Thursday
Read: Luke 7:11–17
SOAP: Luke 7:13
When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
Devotion:
Jesus and His disciples traveled to the town of Nain. At the entrance to the city they encountered a funeral procession for a widow’s only son. Because of her son’s death, this woman was completely helpless—alone, without care or protection. On top of the grief of losing her son came the uncertainty of her own future, for women in Israel in the first century could not easily provide for themselves. This woman had lost both her husband and her only son, leaving her without means of protection or provision.
It’s interesting that Luke, who is known for focusing on details and facts, included a moment of emotion in this account: He acknowledged Jesus’ compassion. Although Jesus could have chosen any number of miracles that would have provided for the woman’s physical and financial wellbeing, He chose to care for her deepest need—her aching heart.
Jesus stepped up and touched the funeral pallet, even though this made Him ceremonially unclean based on the Old Testament law. Then, without fancy words or dramatic ceremony, He told the young man to get up, and he did! All who witnessed the miracle were in awe.
Jesus loves us so much that He not only has compassion on us, but He is willing to come in close, to be in the mess with us, to meet us right where we are without expecting us to have it all figured out first. He knows the cries of our hearts, He cares about the things that make us weep, and He won’t simply walk past.
There is no mention in Luke’s Gospel of the woman’s faith, obedience, or social standing. We aren’t even told her name. But what we do see is Jesus’ care for her. Jesus knew what her life would look like without a man to care for her. He knew her intimately because He had made her, and He remains the hero of her story. Jesus was the one who had compassion, the one who interrupted her life and performed a miracle. Not because of anything she had done, but because of who He is.
Where do you need Jesus to enter into your brokenness today? If you feel alone, uncertain of your future, heartbroken, or lost in the middle of messy circumstances, lay it all before the Lord. Stop moving forward with your own plans and make space for God to interrupt your life and do something unexpected. He cares for you like He cared for this unnamed woman: fully, completely, and perfectly.