Luke 7:11-17 — The Only Son

READ THIS: Luke 7:11-17

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 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. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 

16 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.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

Jesus is continuing to do some amazing work in ministry in lots of different places, and this story specifically shows Jesus's heart for His people (AKA... us!). In this story, Jesus happens to be walking by a large crowd that is mourning the death of someone. We read that this person is the only child of a widowed mother, meaning that this woman's lineage, status, and ability to provide for herself were all in danger.
 
Verse 13 shows Jesus's heart here in such a cool way: it says that "His heart went out to her!" Have you ever felt your heart sting or ache for someone in need? Jesus has clearly felt that feeling too, and His response to that nudge was to love and care for the widow in need! He comforts her, and then He ultimately raises this only son from the dead... so cool!

What's even crazier about this story is that we know the full story here... Jesus knew, even in this moment, that He was going to have to die one day for us. He knew the pain of losing a "one and only son," because that's how God saw Him.
 
Like this person in the story, death was not the end for Jesus either! How cool is it that we are loved by a God that has a heart that hurts when we hurt? How cool is it that God not only saw our hurting, but He was willing to send His only Son to do something about it?!

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Have you ever felt that nudge or sting in your heart when someone near you was hurting? How did you respond?

2. Verses 16 and 17 show us that when the people saw Jesus working, their first response was to praise God and tell others what happened! When you see God at work, do you tend to respond the same way? Why or why not?

TRY THIS:

Take some time to thank God today, praying to Him! Thank Him for the ways you've seen Him help you when you've been hurting, and thank Him for the gift of His only Son.

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