June 7 - Initiative In Time of Need

Read Luke 7:11-16

Context: Jesus has just been in Capernaum and a centurion soldier had asked him to heal the soldiers' servant. The faith of this Roman centurion was so great that he knew Jesus could perform this miracle verbally, without even going to the house to touch the servant. Jesus had been amazed at his faith.

Text:
11Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12As 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. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry."
14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people." (NIV)

taken from www.biblegateway.com

Many of the miracles in the Bible involve a specific request for help or healing by either those who are afflicted or their friends/relatives. In this instance, Jesus was 'just' walking by and his heart was filled with compassion. Interesting that this 'coincidence' is the only time the tiny town of Nain is mentioned in the Bible...

Our modern day funerals are quite a bit different than those of Jesus' day, but we still carry our dead respectfully to their resting place. Think of the last funeral you have attended...my last one was for Maddie Bayer, a seven year old girl who died of cancer. Could you imagine if a relative stranger walked up to the parents, stopped the procession, and reached out to touch the child? Some might get indignant at his audacity, others would be struck silent by the turn of events from the norm...remember, it was against Jewish law to touch the dead.

But Jesus wasn't concerned with what others thought, or even the law. He knew that a widow in those days relied solely on the kindness of her sons for sustenance as she aged, and without her only child she was destined to a life of need. Without having to ask what he could do to help, he jumped right in and took care of her needs.

While we can't bring others back to life, or even heal them, we can look at a situation and determine what others need. Many people in time of crisis have trouble thinking of specific ways people could help when asked, and they don't like to impose. Yet we can jump right in, just like Jesus, and bring them meals, cut their grass, offer to watch their children, provide gas or food gift cards, and many other things.

Look around you today...whom can you help?