Skip to main content

110. A Widow's Plight


Luke 7:11-17
Key Verse: When the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, "don't cry."
Luke 7:13

We have no idea who this woman was. Her name is never mentioned. We only know of her desperate situation. With both her son and husband gone, she was alone in the world with no one to support her. She had no other children or grandchildren. We don't know if she had any extended family. With the loss of her son, she probably faced a very bleak future. With no one to provide for her, how would she even get her next meal? Who did she have to care for? Who did she have left to care for her?

Jesus noticed. Jesus cared. He knew the future that she faced. He recognized her reality and He knew that there was something He could do about it. After all, was it not said of Messiah, that He would, "comfort those who mourn, and provide for those who grieve?" (Isaiah 61:2B)

First, Jesus offers comfort. "Don't cry." Then, Jesus acts. He does what needs to be done, which is really quite enough! He acknowledges her grief and then He restores her son to her. That is evidently all that she needed. With her son restored to her, she could continue living and being provided for with his help.

Jesus notices us too. To the world we are part of the unnamed mob, but to God, we are individuals with names and needs and God given purposes. To the world, many of us may appear like the widow, just another person, another consumer of the world's resources. To Jesus, we are a person to care for and part of our assignment from Him is to then also care for others. James, the brother of Jesus says it this way. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) Jesus demonstrates for us here what He considers to be a truly religious observance.

"Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows," (Isaiah 53:4A) "Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy." (Ps. 126:5) He knows you and He will carry you. You may not be able to raise the dead, but just as you are cared for by Jesus, so too you must care for others and relieve what burden you can.

Hymn  “Lord Bless and Pity Us”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

258. "Remember, Always Remember!"

Exodus 12:1-30 Key Verse: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord a lasting ordinance." Exodus 12:14 "Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17) "And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:27) The original act was an act of worship as the first true act of freedom for the people of Israel. They had been brought to Egypt by Joseph during a time of famine so that through Joseph God could preserve their lives. ( Genesis 37 , & 39-50 ) After Joseph died, however, instead of heading back to C...
Post a Comment
Read more

August 13 What Is Fitting

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—how much less for a slave to rule over princes! ~Proverbs 19:10   On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. ~Acts 12:21-23  Wow! Well, what in the world can there be to benefit us here? First of all, perhaps we should review the first Biblical definition of a fool, penned by no other than Solomon’s Father, David himself. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1) It is not fitting for the fool to live the blessed life. Why should they when they deny from whom all blessings flow?  King Herod was a fool. Now, just to be clear, this is not the Herod who ruled at Jesus’ birth and ordered the slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem. He ...
Post a Comment
Read more

July 26 Time for A Wellness Check Up

This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger. Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work, this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. ~Ecclesiastes 5:16-20  I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everythi...
Post a Comment
Read more