Jesus Encounters

A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.

─ Luke 7:12-15 NLT

Have you ever witnessed a miracle? Look back over your life and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of the times you encountered Jesus. Did He keep you from a car wreck? Restore you to health? Give you back a child?

In our verse today, Jesus saw a funeral procession in progress. Pallbearers carried the coffin of the only son of a widow, and a large crowd walked with her. She was on the way to a graveyard to bury her son. She had no family left. She was all alone. But Jesus saw her and felt the emotion of her grief. He told her not to cry, and then he touched the coffin, which stopped the procession.

Imagine the crowd’s shock. Most likely they were appalled by Jesus’ audacity to touch a coffin. Perhaps one of the pallbearers thought to themselves, Who does this guy think he is stopping this funeral?

The Jews had heard the stories and knew of the power of God, but it had been a long time since they’d witnessed a miracle with their own eyes. It wasn’t that God had left them, but that was their perception. And then, right there in their own city, they encountered Jesus!

Jesus spoke to the boy and told him to get up. The dead boy sat up and began to speak. Then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Jesus is in your midst, even if you don’t recognize Him. He sees you; He knows your circumstances and He has compassion for you.

Today’s One Thing
Read Luke 7-11 right now. God is willing to touch the dead things, the painful things in your life. If you have a hope you’ve given up on or dream you’ve buried, begin to ask Jesus to come on the scene and bring it back to life.

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