That You May Know - Pt 8

Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. (Luke 7:11-18 ESV).

Our reading today is written in the Gospel of Luke as it immediately followed the healing of the centurion’s servant. Here we see Jesus raise a widow's son from the dead. God designed us to live in perfect relationship with Him and with each other in a unity of love and joy for eternity. We all experience deep suffering at some point in life. The woman in this Gospel provides an example of both deep spiritual pain from losing her only son after having already lost her husband, as well as utter material destitution since she would have no legal rights to property or work without a husband or son. When Jesus see this, he is “moved with pity for her.” When we feel most vulnerable, most alone, and our hearts are breaking, we can look to this passage and take comfort in knowing that Christ is looking on us with mercy. Although Christ does not always save those we love from earthly death, this miracle demonstrates His power and His love which brings new life in surprising and supernatural ways. It also points to the hope that all will be made new in the resurrected life in the kingdom of God. As the psalmist proclaims: “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Moved with mercy and compassion, Christ continues to reach directly into our hearts to dry our tears and heal our wounds. He anoints our wounds with grace and dispels hurtful lies with His divine revelation. Finally, He unites us as members of His body and extends His hand of mercy through His disciples operating under the direction and love of the Holy Spirit. He cares about our suffering. And he does something eternal about it. Jesus has secured a new life for us through his work on the cross. Accept it today. Turn to Him and experience his mercy!