Luke 7:11-17
Now it
happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His
disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of
the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother;
and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the
Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He
came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He
said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to
speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Then fear came
upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among
us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went
throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.
Nain was a city 5-9 miles (8-14km) South East of Nazareth.
The day before this account, Jesus and His disciples had been in Capernaum (Nain is 30 miles South West of Capernaum). Jesus had healed the Centurion's servant without going to the soldier's house. A large crowd followed Jesus and His disciples and as they came near to the gate of the city of Nain, they were met by another large crowd of people coming in the opposite direction. Jesus and His followers were going into the city and the other crowd were going out of the city. The large crowd coming out was a funeral procession. A young man was being carried out on a kind of litter. He had probably not been dead for too long as in this region it wasn't good to have a unburied dead body in the open for long (source).
Jesus was at the front of the crowd following Him and the widow with her son were at the front of the crowd following them. The Giver of Life, meets the one who had lost his life. We don't know how he died, the Bible doesn't say.
The deceased was the only son of this lady, who was a widow. After the lady's husband had died, he would have become head of the household and the breadwinner for the family, now he was gone the lady was left with no income. No other family is mentioned, only the funeral procession which followed her and her son.
When the Lord saw her, in her grief, more than likely at her lowest point emotionally, He was moved with compassion - this wasn't a shallow passing emotion or a condescending pity but a deep seated emotion. The language used gives the impression of being moved as to one's bowels (the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity). Maybe these days we would think of it as a deep heart felt feeling. Jesus knew her situation - she had lost her husband and now her only son, which meant she had also lost her income and would more than likely become destitute.
"Do not weep" [can also mean lament/mourn] It seems like such a strange thing for someone to say to a person who was grieving BUT this is Jesus Christ, the author and giver of life. He goes up to the bier and touches it (He doesn't touch the son) and says "Young man, I say to you arise!" These are similar words which Christ said to Jairus's daughter. As soon as the words were spoken the young man sat up and started speaking. We don't know what he said, but he was no longer dead and he could speak. The mother must have been shocked, happy, full of joy - her only son was alive again. Maybe the mother was in so much shock that's why Jesus had to present him to her. Sometimes it's difficult to believe what we see with our eyes!
Fear came upon the people, they glorified God and proclaimed "A great prophet has been risen up among us." They could see that God had visited them that day. News spread rapidly in the region.
This is only a short account, compared to account of other miracles, but we can see here:
- Jesus's love and compassion for the woman and her son
- Jesus's healing power - not just to heal diseases but to raise people from the dead
- Jesus transcending social norms and overturning them. Women/girls meant nothing in Jewish/ancient society, but to Jesus they are just as valuable and precious as men/boys.
- That lady had nothing to give to Jesus, she offered Him nothing, but He came to her in her grief and mourning to give her back something great and valuable - her only child. We don't know if she was saved, but after seeing Jesus performing that miracle on her son, perhaps she did trust in Him by faith. The Bible tells us that we are dead in our sins and trespasses, but we are made alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). We have nothing to give to Jesus, He asks us for nothing but if we come to Him asking for salvation and new life, He will freely give it to us. We can be raised from spiritual deadness into spiritual life in Christ Jesus, He will then give you a new heart and a new perspective on life, plus eternal life with Him in glory (heaven).
