Each day we have a daily lesson and at the end of the week, some wonderful ladies and I get together and listen to Beth teach about what we've just studied. Yesterday's study was "Compassion Without Restraint" and let me tell you, she pictured for me an entirely unique side of Jesus that I had never considered before.
To me, Jesus is love, compassion, power, knowledge and so much more than my little mind can even begin to describe. In John 7, Jesus has come on the scene and is doing a lot of healing and working of miracles. One that really struck me is captured in verses 11-17.
After healing a centurion's servant, Jesus comes to the city of Nain along with his disciples and a large group of people. As he approaches the city gate, a funeral procession is passing him by. Because His omniscience, Jesus knows that this dead person is the only son of the grieving mother, who is also a widow.
Now picture this with me, Jesus is walking along a dusty road, chatting it up with those following Him. He looks up and sees this mother crying and agonizing over the death of her one and only child. She most likely has other family members walking along with her who also feel her pain and are mourning right along with her.
Jesus, feels her pain, too, because he walks over to the woman, and says to her, "Don't cry." Can you see the compassion? Can you feel His heart hurting for the pain the woman is going through? To me, this exemplifies just how human Christ was.
After He comforts her, He touches the coffin and tells the young man to "...get up.!" Before I go on, let me tell you that Jesus was defiling Himself. Unless someone was directly involved in shrouding the body with burial linens, touching a dead body was a HUGE no-no!
Picture the pallbearers facial expressions as the funeral platform began to move. I would have most likely screamed and let the stretcher drop to the ground!
Jesus casts off all self restraint and reacts to the woman's pain. I'd like to quote Beth Moore, because she paints a much better picture than I can.
Speaking about the woman... "She exhibited no faith. In fact, we have no idea
if the grieving mom even realized Christ existed. She was probably too
enveloped in her own agony to notice. He awaited no conditions
nor apparently had any intention of using the
moment for instructional purposes.
Jesus ran into a woman in hopeless despair and just reacted
with what came most naturally to Him: healing mercy."
How profound is the love Jesus showered on this woman! How much more profound is the love He has for us?
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
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