June 5, 2016

“Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.” Luke 7:11-17

“The corpse was “the only son of his mother,” which meant that this woman faced double jeopardy. She had been a widow, and now she was childless. As if her fragile life wasn’t hard enough, she fell further down the economic scale of protection and provision. All she had to live for and to live by was gone. Perhaps the “large crowd” that accompanied her was indicative of the depth of her tragedy. When the two crowds met and Jesus encountered the widow, “his heart went out to her” in a spontaneous act of compassion. No one had asked him to do anything. No one had recognized him. But the sights and sounds were too much for Jesus. Moved to compassion, he told her, “Don’t cry.” He then touched the coffin, raised the man to life, and “gave him back to his mother.”

I still remember learning the Greek verb “to have compassion” thirty years ago in seminary — “splagcnizomai.” The word occurs a dozen times in the New Testament, only in the gospels. The verb form comes from the noun “splanxna,” meaning your bowels, heart, lungs, liver or kidneys, which in that day were the center of human emotions. Throughout the gospels Jesus is a man of compassion.” (“Jesus and the Widow of Nain: “His Heart Went Out to Her”, from The Journey With Jesus website)

It is easy to forget that there was nothing like Social Security in the time of Jesus. The family served this purpose. If a woman’s husband died, the oldest male child would care for her. And if he died the next son would care for her. Once there were no more children, either the widow would marry again, or she would have to fend for herself – which was not a favorable position to be in.

In essence then, Jesus gave two people life – he gave the son of the widow new life, and he gave the boy’s mother new life. This is the news that would have spread about Jesus. Jesus had such compassion that it spilled out of him to those he encountered who found themselves in desperate situations. But it just wasn’t the desperate for whom he had compassion, it was the sick, the outcast, the poor, and the disabled. And he had compassion for those who just sat and followed as well. They spread the news – for it was good news for all people. Are you spreading the news about Jesus? There are still people who need some good news in their lives, because they are desperate, they are sick, they are disabled and they are looking for someone to follow. It is up to you and me – to share that good news.

Pastor Dave