March 26, 2014
Jesus doesn’t like funerals. When he encountered the crying widow of Nain marching behind her only son’s coffin in a funeral procession, he interrupted their progress. He was moved with compassion for the widow whose only link to a hopeful future lay in the casket. The rights and possessions of her husband belonged to her now dead son. She would be left destitute and alone. But Jesus crashed the funeral and told the widow, “Don’t cry!” How offensive this would be if he were only telling her to deny her feelings. After all, what else could she do? She had no power to overcome death. She had every right to those tears! Who is this that he would stop a funeral along with its tears? He is Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life. When death meets Life, Life wins. And tears end and laughter begins.
March 25, 2014
Notice the rhythm of operation in Jesus’ early ministry. He often returned to Capernaum as his home base. In this chapter, a group of Jewish elders came with a most unusual request, they wanted his help on behalf of a Roman officer and his deathly ill servant. This shows the crossroads of culture that Capernaum was in those days, as the Jewish elders expressed concern and gratitude for this Roman patron who had paid for the construction of their synagogue. So Jesus went with them to heal the Roman officer’s servant. What a different relationship Jesus had with the Jewish elders and Romans living in Capernaum and their counterparts in Jerusalem. Jesus healed the Roman soldier’s servant at the request of Capernaum’s elders, who described the Roman as a lover of the Jewish people. While in Jerusalem the Jewish elders hated their Roman rulers, and yet, they conspired together to crucify Jesus. I suppose Jesus could have remained in Capernaum, for that matter, he could have remained in heaven, but he left there. And went up to Jerusalem to be crucified.
March 27, 2011
Our love for Christ is connected to an awareness of our own sinfulness. As long as one speck of self-righteousness remains in us, love for the Redeemer will be lacking.