Hope in Jesus still?

Luke: 7:11-17

Jesus went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man sat up and began to talk again, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and all over the countryside.

Food for thought!

When Jesus came to Nain that day, he did not arrive at a joyous moment. He arrived during a time of great grief and mourning. The name “Nain” literally means “beauty.” But, there was no beauty in Nain that day. Death had invaded the little town of Nain. We are told that the victim is a young man. That he is “the only son of his mother”. And we are told that the mother was a widow. In other words, she had lost her husband, and now her son. Double tragedy!

Here is a young man whose life had been filled with great potential. He might have had hopes of marriage and of fathering children, but now he is dead. There may have been plans of going into business to support himself and his widowed mother, but now he is dead. Those eyes which had been bright with the gleam of youth are now dulled by death. That mind that had hoped and dreamed of a bright future was now stilled by the cold embrace of death. That voice that had laughed and cried has been silenced forever. Death has come and it has brought with it all the cruelness and heartache it possesses.

You will notice the wording of the text: “a dead man was being carried out for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.” Here is a woman who has already felt the icy hand of death as it took her husband from her life. The only things remaining from her marriage are a few memories and the only son that she and her husband brought into the world. Now, her precious son has been taken away by death as well.

But, there is more here than just the death of a beloved son. This poor woman has no one left to care for her in her old age. In that day there was no welfare or assistance available to widows like her. It was up to a woman’s children, especially her sons, to see that she was cared for in her declining years. But, she has no one left! She is all alone, helpless and caught in a desperate condition.

The gospel says that the dead man began to talk AGAIN! Jesus is not only the Lord of life; he is the Lord of death also. This miracle, as the miracle of his own resurrection, is what makes Jesus stand out of all the other religious figures. As you know, Jesus raised three dead people from the dead. One had just died (Luke 8:40-56); the second is this one of today's gospel, who was being carried to be buried; the third is Lazarus that had been in the tomb four days (Jn 11:1-44).

What is noteworthy about all of them, is the moment they were brought back to life: one had just died. Another was on the way to the cemetery. The last was in the cemetery already for four days. It means that, for Jesus, time means nothing. He will rise those who died long ago, those who died recently, and those who will have died. He will rise us all who believe that he will.

It also means that for Jesus it is never too late. With Jesus, we can rise up from where we fell, regardless of when. If and when we fall into sin, into hopelessness, into helplessness, into confusion, into desperation, He can bring us back to normality, regardless. It means that never loose hope in Jesus, with Jesus never write yourself or anybody off. You are never too dead to rise up again. There's no sin, no state he cannot rescue us from. To him be praise and honor and glory, both for now and for ever. Amen.