“Luke 7:11-17”

Thursday, May 28, 2020

“Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’ And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise!’ The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and, ‘God has visited His people!’ This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.”

---End of Scripture Verses---

Jesus and His followers stopped for a funeral procession (verse 12). Unfortunately that isn’t as common a practice as it used to be. It frustrates me when I see vehicles darting past the cars in a funeral procession with no respect for the deceased or for those who are mourning the loss of a dear loved one. We all need to slow down a little and realize that life is really one long funeral procession, and all of our fussing and rushing about won’t make the journey any more enjoyable or meaningful.

Jesus didn’t merely stop out of respect for the dead and the grieving. Jesus saw the weeping mother of the dearly departed and He felt compassion for her (verse 13). Jesus sees. Even if you think that no one else in the whole world knows what you are going through, and that no one could possibly understand even if they did; Jesus knows and Jesus understands. And more importantly, Jesus cares. Greater still, Jesus can do something about it. If Jesus has the power to speak the life back into a dead man’s body and give him back to His grieving mother, He certainly has the ability to lift you up in your darkest hours of need (verses 14-15).

Jesus wants to raise you up to eternal life. This miracle was not only an act of mercy; it was also a demonstration of the supreme power that the Savior has over life and death. Although Jesus has compassion for our infirmities and heartaches, His ultimate concern is for the salvation of our souls. The primary reason that Jesus did this miracle was to produce faith in the hearts of those who witnessed it and those who heard about it (verses 16-17). The same is true with all the miracles that Jesus performed (John 20:30-31). These wonders are not recorded in the Bible to lead us to believe that Jesus will perform miracles in our daily lives. They are documented so that we will believe in Jesus, and to promote within us the kind of faith that leads to everlasting life.

Please read Matthew 8:28-34 for tomorrow – Jesus casts out demons.

Have a great day!

-Louie Taylor

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