Luke 7:11-17
11Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12As 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. 13And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Luke 7:11-17
There is one word that comes to mind as I read this passage from Luke, miraculous. This widow women has lost all hope. In the context of her day to loose both a husband and then her only son is heart breaking on numerous levels. I could state much about the agrarian context this account is based in. How for a women to be alone would be devastating but I’ll simply say this. For this women all stability of provision, resource, and life sustenance was lost. Period.
Our Lord’s response is encouraging and I believe why Luke records this encounter. Not only does He have “compassion on her” but in His power and providence He fixes the situation as only He can.
Our situation is striking similar to this women’s although we may not realize it. We may have earthly provision and resources. We may have numerous others around us. We may not be completely broken. However, like the women, we live with a hopelessness without Christ’ compassion on us. Stated another way, if we live without Christ we live with an eternal brokenness we cannot correct on our own.
Due to your sin and resultant helpless status before a holy and righteous God you and I are completely hopeless unless we have help. Now I hope what I just wrote resonates with you. I hope you have realized the innate wrong within yourself that can only be corrected through the provision, power, and providence Jesus offers to your situation in the way He only can.
I suspect that most everyone who reads this blog knows Christ and has professed faith in Him. I also suspect that everyone who reads this blog has close relationship with someone who does not know Christ. Someone who, like the women in our account, is facing a hopeless eternity.
I challenge you to petition to Christ the hopeless around you. Luke reveals that Jesus has compassion and desires be with and visit His people.
Who do you know that needs the hope of Christ that you would be willing to petition in prayer for?
