he Gospels are full of stories of anonymous people — no names, no ages, and no backgrounds. These stories are more about God than the characters they describe. Today's passage is one of those stories. The mother and the son are important to be sure, but the main character — the point of emphasis and the place to which we are drawn — is Jesus.

We read this story and rejoice over the resurrection of an only son brought back to life to join his mother. But what happens if we look at this story with Jesus at the center? The key to Luke’s retelling of this amazing miracle is not the son coming back to life, but Jesus (through his compassion for this family) triumphing over death. Jesus knows the family's pain, just as he knows ours. The touch of Jesus puts us back into the game. Jesus is more powerful than all the pains we experience; Jesus even conquers death.

What pains do you need to bring before Jesus, the healer?

by Chris Cherry from d365.org