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 7:11-17
“The miracle reveals much about Jesus’ compassion and the extent of His authority. We may often feel concern for another’s pain and suffering, but what do we do to meet it? Sometimes the first step is awkward, since we wrestle with how our effort to reach out may be received, for we wonder if by bringing up the painful topic, we will make the pain worse.
But sometimes the most effective ministry occurs in a small act of compassion, not in an attempt to solve the pain. Jesus did more here than we are able to do, but the way in which he acted is important. The touch on the common showed His willingness to identify with the situation and not back away from it. Perhaps the best we can do is offer a compassionate shoulder or a listening ear. But this kind of “touch” often reaches below the skin and meets the pain of a hurting heart.
As we have already seen, Jesus’ miracles are audiovisuals of great truths, and no truth is more fundamental than His authority to reverse death. What was the most tragic of moments, the loss of an only child, Jesus turns into a reunion. The story connects with the sense of tragedy one feels at death and shows how Jesus has the power to reverse its presence. Our ministry of gospel should offer hope that in Jesus death can be overcome.”
Darrell Bock in Luke (NIVAC; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 205-206.
Post number 4,000 is now behind us. Thankfully, the recent deep-dive on the feeding of the 4,000 was inspirational for many. So, I plan to look closely at texts where Jesus showed compassion because I think it is the kind of generosity that is most needed in the world today.
Here Jesus gives us an audiovisual. He leads by example. He does a small act, that for the widow, was really big. He models for us that posture of moving toward and not away from the broken and hurting. How can you move toward those who are hurting right now as a result of COVID-19?
Some have lost their jobs. What would it look like for you to move toward an unemployed person? Others are sick. How might you offer hope to the afflicted? Many are mourning. Could you weep with them? Some countries have COVID-19 spreading widely. How can you encourage people you know?
Let’s move beyond worrying that we might look “awkward” and follow the example of our Lord Jesus who looks compassionate and generous. Let us bring hope and help to hurting hearts. It has never been more needed in the world as COVID-19 may be with us for a long time.