God of Compassion
Opening Prayer
Lord, open my eyes that I might see You, and help me to live my life in a way that others might see You in me.
Read Luke 7:11-17
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
[11] Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. [12] As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out-the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. [13] When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” [14] Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” [15] The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. [16] They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” [17] This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What motivated Jesus to action?Take a walk through a city center any day of the week and you are likely to see someone who feels hopeless. Hopelessness can be covered up, but sometimes it is stark and obvious as in today’s reading (13). The widow had lost everything: without a husband or son, her future was bleak in this patriarchal culture. On most of the occasions when Jesus healed someone, it was in response to a request. This miracle is an unsolicited act of compassion. Touching the coffin (14) made Jesus ritually unclean, but Jesus exercises authority in commanding the dead son to get up. This challenges religious rules and a culture where women were second-class citizens. It also reminds Jewish onlookers of the prophets Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:18-37), who also raised sons from the dead. The story has a wider application, too. We are all dead in sin (Eph. 2:1) and can do to change our fate. But Jesus takes our sin on himself so that we can have new life. Because Jesus has authority over death, we can have hope.
Apply
Open your heart to God now and invite him to give you fresh compassion for people in your community.
Closing prayer
Compassionate and Gracious Savior, thank You that You reach out to me and bring life.
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