Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 - Tuesday in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Tim 3:1-13 and Luke 7:11-17,1068]When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep." He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Jesus does not bring people back to die a second time very often! The son of the widow in today's gospel scripture, the little daughter of Jairus [Mark 5: 22 et seq.] and Jesus' friend, Lazarus [John 11] are the only three instances in the gospels. Although there are reasons of compassion/mercy or friendship in all three cases, there are larger reasons at work, too. The reports are not meant to serve as spectacular "proofs" alone but to contribute to a broader message. In the case of the Gospel of Luke, that broader message is reflected in the reaction of the crowd: "God has visited his people."
Early in the gospel, Luke has the father of John the Baptist proclaiming, "Blessed be the Lord our God who has visited his people and redeemed them...." The reaction of the crowd to the healing in today's gospel shows that Jesus is God visiting his people! Jesus is also seen to resemble the great prophet, Elijah, who raised the son of a widow (1 Kings 17). The whole image is that Jesus personifies the mercy of God for all God's people, even though the circumstances represent a particular person's loss. We might remember, too, that Jesus himself was the only son of a widowed mother!
The life that Jesus came to bring is greater than the life that we live for a certain number of years. Although he is Lord of that life, he is offering more than that life. AMEN