Sunday Readings: 1 Kings 17.17-24; Galatians 1.11-19; Luke 7.11-17
“When the Lord saw the widow, he had compassion on her.”
(Luke 7.13)
A large crowd follows Jesus and his disciples to the village of Nain. At the city gate they encounter a funeral procession, a widow burying her only son. A large crowd accompanies her, extending sympathy and friendship. The crowd from outside and the crowd from inside converge at the village gate, a doorway between life and death. Jews buried the dead outside the gates of the living.
The widow has lost both husband and son, leaving her without support. Unlike many suppliants in the gospels, the widow does not ask Jesus for help. Her plight moves Jesus to compassion. In Luke’s gospel Jesus brings a year of jubilee to the poor. He raises up the widow’s son. The gospel refers to Jesus as Lord, a post-Easter title, which reminds us Luke is writing his orderly account long after Jesus’ resurrection and in its light.
How can we act with Jesus’ life-giving compassion today?
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