Generosity: To Have Great Compassion

“When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.” Luke 7:13

This story takes place soon after Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant. Jesus had His Disciples and large crowd go with Him to a town called Nain.  There at the gate was a big crowd, and He saw a widow’s dead son, her only son being carried out. Then, “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said, “Do not weep.” Jesus went over to the coffin, touched it, and said “Young man I tell you, get up!” The man sat up and spoke. Jesus then took the man to his mother. The people were in absolute awe.

This is not just a simple story about another miracle Jesus made, this is about His emotion. Why is that important?

Not too long ago, there was a man that our staff team knew. That man committed suicide. Most of us went to the funeral to pay our respects, but their was something inside me that felt uneasy. I only knew him because he helped fix my car many times for very cheap prices. He was extremely talented at it too. But I didn’t have a real relationship with him.

I didn’t know what to do, so I waited in one of the side rooms until the rest of the team got done greeting the mourning family.

I felt bad for their loss. I only wish I knew him on a personal level. But when Jesus “saw” the woman, he had “compassion” for her. Jesus felt her pain. He understood completely what she was going through. We might not fully understand when a person is either sad, or homeless, or even going through a devastating change. But if we have “Compassion” for others, even if we don’t fully know them, it is the “start" to giving hope!