Title: Rise up / Luke 7:11-17
content stand up
A crowd cheering with joy and a crowd weeping with sorrow met in one place. The rejoicing crowd were followers of Jesus, and the mourning crowd were the widows who lost their only child. The good news is that in this situation, the sadness did not overwhelm the joy, but the joy overwhelms the sadness. Of course, because Jesus was there.
First, Jesus saw the widow (verse 13).
We often hear on the media outlets criticizing government officials for their desk administration. When planning a new road, it is handled on the drawing without a local visit, causing many complaints, and people who have never used the subway or bus are announcing traffic measures, which makes it difficult to consider the plight of the common people. In order to implement public administration for citizens, you have to walk around the site with your own eyes and check the inconvenient and difficult points.
In one of the Confucian scriptures, the story of the king of the Qi dynasty is recorded. One day the king saw an ox that was being led for a sacrifice, and the ox's eyes were filled with tears. The king had pity on him, so he released the oxen and ordered that sheep sacrifices were made instead. If he had seen a sheep being led, he would have felt the same pity. This is where the old saying “Gyeon-woo-mi-gyeonyang” was born. The difference between having pity or not is in whether you have seen the object or not.
Since Jesus is God, even if he did not go to Nain, he would have known the widow's plight. Nevertheless, he found the widow. Remember, nothing happens by chance to the All-Knowing One. And he saw the widow's mourning. Among the purposes of being incarnated in the form of the flesh, it also includes the purpose of seeing and experiencing people's conditions. That is why his comfort could not be limited to a single word of pity and "don't weep." He wanted to give practical help to the widow.
As the original God, He says to those who fear, "Do not be afraid" (Isaiah 41:10). To those who are troubled and anxious, He says, “Do not let your heart be troubled” (John 14:1) and “Cast all your anxieties on me” (1 Peter 5:7). He says to those who weep, "Do not weep". Please believe that the Lord wants to give practical help as he did to widows.
“Therefore, we have a great high priest, who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our faith. We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but in all things one who has been tempted as we are. There is no sin. Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Second, Jesus came near the dead young man (v. 14).
For the dead young man who could not come to the Lord, the Lord Himself drew near to him. And he spoke in a loud voice to the young man who could not hear. "Young man, I say to you, get up." In the beginning His Word drove out complete darkness and produced light. Made life appear on dead land. The same words brought the dead young man back to life.
When the Lord commands you to “get up,” no one can deny it. The dead widow's son got up as soon as he heard the voice. Jesus once said:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. As the Father has life in himself, so he also gave the Son life to be in him, and because of his lovingkindness. “Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice, and those who have done good will come out to a resurrection of life, those who have done good things to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:25) -29)
Even now, those who are spiritually dead because of sin can receive new life when they hear the voice of the Lord. Later, his voice will shake the heavens and the earth once more. At that time, all those in the graves will be resurrected. Some people participate in the resurrection of life and enjoy eternal life in heaven.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Others will participate in the resurrection of judgment and suffer eternal torment in hell.
“The sea gave up the dead that were in them, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them; and each one was judged according to their works, and death and Hades were also cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death, the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:13-14)
There is power in the words of Jesus. His words can give life or bring judgment. Receive Jesus' words by faith and receive Him as your Savior. Then you will be able to enjoy the joy of the Lord's grace even in the midst of life's hardships such as funerals. The widow's son was raised, and the procession of sorrow became a procession of joy.