From hopelessness to Hopefulness!

Luke 7:11-17

11 Not long after that, Jesus went to the village Nain. His disciples were with him, along with quite a large crowd. 12 As they approached the village gate, they met a funeral procession-- a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. 13 When Jesus saw her, his heart broke. He said to her, "Don't cry." 14 Then he went over and touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped. He said, "Young man, I tell you: Get up." 15 The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother. 16 They all realized they were in a place of holy mystery, that God was at work among them. They were quietly worshipful-- and then noisily grateful, calling out among themselves, "God is back, looking to the needs of his people!" 17 The news of Jesus spread all through the country.

Food for thought!

It comes with little or no warning. It grips you before you ever know you’re within its grasp. It shows up like an uninvited guest. Without you knowing it, it schedules an appointment in your life; there’s no warning signal, no phone call, and no note left on the kitchen table. Night falls just like any other night, and the sun rises just like every other morning, but hopelessness closes in unexpectedly, and you’re not sure you’ll make it through the day.

Hopelessness arrives at the most inopportune moments. It doesn’t care that you’ve got a job to go to or bills to pay. It doesn’t appear to matter that your health is failing, relationships are falling apart, or you’re in too much pain to even pray. It doesn’t seem to mind that you’re already drowning in despair, as you struggle through the troubles of life. Hopelessness comes when you least expect it. 

Hopelessness does not mind if you are already in problems. It came to the woman who was already a widow. Here is a woman who had already lost her husband. The only things remaining from her marriage are a few memories and the only son that she and her husband brought into the world. Now, her precious son has been taken away by death, as well.

We are told that the victim is a young man, whose life had been filled with great potential. He might have had hopes of marriage and of fathering children, but now he is dead. There may have been plans of going into business to support himself and his widowed mother, but now he is dead. Those eyes which had been bright with the gleam of youth are now dulled by death. That mind that had hoped and dreamed was now stilled by the cold embrace of death. That voice that had laughed and cried has been silenced forever. Death has come and it has brought with it all the hopelessness it possesses. 

That is before Jesus showed up!

Life before Jesus is called B.C.! This life is a hopeless life and living. It was so for the three recorded people that Jesus raised from the dead. One had just died (Luke 8:40-56); the second is this one of today's gospel, who was being carried to be buried; the third is Lazarus that had been in the tomb four days (Jn 11:1-44). What is noteworthy about all of the three, is the moment Jesus met them: one had just died; another was already dead and on the way to the cemetery; the last was dead and already buried in the cemetery for four days. As you know, all of them were brought back to life and to living. 

It means that for Jesus it is never too late. With Jesus, we can rise up from where we have fallen, regardless of when. If and when we fall into sin, into hopelessness, into helplessness, into confusion, into desperation, into betrayal, Jesus can bring us back to normality of life and living, regardless of the time. It means that never lose hope in Jesus; with Jesus never write yourself or anybody off. You are never too dead of anything to rise up again. There's no sin, no state Jesus cannot rescue us from. If he made us from dust of the earth (Gen 2:7), he can for sure raise us again from the same dust on the last day (1Cor 6:14). To him be praise and honour and glory, both for now and for ever. Amen.