When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Luke 7:13-15 NKJV
In Luke 7 we see an incredible story of Jesus raising someone from the dead! The story starts as Jesus and his followers came to a village gate and it just so happened that at the same time there was a funeral procession going through the gate. Jesus saw the weeping mother and went and raised the son from the dead.
This has firmly become one of my favourite stories because it shows the true heart of Jesus.
So often we can be of the mindset that it’s okay for Jesus to perform these miracles because He’s the son of God and that’s what He came to earth to do. But verses 13-15 tell us that on seeing the weeping mother, Jesus had compassion on HER, said do not cry and raised her son from the dead.
Let’s have a closer look
- Firstly - Jesus saw the woman. Jesus was looking around; He was aware of His surroundings and the people around Him. Too often we are so focused on our mission that we forget to look up and SEE the people that are surrounding us. Remember to see those you live with, your neighbours, your colleagues, the people in the car park ... look up and notice them. Are they okay? What do they need? Jesus saw the woman. No one came and asked Him to intervene. He did it simply because He looked up and saw.
- Secondly - Jesus had compassion on her. In the NLT it says His heart overflowed with compassion. He felt so deeply for her suffering that He was compelled to move and to act. We live in a world of continuous news reports. We are overstimulated with bad news, with suffering all around us, that maybe sometimes we can forget to have compassion on people. We forget to feel so deeply for others when they are suffering. We forget to see people with the love and compassion of Jesus. To be Jesus in that situation for that person. Next time you see someone suffering, take a moment to pause and have compassion on them, to let your heart be overflowing with compassion as Jesus did on so many occasions.
- Thirdly - do not cry. Don’t weep! Jesus said. Why? Because He was bringing her hope! As owners of something as precious as the salvation we have received, it’s our job to now be people that bring hope to those who are suffering. To bring the message: Do not weep. Don’t despair. There is something greater coming your way! The one who raises the dead is here! Let’s get vocal about the hope that you have received!
- Lastly - Jesus raised the young man from the dead! Let’s be so driven by a heart of compassion and a heart of love that it causes us to act. You’ll notice throughout the gospels and book of Acts that the majority of the faith employed, the majority of the signs, wonders and miracles were done for other people, not for the person praying. Let’s be compelled by love and compassion to change the suffering of others by faith.
I wonder how many more miracles we would attempt, and how many more miracles we would see if we were motivated but such an overwhelming compassion that it drove us to act, just as Jesus was and did.
