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.
