Living Compassion November 2

Luke 7:12-13

Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

Jesus raised the widow's son. What stands out to me is the direction of Jesus's compassion—not directing His compassion at the deceased son. While everyone else was mourning and weeping for the dead, Jesus had compassion for the living.

Mathew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.

Jesus not only said this, but he also lived it. He was the comforter to the widow. But what about the son? This account uses the term lad, which designates the son to be under 40 years of age and most likely younger than Jesus. It's important because he was the widows' only form of support and needed him to care for his mother.

When someone passes, it's understandable to mourn for a while. When Moses died, the Hebrews seemed as though they were never going to stop mourning; at thirty days, God spoke this to Joshua:

Joshua 1:2

Moses, my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan,..

The Jordan River was a natural barrier that held the people back from reaching their promised land. The death of a friend or relative can become a spiritual Jordan that holds us back from life.

You can carry their memory, but you still need to cross over.

He is: Shub Nephesh

Renewer of Life

Blessing's