Jesus and His men encounter a funeral procession. As the procession passed, bystanders would be expected to join. In addition, hired mourners would cry aloud and draw attention to the procession. What made this funeral especially sad was that the dead boy was the only son of a widow.
This woman had already lost her husband, and here her only son was dead—her last means of support. The crowd of mourners would go home, and she would be left penniless and alone. The widow was probably past the age of childbearing and would not marry again. Unless a relative would come to her aid, her future was bleak.
No wonder when the Lord saw this sad sight and the tearful woman, his heart overflowed with compassion. In fact, as Luke repeatedly emphasized, Jesus cares about people’s deepest needs. Jesus has the power to bring hope out of any tragedy.
Risking ceremonial defilement according to the law, Jesus touched the coffin. Jesus approaching the procession and touching the coffin was highly unusual, so the bearers stopped. Then Jesus spoke directly to the body, “Get up.”
Suddenly the boy who had been dead sat up and began to talk. What he said is left to our imagination, but the important point is that Jesus gave him back to his mother. Jesus did the ultimate act of compassion—he did what no human being could have done. These words are almost identical to 1 Kings 17:23 when the great Old Testament prophet Elijah brought a widow’s only son back to life.
The miracle of raising a widow’s son to life brought to the people’s minds the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath. The people praised God, and exclaimed that a mighty prophet had arrived among them. The people thought of Jesus as a prophet because, like the Old Testament prophets, he boldly proclaimed God’s message and performed great miracles. Both Elijah and Elisha had raised children from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:8-37).
The people were correct in thinking that Jesus was a prophet, but he was much more—he was God himself. That they recognized the hand of God at work probably does not mean that they recognized Jesus as God. The obvious result of Jesus’ miraculous act of raising a dead person to life meant that the report of what Jesus had done that day spread everywhere.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
Lord, thank you for going to the cross for us. Thank you for enduring the pain and shame. Thank you for taking our sin. I love You Lord. My life is Yours.
It seems like Jesus to me was being tested by John the Baptist by telling his disciples to ask Him, "Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
ReplyDeleteAfter all the miracles Jesus has performed, why would John the Baptist ask that question? But, no question is a stupid question. Pastor Mike, since John the Baptist already baptized Jesus at the beginning of His Ministry and heard the voice from Heaven say, "This is my beloved son whom I love," why would he even think of this question about Jesus?
Lord, help those in need of everyday necessities: food, water, shelter, and love. Also, Lord, help me think of those in need and find a way to help them. In Jesus Name, Amen.