Where is God Moving?

The incarnation of Jesus brought about a new movement of God in the world. Jesus taught all who would listen about a truly spiritual lifestyle, and began to demonstrate the grace of God through healing the sick. He called disciples to follow him and learn the priorities of the Kingdom of God, and crowds of curious people would gather around him waiting to see what happened next.

We know, as time moved on, there would be those who opposed Jesus. But these weren’t your average community members, these were jealous religious and political figures – who had their own agenda, and too much to lose if Jesus gained too much allegiance from the people. Even though these misguided figures were able to manipulate circumstances and bring about Jesus’ death, this would not defeat God, as God would bring about the possibility of mass salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus!

In Luke 7 (verses 11-17), we again have a scene of Jesus, in the early part of his ministry, entering a town, accompanied by his disciples (on their learning curve), and being followed by a curious crowd. In one way, we could see Jesus just simply encountering the everyday dynamics of life as he travelled. In another way, we could see Jesus as following the prompting of the Holy Spirit in being in the places he needed to be – to exercise special ministry to those most in need and most ready to respond.

Where do we see God moving in this incident? Certainly in the person of Jesus being available to draw close to those in need! Is God also moving in another way here as well?

With the widowed mother was “a large crowd from the town”. These were not the same curious ones following Jesus around, but the concerned local neighbours of the woman who’d suffered a great loss. Jesus was not the first one in this story to show compassion it seems. Jesus would not necessarily have known that this woman was already a widow and had now lost her only son. But her neighbours would have known – there was not only the grief to be endured, but also the aloneness this woman was going to experience, and the potential difficulties of being without a male protector and provider. These neighbours were showing great compassion and some human solidarity with this widowed mother – being with her at the time of her greatest need. The deep sympathy and compassion expressed by these community members, whether they realised it or not, originated in God! God was moving within these people as well!!!

I don’t know whether Steve Irwin knew where his deep compassion for wounded animals and the welfare of the environment originated, but we know that the capacity for such compassion is placed within human beings at their conception by God. In their finest moments, whether they know so or not, people like Steve Irwin and Laurie Levy (in the fine tradition of St. Frances of Assisi) are doing God’s work, and prove that God is at work in the world – not being restricted only to those who are inside the church or who give God the credit!

So can you see the picture here in Luke 7, of the compassion of the woman’s neighbours – intersecting with the presence of the One who could truly do something wonderful and miraculous to help! And this connection physically occurred at the town gate – a major meeting place for the citizens – so the interested crowd would have been building.

Jesus knew that this was a moment for grace to be demonstrated with its fullest capacity. Resurrection would be the highest point of God’s capacity to change realities. Apart from this incident (and the resurrection of Jesus himself) the gospels only include two other instances – Jairus’s daughter and Lazarus.

The disciples of Jesus were observing all this. In a few short years, it would be them who would have to respond in Jesus’ place, just as Jesus did here. Then, a few short decades later, it would be those who followed in the way of these first disciples, who would have to exhibit the power of God to deeply touch lives. Guess who is responsible now!

However, we won’t have to dream up what to do from scratch using a blank sheet of paper!! We have a community around us, and within that community there are the full gamut of human needs and emotions; and God is already present – seeking to enter the suffering and the interplay and the politics and the fun. God is with those who are truly seeking the welfare of the city above their personal agendas. Let’s be listening, observing, researching and participating within our community’s functioning to see where Jesus could and should be made present – to intersect with good things already being done. Getting involved – this is how mission needs to be done in Australia … especially now that the church has generally been relegated to the margins of society.

There will be those who we can help connect with God by co-operating with them in their well-meaning endeavours. Then there will be those curious onlookers who might just be impressed by some of the outcomes. In this way, we, and the other Jesus-followers of this area, may just become the “hub” of our community for God!

Returning to the text (at verse 13), no-one needed to ask Jesus to do anything! Jesus, surrounded by his disciples, this woman’s compassionate neighbours, and the curious onlookers, just responded, and responded remarkably. It’s good to cry when we are grieving, so, Jesus could only say, “Do not weep”, if there was no longer going to be anything to grieve about. The dead son was being carried off to his funeral and burial spot outside of town on a stretcher. Jesus intervened, touched the stretcher, and commanded the young man to rise! Jesus, in touching this stretcher, rendered himself ceremonially unclean, but Jesus wasn’t one to allow trifling matters to get in the way of touching someone’s life. The young son not only sat up, but began to speak! Luke says that Jesus then “gave him to his mother”, indicating that this great miracle occurred in response to the mother’s need … and to aid the restoration of her life. The family line of her deceased husband would continue and her economic outlook was now much improved.

This was an awesome act, so awe overcame all those present, including the compassionate neighbours and also those curious onlookers. It’s interesting that they didn’t mob Jesus, but rather attributed this activity to God. They didn’t fully understand what was going on (referring to Jesus as a “great prophet”), they had a way to go here, but they would all be doing a fair bit of reflection over the next few days. God indeed looks favourably upon those that express compassion toward others in need, and seeks to touch the lives of the poor and grieving. Jesus himself taught: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy." (Matt 5:3,4,7)

Hopefully as we involve ourselves in our community, our neighbours will be caused to attribute all the positive outcomes to God (and begin to worship Him). God is moving, let’s co-operate with Him. Let’s represent Jesus as we move about the local area – and intersect with the good things that are already happening … the great relationships that are already being built. And the good word will spread!