Overcoming a Cynical Heart

Scripture – Luke 7:11-17: 11Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Reflection: Well, this certainly got the attention of people! The news began to spread throughout the whole country. As quiet as Jesus had tried to keep things, there was no stopping it after this. His reputation would become widespread.

It’s interesting that today, when communication is almost instantaneous, a miracle like this would make hardly a ripple. We’ve become so cynical in our thinking, we just wouldn’t believe it. We’d check out snopes.com to see if it was a hoax. Or we’d assume some medical reason could explain it. And all the while we’d miss the fact that we are tied to our finite mind-set – the one that says dead people stay dead, so there must be another explanation.

It’s easy to forget, Christ can do anything. He can even raise people from the dead today. I’ll be careful not to put my limits on Him today. Lord, save from the limitations of a cynical heart.