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Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and
his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 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.
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he
said, "Don't cry."
Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those
carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to
you, get up!" The dead man sat up and began to talk, and
Jesus gave him back to his mother.
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." This news about Jesus spread
throughout
Judea
and the surrounding country.
–
Luke 7:11-17 [NIV]
Here was a widow who was on her way to bury her only
son. As a widow in the then Jewish culture, the person
taking care of her was her son. Now he was dead. Her
hope was gone. She seemed to have accepted the situation
by being part of the procession to bury her son. Maybe
in her heart, questions were tumbling over themselves:
why me? What am I going to do now? What am I being
punished for? Your life has fallen or is falling apart.
Your marriage has gone down the drain. Your children
have turned rebellious. Or your finances are in
shambles. You simply have no control over your
situation. You are in a hopeless situation, just like
this widow.
It
is interesting to note that she had a large crowd with
her in her procession of hopelessness. These are the
support people. Their presence did not change the
situation. There was a small group who were carrying the
coffin. They represent the professionals –
psychiatrists, therapists, doctors, even clergymen. They
made no difference to the hopeless situation. You may
think you are lucky having your family and friends
around you. But if their being there does not turn the
situation around, then you are still trudging along in
your procession of hopelessness. The professionals are
there to prop you up. Yet your situation remains
unchanged.
Jesus came on the scene. The bible says, ‘Jesus went to
a town called Nain… As he approached the town gate, a
dead person was being carried out--the only son of his
mother…’ There was no indication that Jesus was invited,
but he came anyway. In your hopeless situation, you have
not thought to invite Jesus. But the good news is that
he is here. The fact that you are reading this confirms
his presence.
The bible says, ‘When the Lord saw her, his heart went
out to her and he said, "Don't cry."’ Jesus identified
with her emotionally and spoke words of comfort unto
her. You may be fortunate enough to have people who are
there to offer you such support. People who identify
with your situation, who make their shoulders available
for you to cry on, who take time out just to be with
you. You may not be the one in that hopeless situation
but have been a support person at one time or the other.
You have gone out of your way to show God’s love to
those in need around you. This is good but it is not
enough.
Jesus went up and touched the coffin. He stopped the
procession of hopelessness. He spoke words of life to
the dead son. The bible says, ‘The dead man sat up and
began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.’
The dead son became alive! The widow did not prevent him
from stopping her procession and she got her son back.
Even if you did not invite him, he has come to help you.
You can either allow him or turn him away. He wants to
resurrect those dead, hopeless situations in your life.
My friend, Jesus does not only offer you comfort, he is
offering you hope and He will turn your situation
around.
Jesus
Our Hope © Olabisi Adeyi 2007 All rights reserved.
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