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Luke 7:11-17 The Message (MSG)
11-15 Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession—a woman’s only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, “Don’t cry.” Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I tell you: Get up.” The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother.
16-17 They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful—and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, “God is back, looking to the needs of his people!” The news of Jesus spread all through the country.
Hello Church,
Are you tired of hearing about the coronavirus? I am! We need some good news! Here it is: God has power over life and death. Every day of our life has already been foreordained (Psa.139:16)
In this week's reading we have the tragic story of a widow who just lost her only son. Think about that! No husband, no son! This woman would be facing a very difficult future with no one to look after her. Jesus is moved with compassion for this poor lady. Can you just see all of the emotion of the moment. (reminds me of Elijah - 1Kings 17:17-24).
There are a ton of people in this story - the disciples, the crowd who followed Jesus, the mourners in the funeral procession. They were going to bury the body outside the city gates, as was the custom of the day. One crowd going in, another coming out -The one full of joy for all they had seen Jesus do; the other full of grief at the loss of a young life. Life is like that, full of "ups" and "downs". But...Hold on!..."God is back, looking after the needs of His people! Jesus who is LIFE, meets a DEAD young man. LIFE WINS! Jesus touches the coffin, the young man sits up and begins to speak. Jesus restores the man to his mother. Joy unspeakable and full of glory!!!
A holy fear fell upon the whole crowd, and they all began to worship. God was at work! They were not forgotten! God, who had been silent for some 400 years was back! One greater than Elijah is here! God determines the days of a person, not sickness, not death, not the coronavirus! There are some great reminders for us in this story:
- God is a compassionate God, who has mercy on the broken and sorrowful
- You never know when God is going to show up
- With Jesus all things are possible
- Jesus has power over death...in Christ we will live forever - we don't fear death
- Each day of our life has been predetermined by God - nothing can change that
- Let's be "quietly worshipful, and noisily grateful" always!
Read Luke 7:11-17 in different translations; ponder the sovereignty of God over your life.
Have a praise filled week!
Matsa Moments - Pastor Mike
The Hebrew word “Matsa” means to: find, meet, discover, encounter. It is used in Deuteronomy 4:29 where the Lord says, "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Throughout Scripture, there is an invitation from God to find Him; He actually rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). To see God we must be looking for Him.
This blog is a journal of finding God - discovering who He is; learning more about His character and attributes, as I encounter Him in in His Word and world around me. These posts are theological reflections emerging out of a desire to understand how the Creator interacts with us, His creatures. Hopefully, through these you will see how the Ever-present Holy One also invites you to know Him more.
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