Upstream Support System
Where we provide help makes a difference.
Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!" and "God has looked favorably on his people!" This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country. - Luke 7:11-17
Jesus took pity on the woman whose only son had died. He knew she would have no means of support without her son to provide for her, so he restored her son to life.
The Temple treasury was supposed to be a means of support for widows and orphans, but that system was unreliable and at times corrupt.
What it does, though, is it allows the rest of us to ignore the problem.
If we know someone is supposed to provide help, we do nothing, and instead, we tend to look down on those who beg for help.
What Jesus is teaching us here is to go upstream from the problem and fix it there.
By restoring the woman's support structure, bringing her son back to life, Jesus shows us how to focus our attention on the things that make a difference.
Someone could come along and hire this man, and both he and his mom will be fed. They will have shelter. They will survive.
If we want to make a difference in the world, we need to look upstream from the problem. What could have been done earlier, or beforehand to make this problem better?
If I give food to those in need, they will be fed today. But if I can hire them, and train them to distribute the food to others, their families will be supported as well.
Maybe that is how we need to think. Like Jesus, we can devote our efforts upstream.
More to come...