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The Miracles of JesusSample

The Miracles of Jesus

DAY 14 OF 16

Grief to Joy—Life from Death!

He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” (v. 14)

What is it like to lose the person you most depended on? Your grief may be exceeded only by your loneliness, your loneliness only by your loss, and your loss only by your helplessness to find a remedy.

In today’s reading, Jesus “bumps into” a funeral coming out of the gates of the city of Nain. The dead man was the only son of a widow, and likely her only support. The Old Testament law and prophets repeatedly declare the special concern God has for widows (Exod. 22:22-24; Isa. 1:17). Without a husband’s support, a widow had no income and could be preyed on by those who might force her to surrender her home, her land, and her possessions. A widow had no standing before a judge. She had very few rights. Her only hope was a surviving son. And Jesus saw that this hope was about to be buried—literally.

Jewish law forbade anyone to touch a dead body or the funeral bier carrying it (Num. 19:11, 16), because that would make them unclean. But Jesus doesn’t hesitate. Jesus’s touch of the bier, and his word to a corpse, restored life to the dead. A funeral was transformed into a celebration! Jesus extended mercy to the widow, because in his kingdom there will be no injustice, and the injustice of death will be banished forever. Here he not only had mercy on the widow, but mercy on us, showing us a glimpse of the kingdom to come.

As you pray, think of your loss in the death of someone you loved. Ask Jesus for his help and his provision.

Scripture

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About this Plan

The Miracles of Jesus

The miracles of Jesus are one of the best places to understand why and how God performs miracles. Jesus’s miracles are simultaneously seeds of belief, planted in our hearts to grow into a living faith, and expressions of God’s character, enacted by Jesus because he did what his Father, God, is doing. This 16-day series will take you through the miracles of Jesus found in all four gospels.

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