Healing in the Funeral Procession

Intro and Scripture

Luke 7:11–17 NIV

11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Pray.

Intro:

Luke and Texas Children story.

Background:

Jesus is traveling to the town of Nain, not far from Jerusalem. As he approaches the city gate there is a funeral train that meets them at the gate of Nain. It was common that burials would take place outside of the city gates for several reasons…namely ceremonial purposes, so this gate would see many of these funeral trains.

Nain’s gate is a doorway of desperation in the story.

Jesus meets this funeral at the doorway of desperation and brings life and healing. I wonder today if this might be an image for us. An image of Jesus, the healer.

1. Name the pain

In the story we learn that the young man was the only son of a widow. Which is important because she would not only be desperately mourning the death of her child but also somewhere in the back of her mind is the understanding that she has no way to provide for herself with no husband and now no son.

How often to we cope with surface level symptoms, unable or not wanting to name the deep pain?

For the woman, obviously the loss of her son is painful. But the story goes to great lengths to subtly describe something else.

This existential fear that she too is dead. Nothing left to live for. No other way to survive.

Today, I want to invite you to name the pain.

2. God comes to His people

One of the big pieces of the story can be overshadowed here if we stop with this kid being raised from the dead.

Verse 16: “they were all filled with awe and praised God. They said, God has come to help his people."

This is the confirmation for the following text as John's disciples are sent to ask Jesus if he is the one they had expected

But this is also an OT expression that Luke is drawing our attention to:

In the book of Exodus, Moses is sent by God back to rescue his people from Egypt. When he describes to the elders the mission he is on, Scripture records their response.

Exodus 4:31 NIV

31 and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

“He heard our plight and came for us.”

Psalm

Psalm 106:4 NIV

4 Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people, come to my aid when you save them,

And with Mary from the same gospel:

Luke 1:46–48 NIV

46 And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed,

At Nain’s gate there is a reminder that God is aware of your trouble. God sees you.

3. Jesus Brings Life

It is interesting to me that the woman and the son are not even named. The main character, the main object of this miraculous power, it is not the woman and the son. They are not named, but the Nain’s gate, the gate of desperation is the location where God’s healing power comes to be in Jesus.