Luke 7: 11-17: When Jesus Interrupts Your Funeral

Introduction

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/cobra-in-airplane-cockpit-south-africa/index.html - An unwelcome interruption!

Easter - a welcome interruption! Jesus wants to interrupt your funeral. He interrupted His own funeral 2,000 years ago by walking out of the grave three days after His brutal crucifixion. What a day when His disciples saw Him alive!

We’re all heading to our own funerals - but you can head to your funeral knowing that life is on the other side of your funeral; not death. When you die you will be with Jesus as you await a future resurrection.

The hope of the resurrection: what is true of Jesus will be true of you. Jesus resurrected from the dead, and you will be too! (1 Corinthians 15:20-22; 51-55)

Why does Jesus desire to resurrect us? Because He has defeated death - a day when death will be no more and we will live with our God forever as God intended before we fell into sin (Gen. 3).

Jesus wants to interrupt your funeral. This morning, we’re looking at a story in which Jesus literally interrupted a funeral. If you want Jesus to interrupt your funeral, three truths you must settle in your heart this morning.

Story:

Luke 7:1-17 - Two stories about death. Death is the common denominator in both stories, but the stories couldn’t be any more different.

Luke 7:1-10 - a servant of a Roman centurion FACING death and Jesus spares the servant from death by simply speaking life over him. Jesus doesn’t even go to the home of the centurion.

It happened in Capernaum - a bustling town full of people - servant of a well-respected centurion who knew about Jesus and expressed amazing faith.

After the miracle, Jesus leaves Capernaum for Nain. Only place in the Bible where Nain is mentioned - Nain is insignificant. 25 miles from Capernaum - close to Nazareth - this is the middle of nowhere a full day’s journey from Capernaum. Capernuam a bustling city, Nain was the kind of town that had a 4-way stop sign and that was it.

Why would Jesus visit this town? I think Jesus makes an intentional trip because He knows who is about to walk out of the city gates, and He knows what He is going to do.

A large crowd made the journey with Jesus. They long to hear more of what Jesus has to say, to see more of His miracles.

As they approach the small town, greeted by a funeral procession. In Capernaum, a servant on the verge of death, in Nain, a young man who has already died. An “open casket” type of funeral - his body being carried out on a stretcher to a place of burial outside the city walls.

The son of a widow - very different from the centurion who was well respected, loved, and supported - the widow is all alone. Maybe it had been just a few years earlier that the body of her husband had been carried out of the city - and now the body of her only son carried out of the city.

Perhaps no greater loss than losing a child. Some of you in this room have been there - the unbearable pain. It’s unfair. It’s not the way life should be and certainly this mother has those same thoughts. She is full of grief and anger.

A large crowd with her - in those days a town stopped for a funeral - whether you knew the deceased or not - you joined in with the grieving. Even the poorest families hired one or two professional mourners - people you paid to cry.

In previous story, centurion sends for Jesus. In this story, no one sends for Jesus. In the backwoods of Nain, it’s possible that this grieving mother had never heard of Jesus. She didn’t know to send for Jesus. On this tragic day in her life, Jesus came to her.

vs. 13 - Jesus overflowed with compassion - similar to when Jesus heals Lazarus - moved to compassion when He saw grief. In that instance, Jesus wept. Jesus brokenhearted over the effects of sin on this world. Sin has brought forth death - that breaks the heart of Jesus - not the way it’s supposed to be. A grieving mother - not the way it’s supposed to be. Jesus cares about you - He cares about your grieving - He wants to comfort you with life.

Jesus: “Don’t weep...” (13) Can’t think of anything more insensitive to say at a funeral. Don’t ever say that to someone at a funeral. BUT… Jesus knows what He’s about to do. He’s about to turn this mother’s mourning into laughter (Lk. 6:21).

Jesus touched the coffin - Not supposed to - could make Jesus ceremonially unclean… But, Jesus not concerned about that.

All Jesus does is speak: “Get up...” The dead boy sat up and talked! Jesus gave him back to his mother. Imagine the shock - a dead man alive. Imagine the joy. (Only two other resurrection stories in the Gospels: Jairus’ daughter and Lazarus.)

Imagine the fear (vs. 16) - Who does this? A mighty prophet! Crowd doesn’t understand exactly who Jesus is - perhaps they are thinking of when Elijah performed a similar miracle (1 Kings 17:17-24).

BUT… they get this part right… “God has visited His people today” (vs. 16).

God has visited His people - God in the flesh has come to us to give us life.

Why does Jesus perform this miracle? Charles Spurgeon said that miracles are sermons for the eyes. Jesus showing us something through this miracle: resurrection is what we can all expect. Jesus has come to do the impossible - He has come to bring life to the dead. He has come to reverse the curse of Adam (Romans 5:17). We look forward to day when Christ returns and abolishes death forever and gives us resurrected, glorified bodies that will be with Him forever.

Three truths:

You are dead without Christ.

Jesus wants to interrupt your funeral. A funeral is what we were all headed for. Eph. 2:1 - You were dead because of your sin.

Spiritually, you were in the same condition as this boy whose body was being carried out of Nain. You were dead.

Your sin didn’t do what it promised it would do. Sin = rebellion against God and His ways. You rebel because you believe that sin can give you what God promises: life. Your sin promised you life, but that’s not what your sin gave you. You went looking for life in your sin - but instead you found hopelessness and emptiness. Following your own desires doesn’t fill you, it empties you. The penalty for rebellion against God is death. We’re all dead apart from Christ.

Dead people can’t make themselves alive. Sin cannot make you alive, nor can religion, good works, etc. When you’re dead, you’re dead, and there’s nothing you can do to give yourself life.

You look at the world you live in and you understand hopelessness. You see people trying to find life in the pursuit of wealth, sex, power, etc. and they never find it - they’re hopeless. You were there too.

You are made alive only by Christ.

Eph. 2:4 - But God… Something happened. The same Jesus who came to grieving mother and dead son in Luke 7 came to you.

That’s your story - a point in your life when your eyes were opened to the truth - you needed a Savior.

And what a Savior! You were dead in your sin, and the God of all creation stepped into His creation as a man. John 1:4 - In Him was life… What we’ve seen thus far in Luke’s Gospel - Jesus came to restore life.

Sermon on the plain - life is supposed to be living in a right relationship with God under His rule. What’s life-giving is a relationship with God - and Jesus came to restore us to our God who loves us.

He restored us by going to a cross to pay the penalty for our sin. You couldn’t pay your own penalty. Your sin debt was to great for you to repay. You were on your way to an eternal hell, but the God who loves you interrupted your funeral by sending Jesus. Jesus went to the cross and died the death you deserve only to rise from the dead three days later.

Jesus’ resurrection is your resurrection. 1 Cor. 15:20 - Jesus’ resurrection paved the way for your resurrection. We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus because of what it promises us. There will come a day when Jesus makes all things right when He returns, resurrects our bodies, and makes all things new (Rev. 21:4).

Resurrected life is your present and future reality (Eph. 2:6). You look forward to a future with Christ, but you are with/in Christ NOW. You are NOW raised up. (This is what the baptisms we witnessed this morning symbolize.) You are seated with Christ NOW in the heavenly places.

You can have new life NOW. You can have hope NOW. You can have purpose NOW. You can have assurance NOW.

You are made alive for Christ.

This boy who Jesus rose from the dead and his mom had a reason for living, and that reason was Jesus. You have a reason for living too: Jesus.

1 Cor. 6:19-20: You were bought at a price, glorify God with your body.

Trusting Jesus is not simply a get out of hell free card, it’s surrendering your will to His will.

Eph. 2:10 - You are not your own. You were saved for good works - What are good works? Sermon on the plain - love your neighbor, don’t judge, spread the Gospel, make disciples.

If you are a follower of Jesus:

Jesus calls the shots. The reason why you were spiritually dead was because you rejected the Lordship of Jesus. You called the shots. You rebelled. Following Jesus means that Jesus calls the shots of your life. You do what He says.

Since Jesus calls the shots, I need daily alignment. Daily remind yourself of Gal. 2:20. Christ lives in you, therefore do His will. Daily pray, “Not my will, but your will be done.” Daily asking, “Are there areas in my life where I’m calling the shots instead of allowing Jesus to call the shots?”

This morning, find life in Jesus by turning from your sins and turning to Jesus by faith. Jesus wants to interrupt your funeral by giving you real life - eternal life. Respond to Him in faith today.

Follower of Jesus, live for the One who lived for you. He is worthy of your surrender.