Jesus Speaks to Women...even Sinful Women...

And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7: 48

For some, this expression may represent a re-birth...a healing...a permission to breathe again.  Yet, for others, it might be an occasion to mistrust.  This is the contrast between the two characters in the passage that contains this wonderful verse: Luke 7: 36-50.  

On one side we have the sinful woman who came to Jesus with her alabaster jar of ointment and, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. (Luke 7: 38) On the other hand we have the Pharisee who invited Jesus to dine.

Jesus uses both to teach a magnificent lesson: faith.

The way I see it, both, the woman as well as the Pharisee were drawn to Jesus.  The difference is in the details of their intentions/reasons as to why seeking Jesus. The Pharisee invited Him to his home to eat and hang out.  The sinful woman entered the house of the Pharisee to seek out Jesus and worship Him.  The Pharisee, accustomed to sitting among important people, used the invitation to call attention to himself, to his power, to his position of influence:  look at me, look at me, I have the hottest celebrity of the moment dining at my house, aren't I amazing?  The woman, sneaking into the room where Jesus was reclining, surrendered her tears, her hair, her precious ointment, weeping, ashamed, broken...

For the Pharisee, it was all about himself.  He wanted to make himself look good, and he also wanted to prove how smart he was, "Hey, if Jesus really were who He said He is, He'd know better..." (my paraphrase of verse 39)

For the sinful woman, it was all about Jesus.  Notice she didn't even say anything...she didn't ask for anything...she just wanted to get near Jesus.  In contrast with Mary in Matthew 26, this woman washes His feet.  I believe, she didn't feel worthy of anointing Jesus head, so she, in great humility, took the the most humble of tasks:  cleaning a man's feet...with her tears...and her hair.  I mean, her hair!  A precious commodity for a woman.  Back then, women weren't even allowed to show their hair in public.  Their hair was reserved only for her husband.  I think of today and the great pains that women go through to fix their hair just like so...how much we wrestle with our hair...how much money we invest in our hair...I'm sure women back then did the equivalent too...and to use her precious hair to wipe the dirty feet of a man who had been beating the dusty pathways for days?  I mean, Jesus didn't even have like a permanent residence...how many times a week you think He got to wash His feet?  They are Holy feet, I know...but even Holy feet get dirty...don't you think?  And to use one's hair to wipe them?!  WOW!  That is surrender...that is worship...

How much are we willing to surrender when we worship?

Sigh...

I would like to pause here to ponder for a while.  May the Holy Spirit speak to us and reveal to us what He wants us to learn, appreciate, and discern in this passage.  Amen!

Jesus Speaks to Women: Tasting the Greatness of God's Love!

14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Luke 7: 14-17

I remember hearing someone say a while ago something like: "you can't outgive God."  At the time, I wasn't sure what she meant by that.  She gave me an example of something that had happened to her that involved money.  But the phrase continued to intrigue me until right about now... I can finally see a better picture of the potential of such an exclamation about the nature of our Heavenly Father.  

In what happened to the widow of Nain I see a vivid picture of God's love for us manifested in the person of Jesus the Christ.  His capacity to give of Himself is limitless, and our limited minds struggle to grasp so big a concept. So it is in His actions that we get a glimpse as to what it's meant when the Bible speaks about the immeasurable riches of our God. 

In this passage we see such a glimpse.  I mean, really!  As if Jesus' mere presence, compassion and words weren't enough, He goes on to do something spectacular:  He raises this woman's son from death and gives him back to her...

Praised be His Holy Name!

Can you imagine?  Can you picture yourself there, at that moment?  I imagine myself, not so much as the widow, but as one of the mourners?  That's where I place myself...as a witness, seized by fear, mesmerized, astonished, but at the same time, unable to keep quiet.  I would certainly hope that my taste for chatter would propel me to be one of those spreading this report throughout the area and beyond!  How could anyone keep quiet!? Right?

The thing is...many do keep quiet.  Often, we are in the presence of God's glory and we don't realize it.  We are too distracted to see it.  We are too cynical to recognize it.  We are too self-conscious to publicly acknowledge it.  We are too resentful due to previous hurts to gratefully receive it and gladly communicate it to others in need to hear it.  We have allowed sorrow to swallow us up, so from the depth of our pit of pain we are unable to perceive God's love...

I can see myself being hung up on the fact that the boy did die.  "But he is alive now! Rejoice!"  Yes, but...he did die...why couldn't God keep him from dying and spare me the suffering?  You know?  If He planned to raise him back up again, why go through the hurt?  

Yeah...I can see me standing on this type of toxic attitude...Lord, help me!

I have a hard time moving on.  I don't drop things easily.  Forgiveness doesn't come quickly to my heart.  Fear has a firm grip on my nerves and when something I dread happens...I am so petrified that I can't move beyond the point even when things have resolved.  I keep thinking, "what if it happens again?"  

Sigh...

Well, today, I see, we cannot outgive God.  He is the Supreme Giver of all things, and if He gave once, He will give again, and again, and again.  It's not like He is going to run out of His giving ability.  He not only gives us what we need, but He gives us Himself...even when we don't even have the presence of mind to ask Him for anything...He sees us, He knows what we need, He speaks to us, He provides ultimate comfort and, He restores us...the pain, the suffering, the hardship, the hurt...it is all intended to get us closer to Him and to clear our vision so we can see, taste, feel, breathe, touch, hear and proclaim the magnitude of His love.

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

Ephesians 3: 16-19

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

"...and He said, "Don't cry":  this is the culminating point of this magnificent verse...He said.  Jesus, Our Lord and Savior, The Christ, not only saw the woman and suffered with her, but He actually spoke to her.  

In the events that happened right before this encounter with the widow of Nain, we don't see any reference showing Jesus actually speaking to the Centurion...they might have, eventually, but Luke doesn't record it.  In part, this is because the Centurion doesn't feel worthy of even being in the same place as Jesus, let alone talking to Him or presenting a request in person.  Instead, He sends those whom he believe might be more acceptable to enter in the presence of the One even a Roman officer realizes is Someone Holy.  

Here, in the scene with the widow, a woman lost in her grief and terrified of the empty life that lay ahead, a woman who hadn't even noticed Jesus was there, and if she did, didn't even have the clarity of mind to ask Him for a miracle...here, it is all about Jesus.  In the passage before, it was about the faith of the Centurion.  Here, it is about the compassion, love and power of Jesus, praised be His Holy Name forever!

He speaks to her, a woman.  For all purposes, and depending on the situation, widows were among the lowest in the societal hierarchy of Jesus' times.  But He doesn't care.  Jesus is not impressed by title or wealth.  He loves the Centurion as much as He loves this desperate woman.  These two passages are a study in contrast.  On the one side we have a Roman Centurion, who commanded soldiers by the hundreds, a figure of authority, on the other we have a woman, already an entity that was negated most benefits and privileges that world had to offer, but on top of that, a woman who had lost her husband and now her only son...a woman without a man was less than a donkey in those days.  And what does Jesus do?  He sees:  He sees the heart.  He sees the pain.  He feels:  He feels compassion and suffers along with them.  He speaks:  He speaks profound words of teaching...or simple words of love: "don't cry."

I am completely moved by the words of Our Lord here:  "don't cry."  

Like I said earlier, we wouldn't know for sure if she was crying, we assume she was, but we wouldn't be certain if it weren't for Jesus noticing.  I imagine Him gently approaching this woman, and rather whispering the words.  I believe this must have been a personal exchange, heard only by those in close proximity.  It was meant for her to hear, not as a demonstration of might.  Of course, what follows will become a great demonstration of power...but I think, not this moment.  I think this was a more relational moment between Jesus and this widow...meant to express the love that overflowed in the compassion of His actions.  

Wouldn't you love to hear Jesus whisper to you:  "don't cry"?  In your hour of deepest darkness and sorrow, wouldn't you give anything to hear His voice saying to you, directly, "don't cry"?

The good news is that He does!  For, at times, we are the widow of Nain, and it is in those moments when Jesus' voice becomes audible in this verse.  The utterance:  "don't cry" was meant for her, but it is recorded in the Bible so it is meant for you and me as well!  That's the gift of Scripture!  If God found it important enough to be recorded, it is because it's meant to be a message for us.

Therefore, I cling to this verse as if it was written for me...because I believe it was and as such I will treasure it for as long as I live!

Thank you, Dear Lord, for seeing us, for demonstrating compassion for us and for speaking to us always, but especially in our hour of the most darkness and in the moments of the greatest of needs.  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

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!