A Compassionate Friend
JESUS, OUR COMPASSIONATE FRIEND
Luke 7:11-17
We live in a world of pain.
· This past Thursday a husband and wife were driving home to Moorseville in separate cars. 46 year old Cynthia Riddle died when the vehicle she was driving was rear-ended and burst into flames. And, unbelievably, the man driving the truck that hit her was Danny Riddle, Cynthia’s husband. Cynthia Riddle worked at the Lincoln Federal Savings Bank in Plainfield, and a lot of people in Plainfield and Mooresville are hurting today.
· A disgruntled employee on a rampage in Olive Branch, Mississippi shot his supervisor and wounded another bystander before taking his own life. A number of people near Memphis, Tennessee are hurting today.
· AIDS has killed more than 19 million people worldwide, but the worst is yet to come, the United Nations predicted this past Tuesday. The disease is expected to wipe out half the teenagers in some African nations, devastating economies and societies. More than 13 million children have been orphaned by AIDS. And people around the world today are living with the pain of the AIDS virus or the prospect of losing someone they love to AIDS.
· 17 year old Raynard Johnson, a black teenager was found hanging from a tree in his front yard in what investigators thought was a suicide may have instead been lynched for dating two white girls. And residents of Kokomo, Mississippi are hurting today.
Those are just a few of the headlines from this past week. And they say nothing of the hurts that are hidden or about the people who have prolonged pain that others have forgotten. There are all kinds of emotional, physical and spiritual wounds that hurt people. And if you’re not hurting today, you be thankful. And please be sensitive to those who are. A wise preacher once advised, “Preach to the hurting and you will never lack for an audience.” Well, my motive today is not just to get an audience, but to bring hope and healing through Jesus Christ who is a friend to the wounded heart..
In Luke the 7th chapter beginning in verse 11, we have illustrated how quickly Jesus can heal deep wounds. Here’s a reminder that somebody is watching over you and He knows everything that you’re going through. You don’t have to face your hurt alone because He sees every single tear. So would you open your bible to Luke 7 and let’s learn from this story how Jesus can be a compassionate friend when we hurt.
Verse 11 says, “Soon afterward Jesus went to at own called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out – the only son of his mother, and she was widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.” Now this woman was really in deep anguish. She was a widow to begin with. She had already gone through the distress of burying her husband and the months of loneliness and grief that followed. And now her son died. Jesus later referred to him as a young man, so this is a terrible tragedy. We’re not told whether he died from a prolonged terrible disease or whether this was a sudden accident. But regardless, it was excruciatingly painful for this mother. It was the Jewish custom to bury people within 24 hours of their death. They did not practice embalming. So in a matter of one day, this woman’s life had caved in. She was now alone in an era when there was no Government assistance to care for her needs. And she had this empty void in her life because her husband and her son were dead.
I’ve not experienced it, but my observation after years of ministry is that there is no more painful experience than that of the death of a child. As a parent you just can’t imagine that you’re children are going to die ahead of you. It’s not the natural order of things. You do things for your kids that you wouldn’t do for anyone else because there is this incredible bond between you and your children that is unlike any other. I read about a mother who was surprised by her 7 year old who one morning made her a cup of coffee. She drank what she said was the worst cup of coffee she ever had in her life. When she got to the bottom of her cup she was surprised to find 3 little plastic, green army men in the bottom of her cup.
She said, “Son, Why are these army things here in the bottom of my cup?”
Her son answered, “Mom, it’s like it says on TV, ‘The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.’”
And this woman in the Bible was just like us. I’m sure she drank some tea her son made for her that didn’t taste very good. She laughed at his antics. She sewed clothes for him. She stayed up with him at night when he was sick. She attended his programs at the synagogue. And then, all of a sudden, he died. Now there was one consolation. She did have many friends. The Bible says, “A large crowd from the town was with her.” It’s been said that “a joy shared is a double-joy, and a burden shared is half a burden.” Well, this woman had friends that could help her carry her burden. But there’s a limit to how much friends can help. She knew that there would be a time when all the friends would go back to their routine and she would go back to that house alone. But there is something that happens in this story that is so typical of what happens when we hurt today. Luke describes two separate crowds going in the opposite direction that meet each other. One was a funeral procession going out of town, the other was a festive celebration coming into town. The people in the funeral procession was stricken with grief and they meet a group surrounding Jesus full of excitement and anticipation. A celebrity, a miracle-worker had come to town.
When you hurt deeply, you will encounter others who are laughing and enjoying life and they are oblivious to your needs. And you have to battle resentment or maybe envy.
· A young mother has a miscarriage and may be depressed. A few days later a friend, unknowingly, will brag to her about the cutest thing that her little baby did the other day. And that grieving mother feels alone or maybe resentful.
· Or, you're riding the family car in the funeral procession and you pass by a group of kids playing ball and laughing, construction workers continuing to build, or somebody hurrying around your funeral procession to get to their appointment. And it strikes you that life is going to go on without your loved one. Others don’t experience your pain at all. Even your friends at the funeral will soon be back to their routine and soon they will forget.
· Tony Campolo described what would happen at your funeral when you die. He said, “Your friends will stand over your grave at the cemetery and they’ll moan and talk about how much they’ll miss you, and an hour later they’ll be back at your house laughing and eating potato salad.” And you know what? That’s the truth. When you hurt, you discover that other people don't hurt as deeply as you do. When C.S. Lewis’ wife was dying, he wrote in his journal, “I need Christ. I need Christ. Not someone who resembles him.” And when you’re really hurting, you need Jesus. Not just one of Jesus’ friends, you need Jesus. He alone can bear your griefs and carry your sorrows.
In the midst of this woman’s grief, she did meet Jesus. Verse 13 reveals Jesus’ compassion. “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” Now I love every one of these phrases about Jesus. He was immediately sensitive to this woman's needs and feelings.
“He saw her.” You know it’s a special person who, when optimistic about the day is sensitive to somebody who’s depressed and sees nothing to live for. It’s a special person who can celebrate victory and at the same time be sensitive to people who are going through the agony of defeat. It’s a special person who can really enjoy a holiday, but at the same time make a phone call to somebody and say, “I know that this must be a really hard day for you since you lost your loved one. I just want you to know that I’m praying for you today,.” Jesus, in the midst of this festive celebration saw this woman. Probably many around him were oblivious to her. Or, maybe they even resented the funeral procession interrupting their parade. But Jesus had compassion.
The Bible says, “his heart went out to her.” His heart went out to her because he knows what it is too hurt. He’s a man acquainted with sorrows and grief. Hebrews 4:15 says, “We don’t have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way just was we are, yet without sin.” The Son of God was moved to the depths of his heart by this grieving mother. He saw her. His heart went out to her.
And then he said to the woman, “Don’t cry.” In 2 Kings 20:5 God told King Hezekiah, “I have heard your prayers and I have seen your tears, I will heal you.” God doesn’t just listen attentively to our prayers, he sees every single tear. You know how it is when you hate to see your child cry, parents? Big ole tears pool up in their eyes and you take them in your arms and you wipe way those tears. But you don’t always eliminate the source of their tears or you wouldn’t let them try out for football, or ride a two-wheel bicycle, or let them date. Because you know that it’s not wise to protect them from every hurt. Now God, as a loving Father is not going to exempt us from all pain and sorrow. He allows to grow through suffering. But when you hurt, remember that he wants to hold you close and dry your eyes. Don’t pull away from him. Draw close to him. Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” His heart went out to this woman and he said to her, “Don’t cry.”
And then Jesus performed a spectacular miracle. Look at verse 14, “Then he went up and touched the coffin,” Now this was an open coffin, more like a stretcher. “And those carrying it stood still.” J. Vernon McGee said, “Jesus interrupted every funeral service he ever attended.” Keep in mind that the Jews considered a person unclean if they touched a dead body. But that doesn’t concern Jesus. Those carrying the stretcher stood still. Jesus was a stranger, but there’s something about his demeanor that just communicated authority and respect. The pallbearers stopped and he spoke to the young man. “He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
Now the Gospel writers record three occasions when Jesus raised somebody from the dead and it's interesting in all three occasions he spoke specifically to that person and he said, “Get up.”
· For example, in Mark the 5th chapter he took Jairus' little daughter and whispered to her, “Little girl I say to you, get up.” And immediately the girl stood up and walked around. And everybody was astonished, the Bible says.
· Then there’s John 11 in which Jesus’ friend Lazarus died. He’s stood outside the tomb and wept and then he said, “Take away the stone.” But Lazarus’ sister Martha protested, “Oh no, Lord. He’s been dead four days and there’s already a terrible odor.” And Jesus said, “Didn’t I tell you that if you would just believe you would see the glory of God?” And then Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus come out!” And the dead man came out. And Jesus said, “Take of the grave clothes and let him go.”
· Now when Luke records the raising of his widow's son he reports Jesus saying , “Young man I say to you, Get up!”
Someone suggested in each of these incidences that if Jesus had not specified the person that he wanted to raise, every grave in every cemetery around the world would have opened up and everybody would have been raised from the dead. I Thessalonians 4:13 says, “The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, the voice of the archangel, the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.” Now that loud command will be to everyone who is in the grave, “Get up! I say to you, get up!’” John 5:28 says, “Do not be amazed at this for a time is coming when all who are in the grave will hear his voice and come out.” Verse 15 of Luke 7 says, “The dead man sat up and began to talk.” He sat up talking. I wonder what he said? Hi, mom, don't cry. Why are all thee people staring at me? Is there anything to eat? I haven’t had anything to eat for 24 hours.
I love the phrase, “Jesus gave him back to his mother.” Jesus delighted in restoring relationships. And can't you just envision this mother embracing her son, kissing her son clinging to her son. That’s a foretaste to me of the reunion that’s going to take place in heaven someday as people are reunited with their loved ones. Can you imagine that reunion when we walk through the tunnel of death and enter the heavenly home and the Lord greets us and then he gives us back to our loved ones?
Well, verse 16 and 17 record the crowd’s exciting reaction. “They were all filled with awe and praised God.” The people from both groups were thrilled at this boy being raised. They’d read stories about the prophet Elijah and Elisha raising young men from the dead, but hey had never seen it before. And now they had witnessed a resurrection from the dead right before their own eyes and they praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us, they said. God has come to help his people.’” Now they did not yet understand that Jesus was more than a prophet; he was the Son of God, God in the flesh. But they knew that only God could raise people form the dead so they were sure that God was there among them. And they were comforted by the fact that God had come to help them in their trials. Verse 17 says, “This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.”
Jesus is a special friend, a unique friend because he doesn’t just comfort us in our troubles, he cures the problem,. Let me ask you a question, If immediately when this boy had died, if the mother had known that 24 hours later she was going to meet Jesus and Jesus was going to raise that boy back from the dead, what difference do you think that knowledge would have had on her attitude in that 24 hour period? She wouldn’t grieve as much. She would be full of hope. She would be eager for Jesus to come. Now, Jesus promises that He’s going to come one day and raise from the dead those who know him. He’s going to call out and those who are in the grave will come froth. And if we really believe that there’s a resurrection, if we really believe that there’s going to be a reunion, if we really believe that there’s going to be a heaven someday our whole attitude changes toward every day. The Bible says we sorrow, but we don’t sorrow as those who have no hope. We sorrow because of our period of separation. It may not be 24 hours, it may be 24 years. That’s a long time to wait. But Christians have a different attitude. We keep our enthusiasm, and we maintain our hope through the worst anguish. We keep sharing the good news that one day Christ is going to come and make all things right. The hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness has a phrase that “Jesus brings strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that is going to be reveled in us.”
Paul Harvey reported recently that the most popular music CD that people are buying is Bill Gaither’s Good News. People are so hungry for some good news in the midst of their hurting. 2 Corinthians 4:16 says, “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we’re being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” Former Dallas Cowboy Football coach Tom Landry and Peanuts cartoonist Charles Shultz died within hours of each other. And one cartoonist had Tom Landry in heaven walking with his arm around Charlie Brown. Tom Landry said, “C’mon now, let’s go work on that kicking game.”
Revelation 21:4 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death, or crying or pain. For the old order of things has passed away.” Now I know that some people laugh at this idea of life after death as some sort of wishful thinking; it may be a comforting idea but it’s not really rational or possible. Isn’t it amazing that man, a created being, now has the capacity to take one cell from an animal and clone that animal and yet we wonder if God has the power to create a new resurrected body for us?
Dr. Alan Meenan a Professor at Asbury Seminary imagines twins talking to each other in the womb. One said to the other, “Isn’t it wonderful to be alive? What a great thing, the gift of life is.” And they began to explore their world in the womb. And they found their mother’s cord. And they sang with joy, “How great is our mother’s love that she shares her own life with us!” Weeks passed into months and the twins noticed that they were changing.
“What does this mean asked the one?”
“It means that our stay in this world is drawing to a close,” said the other.
“But I don’t want to go,” said the first. “I want to stay here always.”
“We have no choice said the other. But maybe there is life after birth.”
“But how can that be?”, responded the first “Will we shed our life’s cord and how it is life possible without it? Besides we’ve seen evidence that there were others here before us and they never came back to tell us that there is life after birth. No. This is the end.” And so one fell into despair and said, “If conception ends in birth, what is the purpose of life in the womb. It’s meaningless. Maybe there’s no mother after all.”
“But there has to be”, protested the other. “How else did we get here in the first place? And how are we still kept alive?”
“Have you ever seen our mother,” questioned the first. “Maybe she lives only in our minds. Maybe we made up the idea thinking it would make us feel good.”
So the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. And finally the moment of birth arrived and when the twins had passed from their world they opened their eyes and they cried, for what they saw exceeded their wildest dreams.
Paul wrote in I Corinthians 15:51, “I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. Then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Thanks be to God, he gives us the victory through Jesus Christ.”
You know, folks, the day you were born you cried and everyone else rejoiced. But when you die everybody else will cry and you will rejoice. Jesus is a compassionate friend because he doesn’t just comfort us in our hurts, ultimately He’s going to cure the problem. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Four special things took place at the city gate that day. 1) Two crowds met. Jesus was heading into the city while the mourners were headed out to the cemetery. And spiritually speaking each of us is in one of those two crowds. If you have trusted Christ, you are going to a city whose builder and maker is God. If you’re dead in sin, you’re already in the cemetery, but you need to trust Christ and be raised from the dead.
2) Two only sons met: one alive, destined to die. The other dead, destined to live.
3) Two sufferers met. The man of sorrows could easily identify with the widow’s heartache. Jesus felt the pain that sin and death had brought into the world and he did something about it.
4) And then two enemies met as Jesus faced death, the last enemy to be destroyed. Jesus had only to speak the word and the boy was raised to life. The companionship of Jesus alone brings hope and healing when we hurt.
Two crowds met. Jesus was heading into the city while the mourners were headed out to the cemetery. And spiritually speaking each of us is in one of those two crowds. If you have trusted Christ, you are going to a city whose builder and maker is God. If you’re dead in sin, you’re already in the cemetery, but you need to trust Christ and be raised from the dead. Come to Christ now as we stand and sing our invitation hymn . . .