In biblical times, individuals who were physically disabled or crippled were often marginalized and faced significant social and economic challenges. The term "cripple" is used in various translations of the Bible to describe those who were unable to walk or had other physical impairments. The Bible provides numerous accounts of such individuals, highlighting both their struggles and the compassion shown to them by Jesus and others.

Old Testament References

The Old Testament contains several references to individuals with physical disabilities. Leviticus 21:18-20 outlines the physical requirements for priests, stating that no man with a defect, including those who are lame, may approach to offer the food of his God. This reflects the cultural and religious norms of the time, where physical wholeness was often associated with spiritual purity.

In 2 Samuel 9, we encounter Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul, who was crippled in both feet. Despite his disability, King David showed kindness to Mephibosheth for the sake of his father Jonathan, restoring to him the land of Saul and allowing him to eat at the king's table (2 Samuel 9:7-13).

New Testament References

The New Testament presents a more compassionate view towards those who are crippled, particularly through the ministry of Jesus Christ. Jesus' healing of the crippled is a recurring theme, demonstrating His divine authority and compassion.

In Matthew 15:30-31 , large crowds came to Jesus, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at His feet, and He healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel.

One of the most notable healings is found in John 5:1-9 , where Jesus heals a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years at the Pool of Bethesda. Jesus asked him, "Do you want to get well?" and upon the man's affirmative response, Jesus said, "Get up, pick up your mat, and walk." Immediately, the man was healed, demonstrating Jesus' power over physical ailments.

In Acts 3:1-10 , Peter and John heal a man who was lame from birth at the temple gate called Beautiful. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, declared, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!" The man leaped to his feet and began to walk, praising God, which led to amazement and wonder among the onlookers.

Theological Implications

The healing of the crippled in the New Testament serves as a powerful testament to the messianic mission of Jesus, who came to restore and redeem. These miracles are not only acts of compassion but also signs pointing to the inbreaking of God's kingdom, where physical and spiritual restoration is available to all.

The Bible's treatment of cripples underscores the inherent dignity and worth of every individual, regardless of physical ability. It challenges believers to extend compassion and care to those who are marginalized and to recognize the transformative power of faith in Jesus Christ.

August the Sixteenth the Church as an Infirmary
... straight.". Then why do so many spiritual cripples leave the synagogue cripples
still? Because they do not give the Healer a chance. ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/august the sixteenth the church.htm

Sabbath Cure at Bethesda.
... could be more utterly paralysing than lying there, gazing dreamily into the water,
and listening to the monotonous drone of the cripples detailing symptoms ...
/.../xii sabbath cure at bethesda.htm

The Good Samaritan
... Blind men sit in darkness by the wayside; cripples drag their maimed bodies
wearily along; beggars grovel in their sores and raggedness. ...
/.../the life of duty a years plain sermons v 2/sermon xlviii the good samaritan.htm

The Persecutions.
... He called together all the aged widows and poor cripples who were maintained by
the alms of the faithful, "These," he said, "are the treasures of the Church ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/yonge/the chosen people/lesson xxv the persecutions.htm

True Prudence
... Does anxiety make us the least more industrious? On the contrary, I know nothing
which cripples a man more, and hinders him working manfully, than anxiety. ...
/.../kingsley/the good news of god/sermon xxx true prudence.htm

The Task of Modern Idealists Indeed is Made Much Too Easy for them ...
... people realize how many of the largest efforts, the facts that will fill history,
were frustrated in their full design and come down to us as gigantic cripples ...
/.../chesterton/whats wrong with the world/chapter 5 the task of.htm

The Lord that Healeth Thee'
... Some of them He taught; some of them He cured; but that crowd where healthy men
mingled with cripples is no type of the condition of humanity. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture e/the lord that healeth thee.htm

Prayer and Praise. April 20.
... us live at all! And then not making us idiots or cripples, or even only
ugly and stupid! What blessings we have! Let us work in ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /prayer and praise april 20.htm

Epistle Xliv. To Peter, Subdeacon of Sicily.
... Further, we have ascertained that the first charge of burdatio [1353] exceedingly
cripples our peasants, in that before they can sell the produce of their ...
/.../the epistles of saint gregory the great/epistle xliv to peter subdeacon.htm

Sinners Bound with the Cords of Sin
... Sin cripples all desires after holiness, damps every aspiration after goodness,
and thus, fettering the man hand and foot, delivers him over to the executioner ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 16 1870/sinners bound with the cords.htm

Cripples (3 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Cripples (3 Occurrences). Matthew 11:5 "blind
eyes receive sight, and cripples walk; lepers are cleansed ...
/c/cripples.htm - 7k

Crippled (15 Occurrences)

/c/crippled.htm - 11k

Lame (35 Occurrences)
... In 2 Samuel 5:6 it was a taunt on the part of the Jebusites that even a garrison
of cripples would suffice to keep out the Israelites. ...
/l/lame.htm - 21k

Ears (449 Occurrences)
... Matthew 11:5 "blind eyes receive sight, and cripples walk; lepers are cleansed,
and deaf ears hear; the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the Good ...
/e/ears.htm - 35k

Proclaimed (114 Occurrences)
... Matthew 11:5 "blind eyes receive sight, and cripples walk; lepers are cleansed,
and deaf ears hear; the dead are raised to life, and the poor have the Good ...
/p/proclaimed.htm - 37k

Crisis (1 Occurrence)

/c/crisis.htm - 7k

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