Jesus sees the one everyone had stopped seeing: he sees you too, even if you have been bent over for years.
- God is not content with a little relief: he wants to set you fully upright and make you glorify his name.
- Do not let a religious tradition make you miss God’s compassion for people who suffer.
- You are more than an infirmity or a past: Jesus calls you by your belonging to his people, like this “daughter of Abraham.”
- Deliverance comes from Jesus and his word, not from your efforts: this woman had asked for nothing.
Key verses
Jesus sees the woman, calls her and declares her freed even before touching her. The initiative of the healing comes entirely from him.
Jesus calls her a daughter of Abraham and reveals that Satan had bound her. The Sabbath, a day of rest given by God, is the day above all to free someone from such a chain.
After the laying on of hands she stands up straight at once and glorifies God. The healing received from Jesus immediately leads to praise.
Sermons about The Bent-Over Woman
- Revelation 3: Which Table Are You Sitting At?In a synagogue, Jesus notices a woman bent over for eighteen years. He discerns that a spiritual power holds her bound, lays his hands on her, and she stands up straight on the spot: Jesus still loosens bonds today.
- Matthew 13: The Kingdom Present Before It Is VisibleLuke places the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast right after the healing of this woman whom Jesus calls “a daughter of Abraham”: the kingdom can appear in a single restored life, and a healing is not insignificant because it is small.
Frequently asked questions
Who was the bent-over woman in the Bible?
She is a woman who was disabled for eighteen years, bent over and unable to straighten up, whom Jesus heals in a synagogue on the Sabbath (Luke 13:10-17). He tells her she is freed, lays his hands on her, and she stands up at once, glorifying God. Jesus calls her “a daughter of Abraham.” The Bible does not give her name.
Why did Jesus heal her on the Sabbath?
Jesus answers the synagogue ruler himself: everyone frees his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath to lead it to water, so all the more should this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years, be freed (Luke 13:15-16). The Sabbath does not forbid doing good; it is a day for deliverance.
Where is the story of the bent-over woman found in the Bible?
This account is reported only by Luke, in Luke 13:10-17. It comes during Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, right after the call to repentance and the parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:1-9), and just before the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast (Luke 13:18-21).