The account of the woman with infirmity is a profound illustration of glorifying God through faith and healing. This narrative is found in the Gospel of Luke, specifically in Luke 13:10-17. It provides a compelling example of Jesus' compassion and power, as well as the appropriate human response to divine intervention.

Biblical Account

In Luke 13:10-17 , the account unfolds as Jesus is teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. A woman appears who has been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She is described as being bent over and unable to straighten herself. The text states: "When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said, 'Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.' Then He laid His hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and glorified God" (Luke 13:12-13).

Theological Significance

The healing of the woman with infirmity is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrates Jesus' authority over physical and spiritual ailments. The woman's condition is attributed to a spirit, indicating a spiritual bondage that Jesus has the power to break. This act of healing on the Sabbath also underscores Jesus' lordship over the Sabbath, emphasizing that acts of mercy and compassion are in perfect harmony with God's will.

Secondly, the woman's response to her healing is immediate and instructive. Upon being healed, she glorifies God. This response highlights the appropriate reaction to divine grace and intervention—praise and thanksgiving. Her glorification of God serves as a testament to the power and goodness of God, witnessed by all present in the synagogue.

Cultural and Religious Context

The setting of this miracle in a synagogue on the Sabbath is crucial. The synagogue was a central place of worship and teaching for the Jewish community, and the Sabbath was a day set apart for rest and worship. Jesus' healing on the Sabbath challenges the prevailing interpretations of the law, particularly those held by the religious leaders of the time. The synagogue leader's indignation at Jesus' actions reveals a legalistic approach to the Sabbath, which Jesus counters by emphasizing the value of compassion and the true purpose of the Sabbath.

Lessons on Glorifying God

The account of the woman with infirmity teaches several lessons about glorifying God. It illustrates that glorifying God is a natural and fitting response to His works and presence. The woman's immediate praise upon her healing serves as a model for believers, demonstrating that recognition of God's intervention should lead to worship and testimony.

Furthermore, the narrative encourages believers to trust in Jesus' power to heal and deliver, both physically and spiritually. It reassures the faithful that no condition is beyond His reach and that His timing and methods, though sometimes unexpected, are perfect.

Application for Believers

For contemporary believers, the account of the woman with infirmity is a reminder of the importance of faith and the readiness to glorify God in all circumstances. It challenges Christians to look beyond legalistic constraints and to embrace the spirit of the law, which is love and mercy. The woman's account encourages believers to seek God's intervention in their lives and to respond with gratitude and praise, thereby glorifying God and bearing witness to His transformative power.Luke 13:13
And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Nave's Topical Index

A Changed Life
... remarkable recovery from a great infirmity, for instead of bondage which had held
this woman for eighteen years we behold her standing upright glorifying God. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/a changed life.htm

Saving Faith
... and hence the tears; in his the infirmity was uppermost ... The woman, it is said, loved
much, and she ... admirable, for he followed Jesus in the way, glorifying God. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 20 1874/saving faith.htm

John iv. 40-43
... not, it is the fault of their infirmity, not of ... Him through the words of the woman,
the second ... to persist just the same in giving thanks, in glorifying God. ...
/.../homilies on the gospel of st john and hebrews/homily xxxv john iv 40-43.htm

Miracles of Healing Unsolicited.
... mustard seed and the leaven, may, I think, have immediate reference to the cure
of this woman, and show that he regarded her glorifying of God for her ...
/.../macdonald/miracles of our lord/iv miracles of healing unsolicited.htm

Book ix. In the Last Book we Treated of the Indistinguishable ...
... the heretics deceive certain of the unlearned into ascribing to infirmity in the ...
the less to be confessed also Son of God: for by glorifying God through Lazarus ...
/.../hilary/the life and writings of st hilary of poitiers/book ix in the last.htm

Prayer Perfumed with Praise
... God to be glorified, and aim at glorifying him yourself ... answered your prayer, you
really have prevailed with God. ... you had promised to some poor woman that you ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 25 1879/prayer perfumed with praise.htm

Sweet Comfort for Feeble Saints
... that there is such a thing as glorifying God by sweeping ... prays for that boy; she
wrestles with God, and her ... blind, and lame, and halt, and the woman with child ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/sweet comfort for feeble saints.htm

Book iii. The Words of the Lord, I in the Father...
... may be glorified with God, even as He was glorifying His Father ... If God is His Father
and the sole source of His ... The answer is that a woman--and a fortiori the ...
/.../hilary/the life and writings of st hilary of poitiers/book iii the words of.htm

The Father.
... in heaven and on earth is named [980] : glorifying Him with ... that He was begotten
of a man and a woman. ... add yet another testimony in proof that God is called ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture vii the father.htm

Forgiveness Made Easy
... forth his Son Jesus Christ, born of a woman, made under ... God does forgive sin for
the sake of glorifying Christ. ... whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 24 1878/forgiveness made easy.htm

What does it mean to glorify God? | GotQuestions.org

How can I glorify God in everything I do? | GotQuestions.org

What does the Bible say about worship? | GotQuestions.org

Glorifying: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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