You are seen

Do you ever feel unseen or unnoticed? Are you hurting and wonder if God even cares about you?

I want to encourage you today. God sees you and he loves you.

Luke 7:11-17

"Soon afterward he (Jesus) went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country."

We read in this account that Jesus was traveling with his disciples and he was accompanied by a large crowd. At this point in Jesus' ministry, wherever he went people found him. Mixed in the crowds were those who needed miracles, those who desired to learn from him, those who opposed him, and those who were simply curious and wanted to see for themselves what all the commotion was about.

Not only was Jesus accompanied by a large crowd, but the widow was also surrounded by a crowd of people from her town. It was like the converging of two large groups of people, yet as Jesus approached Nain, he "saw her." The word saw is Horaō and it means to discern clearly and attend to. There are many examples in scripture where Jesus looked past all the other people present, perceived the very depths of one person's soul, the deep anguish they were experiencing, and extended compassion (Matthew 8:14-15, Matthew 9:20-22, Luke 19:5-10). He had and still has the ability to focus on one person in a crowd, really see them, and make them feel seen. In fact, he has the ability to intimately focus on every single person in the world at the same time, really see them, and meet them where they are at. Only God can do this.

This woman not only lost her only son, but she was also a widow. This is a significant detail. Widows in the ancient world were vulnerable. Unless they had someone to provide for and take care of them, they were susceptible to destitution. This is why God commanded the Israelite people to provide for, protect, and fight for justice for widows, (Deuteronomy 14:29, 24:19, 20, 21, 27:19, Isaiah 1:17) and we are called as followers of Jesus to do the same today (James 1:27).

This woman had experienced devastating loss. First her husband, and now her son. But when Jesus discerned her grief and dire situation, he reached out in compassion; compassion so genuine and real, the greek word describes it as one's bowels yearning (the bowels were considered to be the seat of the tenderer affections such as love, kindness, benevolence, and pity). In other words, the greek word splagchnizomaib doesn't mean feeling a passing pity for someone. It means to feel pity in such a way that it moves you to act on the behalf of someone else.

Notice the scripture states, "when the Lord saw her..." The word Lord is kyrios and means supreme authority. The sovereign God, Creator of heaven and earth, saw her and changed her life in a very real and personal way by giving her her only son back. He gave her "a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit." (Isaiah 61:3). The Lord has power over death, and he is able to bring life out of what seems hopeless.

Jesus brought glory to his Father that day by displaying the compassion and power of God. In one of the darkest hours of this woman's life, he saw her and moved in with compassion. He raised her only son back to life and by doing so, gifted her with protection, provision, and a restored relationship with her son.

Little did this woman know that her encounter with Jesus would be a signpost directing our attention to God's ultimate compassion toward humanity. Not only would God's only Son die, but God would raise Jesus back to life, making him our hope in life and death. Through Jesus, we have resurrection life and a restored relationship with our Father in heaven.

Let's take a look at a similar account.

John 19:25-27

"but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home."

In this passage, Jesus was hanging and dying on the cross. God's one and only Son, innocent, yet willingly surrendering his life as a sacrifice for our sins. He was beaten, betrayed, mocked, and nailed to a criminal's cross.

Heavy on Jesus' shoulders was the weight of our guilt and shame. At this moment, Jesus was providing payment for our deepest and greatest need. He was paving the way back to our heavenly Father with his body and blood. God saw our need before the foundations of the world, moved with compassion on our behalf, and Jesus' death on the cross was the culmination of God's rescue plan. Through Jesus' sacrifice, we are forgiven, accepted, and made right with God.

At the climax of God's rescue plan, here is where we read, "Jesus saw his mother" standing by the cross. This is the same word Horaō. In Jesus' darkest hours, he was discerning clearly and attending to his mother's needs at the same exact time he was tending to humanity's greatest need. Wow! Jesus ensured that his mother would be taken care of when he was gone, and entrusted John, his disciple, with providing and protecting her.

These two passages in scripture point us to the heart of God. They inform us about his character. He has already displayed his great love for you and me by giving us his son, yet he still is moving toward us in compassion.

I want to encourage you that even if you have a hard time seeing Jesus through the "crowd" of the difficult and dire situations you are in, the "crowd" of your past mistakes, or the "crowd" of people who have hurt you, HE sees you. He can discern the depths of your soul and in his supreme wisdom know exactly how to attend to you.

Jesus sees you right where you are, right now, and he loves you.

He may choose to change your current situation, like the widow of Nain.

Or

He may choose not to change your current situation, but he has promised to be with you always. This means he will guide you through every storm and dark valley. Nothing can separate you from his love, and in him your eternity is secure. He may choose not to change your current situation but he can provide people who will love and care for you; people who will help carry your burdens and weep with you, just like he chose John to care for his mother, Mary.

When Jesus described himself in Matthew 11:29. He stated, " I am gentle and lowly in heart". He was inviting us to come and find rest for our souls in him. You can trust that Jesus sees you and desires out of a gentle spirit and humble disposition to care for you.

You are seen.

Sincerely,

Amy