She had been oppressed, bent over for 18 long years. When Jesus sees her, He does not allow another moment to pass, He didn’t wait for the right timnng, He didn’t ask her about past sin. No, He looked upon her, had compassion and said, “Today you are free! This oppression ends today.”

The words He used, “thou are loosed” has the same meaning as divorced. Often we allow our oppression to become our identity. After 18 years it was easy for this woman to see herself as afflicted, to see herself oppressed. Notice, she did not asked to be healed. However, we need to divorce ourselves from the thoughts, “this is just who I am. This is just my fate in life. I will always be addicted or oppressed or sick.”

When the Pharisees objected to Jesus’ timing, He reminded them this woman was a daughter of Abraham. What he was saying was, this is a woman of covenant, this is a woman with a promise. If you belong to Christ, let me remind you that you are a son or daughter. You have a better convenant! You have a promise!

Are you afflicted, oppressed, bound by sin? I declare to you today, “Son or daughter, YOU ARE LOOSED. TODAY, YOU ARE SET FREE!” Believe it. Walk in it. Wear it. The oppression ends today!

And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:11-12, 16 NASB)