Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 7:11-16 "MATCHING COMMITMENT WITH THE HIGHEST SENSE OF PURPOSE"
Day 83 – Luke 7
Text: Luke 7:11-16
MATCHING COMMITMENT WITH THE HIGHEST SENSE OF PURPOSE
Jesus sought from the very beginning to share with His Disciples His sense of purpose. His purpose was explained very clearly to His Disciples,
“I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also,
Because for this purpose I have been sent.”
Luke 4:43
He had ministered in Nazareth, but had been rejected by His own people. He had a successful ministry in Capernaum. He went twenty miles down south from Capernaum to a city called Nain. Jesus’ sense of purpose saw Him work with the greatest sense of perseverance, even if it meant walking all that distance to minister!
We read that “many of His Disciples went with Him” (Luke 7:11). This was all a part of the training of His Disciples. They too must learn how to combine commitment and perseverance with the highest sense of purpose!
Luke also noted that a large crowd also followed Jesus as He traveled all the way to Nain (Luke 7:11).
DISTRESSFUL CIRCUMSTANCES
It is difficult to be a widow, especially in the ancient days. The main bread-winner was the man of the house. Jobs did not come by easily. If a person is widowed, the only hope for survival lay in having a good son who will take care of you in your old age.
However, if death was to strike again, and this time it took the life of the widow’s only son, then great tragedy would have been experienced! This was the tragedy that Jesus was sent by God to attend to the widow in great distress.
A MINISTRY ORCHESTRATED BY GOD HIMSELF
At first reading of the Gospels, we might think that Jesus’ ministry was done at random. However, if we carefully study Luke’s Gospel, we go away deeply impressed that God was orchestrating every move made by Jesus.
It was not without purpose that Jesus met with rejection from unbelieving Nazareth. Soon after, Jesus ministered to a Gentile Centurion whose faith He used as an example and as a rebuke by Jesus to the crowds that followed Him.
The Ministry at Capernaum went well, but Jesus was conscious that He had been sent to preach the Gospel to other cities too. He next found Himself making a long trip to the City of Nain and there He found an opportunity to minister to the widow who suffered another devastating blow – the death of her only son.
All these events allowed the Disciples of Jesus to learn deep and valuable lessons about life, ministry and Discipleship! Surely, we can see how God orchestrated all the activities of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! When we read the Gospel of Luke with this awareness that there is a logical connection tying up all events, and activities, we would appreciate the ministry of Jesus even more.
A GLIMPSE OF LIFE IN THE FIRST CENTURY IN PALESTINE
Once again, we catch another glimpse of the customs and practices of people who lived in 1st Century Palestine. When people passed away, the deceased would be carried to the burial grounds in an open coffin (Luke 7:14).
There was usually a great sense of community spirit. The death of one person in the community would cause “a large crowd from the city (to be) with her” (Luke 7:12). The whole community shared the sense of sorrow and grief.
COMPASSION FOR THE GRIEVING
Jesus felt deep compassion for the widow. He exemplified what James wrote in his general epistle,
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this:
To visit orphans and widows in their trouble…” James 1:27
The Disciples had seen the Power of the Lord Jesus to heal the sick and the demonized. They also saw the brilliance of the mind of their Master as He tackled the hostile Scribes and Pharisees who sought to fault them on points of the Law. These were great learning opportunities. However, these were not the only lessons that must be learned.
This time round, Luke specifically mentioned the “compassion” of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is sometimes possible to “lose” one’s sense of compassion, in the process of ministry. The Disciples needed to learn how to deepen their sense of caring for people.
POWER OVER DEATH!
Again and again, Jesus amazed the crowds and His Disciples too!
1. The multitudes were astonished at the depth of knowledge that Jesus displayed . Luke 4:22, 32
2. They were amazed when they saw the power that Jesus wielded over demons. Luke 4:36
3. They marveled at the words of Jesus when He spoke about forgiveness of sins to the paralytic. Luke 5:26
4. This time, the crowds were astounded, and were filled with “fear” (Luke 7:16). Jesus had power over death! He could even raise the dead back to life!
AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE NEEDED!
What were the responses of the multitudes thus far? To be fair, they came up with fairly good responses! They were amazed and were sometimes driven to praise God!
But were their responses really adequate or appropriate? What was their conclusion as they saw Jesus raise the son of the widow of Nain back to life?
“A great prophet has risen up among us”;
And
“God has visited His people.” Luke 7:16
Those are true words! But why couldn’t they see who Jesus really was? As you study Luke’s Gospel narrative, can you see who Jesus really is?