Luke 7:11-17 - Compassion in action

Scripture:

 

Luke 7:11-17

11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd.

12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.

13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!"

15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!"

17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

NASU

 

 

Thoughts:

 

I'm always moved by the compassion of the Lord!  How He is touched by the needs and even emotions of people.  Here He is moved by this woman's sorrow (verse 13) and likely by her predicament described by Luke (verse 12b).  As a widow, having lost her only son, her means of support were all taken away.  Likely, she would become destitute.  But Jesus goes beyond sympathy or even empathy to action.  He doesn't just feel or even speak a kind word in passing, but He gets involved (verse 14). 

 

Often times we feel paralyzed when we encounter another person's grief.  We're unsure what to do, say, and sometimes even feel.  But though we may not be able to heal as Jesus did or reverse the tragic consequences of someone's situation, we too can get involved.  

 

In compassion we may simply be with those in grief, even weeping along with them. 

 

Romans 12:15

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
NASU

 

And as God directs, we may find ourselves being His hands that provide for another when hardships threaten to leave them destitute. 

 

When this woman encountered Jesus in the midst of her grief, what she needed at that moment was not a complex understanding of what she was going through or even a theological answer to her dilemma, but just simple compassion.  People today are no different.  What a privilege that we can help!

 

 

Prayer:

 

Lord, direct me in giving compassion to others.  Grow me in this most needful ministry. 

 

Amen

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.