Jesus' Compassion: Hope and Restoration for All

We thank you, Jesus, that you respond to requests when we come to you in faith, but also, Lord, that you look to us in our points of pain when we're not looking for you, and you stop and you touch us anyway. And so, as we unpack this ancient miracle, might your compassion be poured out afresh into any points of sorrow, sadness, and suffering in the room, that we would encounter the living Savior with his living compassion, and know that you are a compassionate Lord and Savior. We ask this and pray this in Jesus's name. [00:03:10] (37 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


And I realized, today, we see Jesus do a miraculous work, namely stop a funeral, right, and raise a child. This is the first of three times Jesus raises the dead. And if you've been a believer for a while, you realize that death is an enemy. It's not naturally part of the created order. It was brought into the world because of sin, and Jesus came to push back the curse through his resurrection power. [00:05:46] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


And whether Jesus heals in that moment or Jesus heals on that final day, we remember afresh that Jesus cares and Jesus cancels out death. Jesus is a compassionate Savior, amen? [00:06:47] (15 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Jesus sees her, and he speaks to her, and he comes to her to offer his compassion, we're told. He's making a special journey to the least of these, to the poor, to those who aren't even looking because Jesus is looking for the least, the left out, and those who are passed over to bring the compassion of God. That's good news, amen? [00:11:14] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


These two stories couldn't be any more starkly different, which should also give us caution if we ever have a view that Jesus blesses the rich or only the poor. Jesus covers all the spectrums and everywhere in between, and he responds in faith, and even when we don't have it, he'll give it to you anyway, right? Our Bible is so rich with all of these different stories. He goes after the Gentiles, and then he goes to his own. He goes to us all. All with his compassion. [00:11:43] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


But before we get to the miracle in a moment, I want you to see once again the willingness of Jesus Christ to go to some of the most unclean places in the world and to see the dead corpse. And traditionally what would happen, right, if you touch something unclean, you become unclean. But in the inauguration of the Christ coming into the world, the curse is being pushed back and the great grand reversal that puts together all that is broken in the world is ushered in, in the person and work and ministry of Christ so that when Jesus touches the unclean, he doesn't become unclean. Rather, the unclean thing is cast out, amen? The unclean thing, the unclean thing becomes clean. And so the confrontation between death and the disciples of Jesus, Jesus wins and Jesus stands in the way of death with his compassion to wipe away the tears that death would usher into the world. Jesus touches the unclean. [00:19:13] (63 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Because I'm tired of crying, and I'm tired of people dying, and I can't wait to get there where my friendship with you will last forever and will never be interrupted by this vicious enemy named death that crawls into our life and cuts it short, in the blink of a moment. You were not created for death. You were not created for tears. You were created for joy, and you were created for life. And Jesus will give you both forever if you touch him, amen? Christ, compassion first. He sees the poor, and he touches the unclean. [00:23:38] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Jesus is the one who raises the dead. John the Baptist asks, are you the one, or are we to look for another? He says, tell John this, the dead are raised. And this is the first of those three accounts. So we talked about the one here. We talked about Lazarus, and there's the raising of Jairus' daughter. In all three of those instances, Jesus raises the dead. He raises people who were already dead. [00:25:13] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


Jesus has the power to raise the dead, and these are all a foretaste of the perfection of that future. It spills into this present evil age to see the inaugurated power of God that will one day cancel death for good. [00:26:48] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


That Jesus sees you in your sadness. That Jesus sees your tears and he cares. That Jesus came into this world to weep beside us like he did at Lazarus' tomb. That Jesus came to us to give us hope. Hope in the face of death. And Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to ultimately overcome death for you. You will meet your child again if they are in Christ Jesus. Amen? You will meet your spouse again on that final day. And you will meet all of the saints who have gone to sleep before you because Jesus holds them secure in the palm of his hand. And on that final day when we get there and we see our Father face to face, I'm so thankful. I'm so thankful that we not only meet the judge of all the earth, but we meet the Redeemer who carries us on his lap and sees those tears. [00:28:58] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)