Mont Mitchell - September 8, 2019
Friend of the Hurting
This may be one of the most moving scenes of Jesus’ ministry. As he was walking to the gates of Main, he approached a funeral procession. I’m sure many who were following Jesus became quiet to show respect for this somber moment. A widow had lost her only son. It was probably the worst day of her life. She was hurting. As everyone stood quietly to watch this procession, Jesus walked forward to comfort the woman. Many probably expected this of Jesus. While he had the ability to command a crowd and occasionally make a scene, he was also a man marked by compassion. That’s when the unexpected happened. He walked over to the dead man and commanded him to get up. The man stood up and walked over to his mother. The people were shocked, but then ecstatic. They could hardly believe their eyes. Jesus stepped into the life of this hurting woman and brought incredible healing.
From Series: "Friend Request"
Have you ever received a friend request from someone unexpected? Maybe there’s a famous person who has friended you online. Perhaps the unanticipated friendship came from someone you thought didn’t notice you. Whatever the case is, we’ve have friends that we didn’t imagine we would have. What if you received a friend request from Jesus? How would your life change if he were your friend? That’s what happened to several people in the Gospels. They found themselves in an encounter with Jesus where he friended them and changed their lives. In this next 8 week series on the Gospel of Luke, we’ll take a closer look at the compassion of Jesus and come to know Him as our own personal friend. Not only will we see that God accepts and loves all people, we need to learn to do the same. No matter who we are, where we’ve been or what we’ve done, Jesus loves us all the same. As the church, it’s our job to introduce everyone to our friend, Jesus.
