Luke : Day 15

Read 7: 1-35

From thinking about the human heart yesterday, we get a window into the heart of God today. As the Bible says, Jesus is the ‘exact representation of God’s being’ (Hebrews 1:3). The way Jesus interacted with people shows us God’s heart for us.

Luke recorded  two more incredible miracles carried out by Jesus. The first was the healing of a Roman centurion’s servant from a distance! The centurion understood that Jesus spoke with the authority of God, and that what He said would happen.

The second was (if possible) even more mind-bending. Jesus brought a young man back from death, and the people declared, “A great prophet has appeared among us!” (verse 16). They hadn’t quite grasped that Jesus is God but they were getting there!

Did you see Jesus’ compassion for the poor mother? Verse 13: “…his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”’ They were right when they said, “God has come to help his people.”

Maybe you ask, “Why isn’t he here to help me?” We have plenty of pain and struggles in our lives, just like this widow, but we didn’t live at the right time or in the right place to meet Jesus.

The Bible teaches that God sees your suffering and cares about it and you. God created a perfect world, but it was corrupted by sin, and life is often very painful for all of us. Jesus came to deal first with our sin problem. His care for us extended to sacrificing His own life to pay for our wrongdoing.

But He also healed the sick and raised the dead, and His care for sick and grieving people demonstrate the heart of God for humanity – and point to the perfect future He has planned for those who trust in Him.*

Remember John the Baptiser? He seems to have had doubts about Jesus (verse 19). You might remember from chapter 3 that King Herod had imprisoned John, so he is unable to go and speak to Jesus himself. Perhaps John wanted Jesus to hurry up and bring war against the Romans, as many thought the promised Messiah would do, and set him free from prison! In response, Jesus reminded John that the prophets foretold a Messiah who would rescue people from their troubles and preach the good news of repentance and forgiveness. His mission was not a military campaign, but a mercy mission – and it shows us that God’s heart is for us.

“God has come to help his people”

Luke 7:16