Do you believe John 3:16? Then why isn’t Mark 16:17–18 your daily life?
Hi, I’m Addison. You’re reading Bigger Than Me—a weekly guide devoted to removing the fears, doubts, and misconceptions that keep believers from healing the sick in everyday life.
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(Unsure if modern healing is something the Bible actually teaches? Start here.)
Original graphic by Bryan Arcebal
She shuffled into the synagogue the same way she always did. Quiet. Folded in on herself. Eyes to the floor.
No one reacted.
Why would they?
Jesus saw her and called her forward.
When she stood before Him, He spoke:
“Woman, you are freed from your disability.”
Then He laid hands on her.
She stood up straight.
The curve in her spine disappeared in an instant. Years of limitation gave way all at once, and she began praising God, her voice filling the sacred space.
That’s when the protest came.
The ruler of the synagogue objected to the timing. This wasn’t the day for such things. Healing could wait until tomorrow.
Jesus answered him in front of everyone.
He spoke of Satan’s bondage over this daughter of Abraham.
If they would untie an animal to relieve its suffering without hesitation, how could they defend leaving this woman bound another day?
The community had learned to live with her condition.
Jesus hadn’t.
God Must Be Teaching Her Something
It had been eighteen long years. If this woman was meant to be healed, surely it would have happened by now.
That’s how the lie takes hold.
Suffering that lasts starts to feel like God’s will. Delay then appears wise—framed as reverence instead of resignation.
Action got delayed. Healing was pushed into a safe future where no one has to confront why it hasn’t happened yet.
The lie doesn’t shout “God can’t heal.”
That’s too easy to spot.
Instead it whispers “He already chose not to.”
Once the lie settles in, nothing else needs to change.
Jesus Called It Bondage. Then He Ended It
Jesus did not treat eighteen years of suffering as evidence of God’s will.
He named it for what it was.
In His eyes, this was not a matter of His Father’s mystery, the woman’s spiritual growth, or divine restraint. Jesus diagnosed the affliction as Satan’s bondage, not Yahweh’s.
Then He ended it.
Time had not made the injury holy.
Endurance had not assigned it a purpose.
Delay had not increased God’s glory.
Jesus said this woman must be set free (Luke 13:16). Not eventually. Not after more time passed. Now.
Healing wasn’t an interruption. It was Jesus confronting what never belonged there.
Jesus treats sickness as something to be confronted and dealt with. Not studied for meaning, preserved for maturity, or protected by patience.
When Jesus acts, time carries no authority.
He ends the bondage.
A Prayer of Compassion
Original graphic by Bryan Arcebal
Dear Father,
Thank You for making me Your child.
Thank You that my identity is settled, not earned, and that I stand before You because of Jesus, not my performance.
Thank You that sickness does not come from You.
Thank You that what Jesus called bondage, You never called purpose.
I reject the lie that says time gives disease meaning.
I reject the lie that assumes waiting to address sickness is wisdom or that delaying proves reverence.
Because of Jesus, I have authority to confront what does not belong in the bodies of Your children.
My hands are not empty. My voice is not powerless. I do not need permission from time, fear, or tradition to act in love.
Holy Spirit, align my heart with the compassion that spurred Jesus to action.
Let me respond when You say “now,” not retreat into waiting.
I choose obedience over explanation.
I choose love over delay.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Until next time,
Addison
