Young Man, Get Up and See Jesus

Title: Young Man, Get Up and See Jesus
Scripture: Luke 7:11-17

If we imagine today’s passage as a picture, we can see two groups meeting.
One group is coming out of the city, and another group is entering the city.

The group coming out of the city is leaving to hold a funeral. A young man has died. The Bible tells us that his mother is a widow. This means she lost her only son. The people in the group are sad and crying. They know they cannot comfort the grieving mother, so they simply stay by her side. This shows the limit of human comfort—we want to help, but sometimes, we just can’t.

On the other hand, there is another group entering the city. This group is Jesus, His disciples, and the crowd following Him. This story happens when these two groups meet.

Jesus could have just passed by, but He didn’t. Among the many people, Jesus saw the crying widow. He saw her sorrow. She had already lost her husband, which made life hard for her socially and financially. Now, she lost her only son. No words could comfort her. Her son was being buried next to his father. She had no choice but to grieve deeply.

But we must remember that sorrow and crying can be God’s grace. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Through the widow and the people with her, we can see a broken heart, deep sorrow, and no hope.
But through Jesus, we can see something different. We can see who He is and what He does.

1. Jesus Has Compassion

In verse 13, the Bible says Jesus had compassion.
God is full of mercy. He does not ignore people in difficult situations. In 1 Kings 17, God told Elijah to go to a widow in Zarephath and help her. God saw her situation and sent help in advance. He even raised her son back to life.

Just like God, Jesus also had compassion for the widow. He felt her pain and saw her sorrow. If Jesus did not care, He would not have even looked at her.

Jesus sees our sorrow.
Jesus sees our broken hearts.
Jesus sees our hopelessness.
He has mercy on those who are suffering and gives them salvation.

The Bible says in Hebrews that Jesus, our great High Priest, understands our pain.
In Isaiah 63:9, it says that God shares in our suffering because of His love and mercy.

Jesus’ tender mercy gives us comfort.
Whenever and wherever you feel sorrow, I pray that God’s peace will be with you.

2. Jesus is Our Reason

Jesus told the widow, “Do not weep.”
Her son had died. He was her only son, her last hope, and her reason to live. Yet, Jesus told her not to cry. Normally, this would be an unkind thing to say. But Jesus had a reason.

People who are sad and grieving need to cry. Crying helps us release our pain.
But Jesus gave the widow a reason not to cry. He is our reason.

Jesus was about to raise her son back to life. That is why He said, “Do not weep.”
There was no more sorrow because her son would live again!

Sometimes, we need to cry. Crying can be a gift from God. It helps our hearts heal.
But as Christians, we also have a reason not to cry.
Even if we lose someone we love, we know they will rise again in glory.
Jesus is the One who wipes away our tears.

3. Jesus Gives New Life and True Freedom

Jesus said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
He gave the young man a new life, new hope, and a new reason to live.

In Jeremiah 31:17, the Bible says that children will return to their own land.
The young man was now alive again and able to return home.
Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Jesus did not demand anything from the young man.
He did not say, “Follow me and become my disciple.”
He simply gave him back to his mother.
Jesus’ miracles come from His compassion.
He does not demand payment. He gives freely. This is grace.

We must be careful. Even false teachers can talk about God’s grace.
Some people perform miracles and show kindness, but they do not give true freedom.
Instead, they demand something in return.
They expect payment for grace.
But this is not the true gospel.
They are just selling Jesus for profit.

Jesus gives true freedom.
He gives us respect.
Even when we make mistakes, He still loves us and gives us space to grow.
We should not use freedom as an excuse for sin,
but we must also not live without knowing the true freedom of Christ.

4. Jesus Helps People See God’s Care

When the young man rose from the dead, the crowd was filled with fear.
Then, they praised God.

The Bible says that God visited His people.
This means He came to help them, to heal them, and to save them.

Jesus died on the cross, rose again, and ascended into heaven.
He promised to come back because we cannot go to Him by ourselves.

When we experience God’s special mercy and grace,
first, we should fear and respect God.
Second, we should remember that God sees us, helps us, and visits us.
Finally, like the people in the story, we must glorify God and share His grace with others.

Conclusion

Jesus is full of compassion.
Jesus is our reason.
Jesus gives true freedom.

Let’s always remember who He is.
Let’s love God with all our hearts.

Amen.