“And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?””
Luke 13:16 ESV
How often do the people around us not realize who they belong too? I am not talking about being someone’s property but about being part of something that is greater than themselves. Jesus pointed out to the synagogue leader that the person before him was a person, not just a number, not just an injury, but a daughter of Abraham. For some people we don’t always see people that are different than us, or see those who are easily deemed less than us. It is sad that people could even think of themselves as less than. It is horrendous to think of how people could miss the image of God, a daughter of God, a child of God like each of us.
Jesus isn’t just pointing out this fact to the synagogue leader and all the others present, He is telling this woman who has endured physical pain and who has been marginalized for years that she was recognized. She was a daughter of Abraham. She is a daughter of Abraham. Jesus wasn’t just healing her body, but also her identity.
Jesus does the same for us. Healing our bodies, our hearts, our minds, and our souls. No, we don’t always get what we want but that doesn’t mean that Jesus doesn’t meet what we truly need. He reminds us that we are His, loved and cared for, redeemed and reconciled.