Luke 7:11-17

Luke 7:11–17 ESV

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Luke 7:11–17 (ESV)

11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.

Note connection with the immediately preceding account: (a) the miracle recorded here in 7:11–17 occurred “soon after” the healing of the centurion’s servant (verses 1–10); and (b) that servant was at the point of death when Jesus healed him, but the widow’s son had actually died.

Not only are the disciples with Jesus so has the crowd followed the miracle worker from Capernaum southwest about 24 miles.

The crowds follow him because he is one who teaches with authority, Jesus is compassionate to the ill and hurting, he is loving.

12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.

Jesus gets to near the city gates of Nain where a a funeral procession is in progress; coming out of the gate because no burial was allowed inside a Jewish city.

Luke B. The Widow

The dead person who was being carried out was his mother’s only son, and that woman was a widow.

Luke (B. The Widow)

With the death of this only son the woman’s final source of support and protection is gone and the hope of perpetuating the family line has vanished.

She is left with two options: begging or prostitution.

A considerable crowd shows that the community is sharing her distress.

13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Title: Lord. Could it be the Jesus is Lord even of death.

The widow would have lead the procession from the home to the tomb.

The Lord had compassion on her. His heart went out to her.

With all this compassion, Jesus commands her to do something strange, “Do not weep.” We have been told to “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” But this widow did have something to cry about. Her only son was dead. But, even this command is tempered by Jesus compassion.

Jesus’ compassion:

Never fake

Never helpless

14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

No request was made. No one could have expected Jesus to go up to the coffin and give this command, “Young man, get up.” Up to this point Jesus had healed someone with a fever, leprosy, and paralysis. He had healed the centurion’s servant who was near death but no dead. There was always some hope. Asking Jesus to return this young man to his mother wasn’t even a thought. There was no hope here.

And yet, for the Lord of life and death, the One who holds the keys of Death and Hades (Rev. 1:18), the situation even now was not hopeless.

15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.

“Jesus gave him to his mother.”

When Jesus raises this man, or the Jairus’ daughter, or Lazarus, he is restoring family ties.

Today, the family is under attack in ways we have not seen in the USA. When Moa started the cultural revolution in China, he attacked the family asking school age children to report anything that a parent would say against Moa or the communist party. Today, teachers are fired if they decide to tell parents that their child wants to transition to the opposite sex.

God loves the family. He is—let it be borne in mind always—the God of the covenant, that is, “of Abraham and his seed,” not merely of Abraham. He wants the family to be a closely-knit unit. The children belong to him; they are his children, for he has a special claim on them.

16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Those who witnessed this miracle were awestruck. They recognized that God alone can raise the dead. So they properly ascribed glory to God.

All this is understandable. Imagine that we ourselves should see a corpse suddenly come to life, get up, and start to talk. What would be our reaction? At first astonishment would probably prevent us from saying anything. Next, realizing that we had just now witnessed one of God’s mighty doings, would we not exclaim, “How great thou art”?

The spectators saw more than God’s power. They also bore testimony to his loving concern.

“A great prophet has arisen among us!”

Yes, Jesus is a great prophet. But, Jesus is so much more. Many people see Jesus as a preacher declaring God’s will, maybe even doing miracles. But, Jesus is not just representing God; Jesus is God!

They are closer to reality when the crowd says,

“God has visited his people!”

In the midst of our pain and suffering, God visits us. He is here in the midst of it all. God is here to help you.