Daily Bread Luke 7
Daily Bread Luke 7
Jesus Raises a Widow's Son
11Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12As 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. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Observation:
Jesus continues on in his ministry, and as he encounters people he shows compassion to them. Jesus honored all those who truly sought him out. The centurion sent for Jesus to heal his servant. He showed humility and told Jesus that he didn’t even deserve to have him come into his house, but he trusted that Jesus could say one word and heal his servant. This man recognized Jesus authority, and though he was in a position of authority recognized a higher authority was in his midst.
Then Jesus meets a widow who had lost her only son. Widows had a rough time in such a patriarchal society, and this young son was probably all she had. When Jesus runs into her it says his “heart” went out to her and he tells her not to cry. Then amazingly he raises the young boy from the dead. This causes quite a stir!
Finally, a sinful woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and expensive perfume. Again Jesus honors this humble act, and contrasts this with the Pharisees who couldn’t believe he was letting such a “sinner” touch him. Again today we see the “upside-down” nature of the gospel. Jesus lifts up the humble and teaches the proud what true worship and devotion look like.
Application:
When is the last time you came humbly to Jesus’ feet asking for his forgiveness? Is it easy for you to get prideful about your position or even your spirituality? The more and more we discover the depth of our own sinfulness and the depth that Jesus descended to “save a wretch like me”, we can enter into true worship like these characters did.
It is easy for me to think more highly of myself than I ought. It is easy to take for granted my forgiveness and what Jesus did for me. During this Lenten season part of what we can do is to meditate on just how great God’s mercy is for us. We can realize just how much it took for a Holy God to come to earth to save us. I think God will honor this kind of humility and open up new roads for his powerful healing to come through us.
Prayer:
Jesus, help me to see you like the Centurion and the sinful woman saw you. Give me the same type of humility as I come before you. Thank you for saving me from my sins and accepting my worship devotion which come from gratitude. Guard me from foolish pride. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus Raises a Widow's Son
11Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12As 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. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." 17This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Observation:
Jesus continues on in his ministry, and as he encounters people he shows compassion to them. Jesus honored all those who truly sought him out. The centurion sent for Jesus to heal his servant. He showed humility and told Jesus that he didn’t even deserve to have him come into his house, but he trusted that Jesus could say one word and heal his servant. This man recognized Jesus authority, and though he was in a position of authority recognized a higher authority was in his midst.
Then Jesus meets a widow who had lost her only son. Widows had a rough time in such a patriarchal society, and this young son was probably all she had. When Jesus runs into her it says his “heart” went out to her and he tells her not to cry. Then amazingly he raises the young boy from the dead. This causes quite a stir!
Finally, a sinful woman washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and expensive perfume. Again Jesus honors this humble act, and contrasts this with the Pharisees who couldn’t believe he was letting such a “sinner” touch him. Again today we see the “upside-down” nature of the gospel. Jesus lifts up the humble and teaches the proud what true worship and devotion look like.
Application:
When is the last time you came humbly to Jesus’ feet asking for his forgiveness? Is it easy for you to get prideful about your position or even your spirituality? The more and more we discover the depth of our own sinfulness and the depth that Jesus descended to “save a wretch like me”, we can enter into true worship like these characters did.
It is easy for me to think more highly of myself than I ought. It is easy to take for granted my forgiveness and what Jesus did for me. During this Lenten season part of what we can do is to meditate on just how great God’s mercy is for us. We can realize just how much it took for a Holy God to come to earth to save us. I think God will honor this kind of humility and open up new roads for his powerful healing to come through us.
Prayer:
Jesus, help me to see you like the Centurion and the sinful woman saw you. Give me the same type of humility as I come before you. Thank you for saving me from my sins and accepting my worship devotion which come from gratitude. Guard me from foolish pride. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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