The Heart of Jesus

 

 Luke 7: 11-17 

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

¹¹ Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. ¹² As 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. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

¹⁴ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

¹⁶ They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” ¹⁷ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

"When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her." (Lk 7: 13) The compassion of Jesus is strikingly evident in the raising of the widow's son. Her tears touched his heart and he raised the young man back to life. Does he not today see our tears or feel the ache in our hearts? Is he not aware of our own aches and pains, our sorrows, our disappointments? While he may not remove them as dramatically as in this instance, he does give us the grace to bear with them and grow from them. He knows what we are experiencing and gives us the grace to bear with them and learn from them. May we never doubt his loving care and presence.

Bro. Rene

Dear Jesus, your heart is full of mercy and compassion. May we learn to trust in it. Amen.