The scene had shifted from
Capernaum. Jesus was now in Nain, a town of about 25 miles away and a day’s
journey from where He had healed the centurion’s servant. He was accompanied by
His disciples and a large crowd. At the gate of the city of Nain, He and His
disciples came across a funeral procession. And there was a boy, the only son of
a widow, dead and lying lifeless in an open coffin, and being carried outside
the city to be buried. Preceding the crowd in the procession stood a pitiful,
lonely grieving lady, bereft of hope. It was bad enough to be without a
husband, now henceforth she would be without her only son.
It's undeniable that one of life's greatest agonies to a mother is
the death of her only son. That's why we cannot read Luke 7:11-17 without feeling the deep sorrow of that widow of Nain. Yet
at the same time, we rejoice with her because she met the Lord of life and was
tenderly touched by Him. As providence would have it, the sorrowing
widow's journey to the graveyard to bury her son was halted by the One Who
controls destiny. Luke wants us to see the heart of Jesus. He is always so full
of compassion. Unsolicited, He just went to the poor grieving widow, mourning
and without hope. There is always hope when one meets Jesus.
To touch a coffin would make one unclean according
to the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament. However, Jesus was exercising
mercy above sacrifice. Jesus just took control. So verse 14 tells us, “Then he
(Jesus) went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still.”
That authoritative touch halted everything, forcing a deep and telling silence.
Life and death stood momentarily facing each other. With the Lord of Life,
death just had to bow. No wonder Paul boldly asked, “O Death where is your
sting!” This incident was no co-incidence. Luke was clearly and unambiguously
telling us that Jesus is the Lord even over death.
So one moment the widow was mourning and bereft of hope, and next
she heard the Lord’s tender words. The Sovereign Lord said to her, "Do not
weep". Before she could make sense of what she heard, came other death
defying words, "Young man I say to you, arise!" Those two liners
forever altered the destiny of her life. Immediately, that young man sat in
that open coffin and began to speak. The Lord of life took and returned him to
his now shocked but elated mother. Prior to the encounter, her heart was rent apart
and she was in deep despair. Then her hope was rekindled and her only son, who
was dead, returned to her alive. This incidence would naturally remind the
audience of another situation at Zarephath, where the prophet Elijah raised a
poor widow’s son. No wonder the people “…were all filled with awe and praised God”. They
exclaimed, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us.’ They said. ‘God has come to
help his people’. However, this
death did not give in to a prophet but to the Son of the Living God.
Although we may not be in the widow’s kind of predicament, some of
us may be wallowing in other dire miseries. We may be grieving not only death,
but the loss of a relationship. Whether it’s the agony over a broken relationship; or hurt; or
feeling of rejection; or loneliness; or some unresolved conflicts, the Lord of
compassion still sees your situation. As He said to the widow, He is saying
those tender words to you. "Do not weep." And He also says,
"Arise! Pick up your broken pieces and place them in My hand, and let's
journey together."
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