Jesus Speaks to Women: Luke 7

13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7: 13

Today, we continue breaking down this magnificent verse, as we see the next segment:

His heart went out to her:  this is a phrase we hear quite a bit, but, what does it really mean? Well, I was curious to see if other translations of the Bible used this phrase too, so I went to my favorite online Bible site, the Bible Hub, to check, and as it happens, the NIV is about the only translation that uses it.  Out of the 28 versions that the Bible Hub shows, 21 of them use the word "compassion" to express what Jesus felt for this widow.  The other 7 use words that are often associated with compassion, like pity or He felt sorry for her. But none of them use "His heart went out to her."

Hmmmm...

I love the word "compassion."  It's a word I recognize immediately.  It's a word that evokes a world of truly positive images, feelings, emotions when I hear it or see it.  It implies a deep awareness of others' suffering and distress, but it goes beyond just being sympathetic...the word is also associated with a deep desire to do something about it...to do something to make the suffering of another end.  I believe the deep desire to alleviate the other person's suffering comes from the fact that, true compassion means we feel their pain too.  Like I heard in a movie once, compassion is "to suffer with."  So, when we have compassion, we are suffering with the one our compassion goes out to.  What a magnificent demonstration of the goodness of the heart!

So, of course I love the translations that say, "He felt compassion for her."  Given all that the word involves, this means Jesus was not only completely aware of the widow's suffering, but He felt it too!  He suffered with her.  He was one with her in the pain.  And He was moved to do something about it...as He certainly did.

But, then...what about this intriguing way of phrasing this idea:  "His heart went out to her"?  Why did the NIV choose to convey the meaning of compassion using this idiomatic expression?  I think it is just a nuisance that doesn't really change the meaning of what the writer was communicating about Jesus' feelings.  But, I find it interesting because we say that, don't we?  We say "My heart goes out to you" often, and it is always said in the context of deep sorrow.  It is a phrase that creates with words, a picture in our brain and in our souls that show how one's heart has ceased to be separate, and it is joined together with the heart of the one who is suffering, so we are connected, sharing every bit of that state of sorrow that the other one is experiencing...just the same...just as if it was ours.

Can you imagine?  Jesus' heart joined together with that poor widow's to share in the sorrow as if it was His.  And the most remarkable truth...He does that with us too...

Sigh...

Let's ponder that for a while.  Let's see the picture in our minds...and let's remember it next time we are the ones walking in sorrow like the widow of Nain.

Dear Lord, may we never, ever take for granted the fact that You are a compassionate God, whose heart fuses with ours at all times, especially in our times of great distress.  Amen!

Jesus Speaks to Women: Luke 7

13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7: 13

We are back on Luke 7, and today we are going to focus on verse 13...let me just start by saying...WOW!

Let's take this verse one portion at a time:

When the Lord saw her... is it silly to start every sentence with "WOW"?  It probably is.  And I would probably break some kind of golden rule of appropriate writing...but...WOW!  The Lord saw her!  He saw her!  Jesus. Saw. Her!  

He is the Lord Who Sees.  That is one of the Names of God that I treasure the most.  Like Hagar said in Genesis 16: 13-14, He is the God who sees me.  I don't even have to make a peep.  I don't even have to call out His name.  I don't even have to know He is there.  Regardless of all that I am or that I am not, He sees me.  He sees me in my lowly estate.  He sees me in my sin.  He sees me in my faithfulness.  He sees me in my failings.  He sees me in my triumph.  He sees me in my joy.  He sees me in my sorrow.

In a small measure, it is like when you are a parent.  I know it might sound cliche, but it often feels as if you are granted some kind of sixth sense about your children, isn't it?  I mean, we know...and even when they pretend, we can see them.  We can see that something is not OK.  Even if they can't articulate it, parents can see it, because we can't help it...we always see them.  How many times does a parent go check up on their kids when they are asleep?  As a parent, do you know where your toddler is at all times around the house? And as they enter adolescence, what parent doesn't try to stalk their sons and daughters on social media to make sure they know what's going on in their lives?  

We go through great lengths to make sure we can see our kids regardless of how old they are. I now understand the total heartbreak my parents must have suffered when I announced I was leaving the country for good all those years ago.  Back then, it didn't even occur to me to stop to think about their pain.  Now, as I'm sitting here, with less than 2 years until my older son takes those dreaded steps out of the home into the world of college, my heart is already feeling the hurt of the approaching blow.  And why is that?  Well...perhaps because a parent's heart it's not his/her own.  It belongs to the child that they hold in their arms.  And when it is time to let go...the heart goes too.  We love them so much.  And loving is seeing.  So, when we can't see them...we mourn.  

Our Heavenly Father doesn't have to go through the sorrow of separation because He is always here.  He always sees us.  No matter how far we think we have wandered, He always sees us.  And He sees us because He loves us.  He sees us because He cares.  

Jesus is no different.  As the visible manifestation of the Father's glory, Jesus is with us always.  He sees us regardless.  And the same way He saw that poor widow even without her calling out to Him or begging Him for help, He sees us even when we don't know what to do or forget that He is there.  Even when we don't know what to say or even that we could say something...the Holy Spirit takes care of that:  

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 8: 26

Let's never forget that He sees us.  The same way Jesus saw this widow, the same way the Angel of the Lord saw Hagar, in our moments when we feel as if the world has ended, let's rest in the assurance of His presence and in the fact that He sees us because He loves us and because He cares.

Jesus Speaks to Women: Luke 7

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Luke 7: 11-12

As I return to my search for how Jesus spoke to women in the Gospels, I run into this passage above which I have to admit, I don't remember much.  However, O how I love it now that I've found it!

The reason why I love this passage so much is not only because of the miracle that Jesus performed on the widow's son...but because of the miracle of witnessing Jesus compassion.  

Right before this scene, we see Jesus miraculous healing of the servant of the Centurion.  In that case, the Centurion sent some elders to seek Jesus out and plead earnestly to Him to heal the Centurion's servant friend.  We see how Jesus goes with the elders and before he arrives at the house, the Centurion sends yet, another committee to receive Jesus on his behalf, presenting Him with these poignant words:

He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.

Luke 7: 1-7

Jesus responds with great admiration to the Centurion's words spoken through his friends, and turns the entire event into a magnificent teaching moment which speaks to us as loudly today as I'm sure it did to the crowd that heard it a couple of thousands of years ago:

“I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” Luke 7: 9b

Then, Jesus healed the servant even before He reached the Centurion's home...

With this widow, however, what marvels me and what I love the most is that there was no request.  There is no record of the widow saying anything.  The text doesn't even specify that she was crying.  We would not know she was if it were because Jesus noticed.

I mean, obviously, she must have been crying:  a widow + losing her only son = total despair.  

However, I find it intriguing that the writer/recorder did not made it known with more detail.  Perhaps, and this is just me speculating here...her grief was so immeasurably strong that shock overcame her and her crying and sorrow were more inside agony rather than outward manifestation.  Have you ever been there?  Has life ever shaken your circumstances so much that you can't even cry aloud...allowing the sorrow to visibly show?

I remember one instance for me:  when I received the call that my Dad had died.  It was as if someone had removed the floor from under my feet and I was perpetually falling into an abyss where I was voided not only of stability, but also from the ability to express my deep sadness for a while.  

That's what I imagine this widow was going through in this instance...only about a million times stronger...

Sigh...

I'd like to stop here and ponder on the widow's situation for a while...to then, dwell on the magnificent words Jesus offers to this woman...for now, I just pray that the Holy Spirit makes His presence known to us in supernatural evidence so, especially in our moments of deep sorrow, we can be assured that He is, and always will be, the Emmanuel, God With Us!  Amen!

God's Messages through Other Believers

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Luke 2: 33-35

Have you ever wondered why it's difficult for us to listen to what others have to comment/say to us about our circumstances or situations?  Maybe you are not plagued by this issue because you are a kind person, with fully matured fruit of the Spirit.  Me, on the other hand...not so much.  I'm very much like my children.  They never EVER want to hear what I have to say:

Me:  Why don't you do your homework now, so you can be free the rest of your afternoon and evening?

Child:  But I'm tired! I need a break.  Besides, I don't have much homework, just 2 questions.

Me:  Well, if it is so short, just do it now, so you can be free!  It won't take you long and you're done!

Child:  Let me finish this episode/game/song/movie...fill in the blank with whatever other activity he wants to do now... and then I'll do the homework.

Inevitable turn of events:  child doesn't do homework until later that evening.  He becomes enslaved to it because it takes longer than he anticipated, and the whole/entire household is in a tizzy because nobody knows how to solve Problem C in the worksheet.  

So...we know that there are many reasons why we/me/my kids don't want to listen:  because, usually, listening involves stopping a current behavior/trend.   And, we don't want to let go of what we are currently doing and the enjoyment it brings to us regardless of how harmful it might be for us. Besides, it is non of their business!

But...why do others want to communicate those messages to us?  More importantly, why does God want to send us messages either directly, through angels or through other believers?

Well...the way I see it, there is one basic/umbrella reason under which two general objectives sit:

Basic/umbrella reason:  God sends messages to us because He loves us!

Objective #1:  He wants to spare us from heartache that is avoidable.

Objective #2:  He wants to prepare us for heartache that is inevitable.

That's what I see in Simeon's words to Mary, especially the last part:  And a sword will pierce your own soul too...

The spear that pierced Jesus' side on the cross (John 19: 34) doesn't only go through Jesus' flesh...it stabs Mary's heart and soul as she witnessed it...

The plan God had for Mary was grand, indeed!  However, it was also full of hardship and sorrow.  Her suffering cannot be endured without God's presence and voice constantly sustaining her.  Hence the angelic visitation, the prophets words, the pondering... God prepared Mary for the inevitable heartache she would feel and carry with her for the rest of her terrestrial life. 

I believe God doesn't just do this for Mary.  He does it for us too.  He speaks to us through His Word in the Bible, through teachers, through brothers and sisters in Christ, through His direct messages to us because He wants to spare us from avoidable hardship or He wants to prepare us for the ones we must endure.  He never leaves us, nor forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31: 6) He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46: 1)

Therefore, what are we to do?  Listen! We must lend our ear as much as possible and ponder...seek wisdom to discern the way that He is trying to show us and the strength to walk on it.  Let's not so quickly dismiss the messages we receive, for we don't know if they might be exactly what we need to hear at that precise moment...regardless of our reluctance to accept them.

May we realize that God's actions towards us are always moved by His Perfect and Unique Love! Amen!

God Speaks to Us...Often in Unexpected Ways.

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Luke 2: 25-35

Continuing with the passage of Scripture above, I just want to emphasise how God speaks to us in the most unexpected ways.  He is not limited.  I think, often, we are the ones who limit Him.  He has no boundaries!  And Praise Him for that!  There is no prescription or procedure to follow in order for us to hear Him.  Of course, staying tuned into the whisperings of the Holy Spirit and keeping an attitude of never-ceasing prayer are the most conducive states of being to receive God's messages most effectively.  But, I believe, that when God wants to speak, even the most reluctant of ears will hear Him.  Even non believers can't help but hearing Him when He decides to address them.  Look at Hagar.  She was an Egyptian slave, and the Angel of the Lord, Himself, came to her directly and spoke to her face to face.  No second-hand message there!

At any rate, my point here is, keeping our ears and all our senses, really, pointed towards Heaven, like powerful satellites, will help, but never discard the unexpected.  Like Mary and Joseph.  I mean, really!  Their lives went from unexpected to bizzare!  If Mary was anything like me...which she probably wasn't... AT ALL...but just for kicks, let's pretend that we have a bit of the maternal commonality going on... by the time she was taking Baby Jesus to the temple, she was hoping things had calmed down a bit, and that she could just fall into some kind of routine with her infant:  "Ok, after the temple, we'll go home, I'll give the baby a bath...gotta keep the germs away, and the Almighty only knows how many germs most be at that place! then, HOPEFULLY, he'll take a nap, so I can take one too (wishful thinking!) maybe get dinner going...and maybe...only maybe...Joseph can finally fix that leak under the kitchen sink...I mean, jar...or basin..."

I'm sorry, I'm really digressing.  The point I've been trying to make ... very inefficiently...is, life is full of divine encounters!  And we never know when or through whom God will deliver an important message to us.  Therefore, we are called to seek wisdom and make our ears attentive, for we don't know when we might be in the presence of a messenger. But, don't be too hard on yourself if life catches you by surprise.  It happens!  We are easily distracted.  We are humans.  That's exactly why we need Jesus...

Next time, we will see what else Simeon spoke to Mary and how that might have impacted her young soul.  For now, I pray the Lord will help us keep Proverbs 2: 1-5 in mind:

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

God's Messages Through the Mouths of Fellow Believers

25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,

you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,

and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Luke 2: 25-35

Have you ever heard the voice of God?  I've always wondered how He might sound like...I guess I've imagined His voice to be really deep and rather scary...thunderous... the thing is... I have never heard God's voice, audibly, you know? like I can hear my children or my husband (well, sort of...they say I'm losing my hearing abilities...note to self:  get a hearing test this year).  However, I can honestly say I have heard God's messages through the words of my fellow believers.

I have had sisters in Christ praying over me words that are truly inspired and straight from the Holy Spirit!  I have had my husband speak words to me that leave me in awe and astonished (don't tell him) because I know they contained messages God sent me directly through him.  I have even had my kids say things to me that cannot come from any other place than from the Heavenly Helper living inside of them.  Out of the mouths of babes, alright... (Matthew 21: 16)

I believe that God can speak to His children audibly if He'd chose to do so, of course!  He can also speak to us through whispers and thoughts, and obviously, through Scripture.  But I also believe that, more often than not, He uses believers and even non-believers, God can use anyone, really, to speak to us.  Like He did with Mary and Joseph.  We know how both of them had direct, divine encounters with heavenly beings in person and in dreams.  They also had, however, believers speak messages to them that God wanted them to hear.

In the long passage above, we see Simeon.  The Holy Spirit was on him and had revealed wonderful things that he passed onto Mary and Joseph as they entered the temple to consacrate Jesus.  Simeon took the Baby in his arms and, WOW...the words that flew out of his mouth are words not just for Mary and Joseph, but for all of us, thousands of years later.  I mean, he spoke about how Jesus came to reveal Himself to the gentiles!  The gentiles!  A Jew talking about a revelation to the gentiles!  That's us!

Anyway...we will continue exploring the words of Simeon, but for now, I just want to end here and ponder:  Do I pay attention to the words spoken to me by my fellow believers?  Do I really listen to them when they talk to me inspired words in the day-to-day?  In the distractions of my life, am I tuning in to the messages God is sending to me through others? Am I ignoring His "texts"?

Dear Lord, may we be able to say that, "my eyes have seen Your salvation," and that my ears have heard Your voice in the mouths of others! Amen!

A Season of Pondering and Praising!

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. Luke 2: 19

The holiday-blues...we've heard about it, haven't we?  We might have even experienced a version of it.  I know I have and I am.  Today is the first day back to school for my kids and back to work for my husband after a glorious Christmas break! The house is empty and quiet for the first time in over a week.  And, although I do treasure the stillness...I look at the unlit Christmas tree and nativity, and my heart aches...

I love Christmas!  I love the decorations and the cooking and the time together, cooped up in the house, having nothing to do or nowhere to go, watching and endless selection of Christmas movies, eating until I'm so stuffed I can't sleep, waking up late, smelling the scented candles, wrapping up presents, finding creative ways to keeping them hidden from the kids, anticipating their looks when they finally open them on Christmas morning, receiving Christmas cards (being upset that I didn't send any myself)...all of it!  I love it all! And that's why the after Christmas-blues usually hits me hard on a day like today...when all seems over and done...

The mere thought of having to take down the decorations makes me tear up...

However, this year, I want to take a different approach to the post holidays.  I want to look at this time as a season on itself.  I want to make it a season of pondering.

hmmm...

When I read Luke 2: 19 I see Mary's version of the holiday blues...and I see the way she handled it:  by treasuring it all up and pondering it in her heart...and that's what I want to do!  I want to spend time savoring the experiences.  I might have been too busy and distracted during the actual events to even take time to reflect on them...so now it's when!  And I certainly didn't ponder much in between cookies, candy canes and wrapping paper...so today is the day!  

Today is the day to look back at the treasured memories and ponder how great God truly is!  And not because He gave me a new IPad (which I am truly treasuring, btw) but because He gave me Jesus! And it is through Jesus that all is possible:  my sons, my husband, my house, my job, my loved ones, my life and my salvation...

I'm sure Mary was confused about the future of her young family and of her newborn son...I'm sure among the many things she pondered was the uncertainty of it all...but I'm also sure that as she fixed her eyes on that Baby she was holding, all her pondering turned into praise!

And that's what I want to do as well:  I want my pondering to lead me to praising Him above all else!

Sigh...

So, as I put every figurine of the nativity scene back into their boxes, put the Christmas movie collection away, and vacuum the dust that has accumulated since late November, I want to ponder until my heart burst into worshiping and thanksgiving!  Praised be the Name of the Most High!  Praised be the Morning Star!  Praised be Our Emmanuel!