Miracles of Jesus: Raising of the Dead

Miracles of Jesus: Raising of the Dead

Luke 7:11-17

Introduction

(Opening Illustration)

Context:

Just prior to our text, Jesus is seen in Capernaum, and he is approached by a centurion whose servant is sick and at death’s door (Luke 7:1-2). Jesus heals the centurion but not before the Centurion’s great faith and the power of Jesus is revealed. It is so noteworthy that Jesus testifies that none in Israel has such faith. (Luke 7:9). Jesus, who had been serving north of a town called Nain, travels southward. Nain sat just north of the Galilee southern border. It was six miles south-southeast of Nazareth and about twenty-five miles from Capernaum, which brings us to our text this morning. 

Here at First Baptist, we value God’s Scripture and like to say the Word when we have found our place in God’s Word. If you have found your place in Luke 7:11-17, would you say Word? Let’s read our text:

Scripture Reading

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.

Transition to Body

1. Our Lord has compassion for us. 

Luke 7:11–13 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.”

Exposition/Explanation

We are introduced to Jesus, his disciples, and a great crowd. They had made the day’s journey to travel about twenty-five miles south with Jesus. Could you imagine Americans walking twenty-five miles in a single day just to follow one guy around? For anyone wanting to go to any other town, a walk was to be expected. Yet, to follow Jesus for a twenty-five-mile excursion was still a commitment. It wasn’t like they could just jump in a car and get back to their responsibilities back home. They were committed and eagerly watching what Jesus would do next. Jesus was on the move, and everywhere he went was a new and exciting experience. 

As this crowd approaches the gate of the town, they come upon a funeral procession. We still do funeral processions today in many of our funerals. We gather, celebrate the life of the loved one, and then process to the graveside for final words before leaving the loved one to be lowered into the earth. In this period of time, they didn’t embalm and lacked the means to preserve the body. It was a hot environment, and body decay would take place rapidly. It was fairly common for the dead to be buried on the same day they died. Also, it is likely that Jesus and the crowd with him were coming into Nain about the end of the day based on the journey from Capernaum, which means that this man likely died earlier in the day. 

The man who had died was the only son of his widowed mother. At the time, a woman who had lost her husband relied on her son, if she had any, to support her. Without the financial stability that came from a son, the mother was left with no source of stability. Not only had she felt the sting of death with her husband’s death, but now she is faced with the sting no parent desires to experience the death of her child. Yet, it isn’t just any child; it is her only son! What a difficult situation! Her mourning is severe. Her world is totally crumbling and shattered. 

We also see that a great crowd is with her. For the Jewish people, attending a funeral was considered a work of love. The largeness of the crowd helps us see that this was considered a great tragedy in the community. Their presence helps us see that they recognized the agonizing suffering this woman faced currently and ahead. 

Have you ever found yourself so stricken with grief and depression that you cannot help but weep? Your guts feel wrenched and knotted. You even might have felt that death would be a relief from the agonizing pain you face. I can imagine these are the feelings the woman felt. Yet, here she was with her son being carried through the streets, heading out of town to be laid to rest.  But ahead is a crowd following a man.

As Jesus nears her, Jesus sees her, and the text says he had “compassion on her.” The Greek word for compassion is the “strongest word possible to describe Jesus’ pity. The root word from which it comes refers to what is inside (the heart, liver, lungs). It describes an emotion that has a physical effect. Jesus felt for her.” It was not a surface-level compassion. It is a deep, burning pity. 

Another instance we see in Scripture where Jesus is moved deeply, is found in John 11:33. Jesus comes to Martha and Mary and Lazarus is dead. Mary is weeping at Jesus’ feet saying if he had been there Lazarus would not be dead. Jesus, in his love for Mary, is moved. Listen to the text, 

John 11:33–35 ESV

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept.

When the text says that “he was deeply moved,” it comes from an ancient word meaning a horse’s snorting. As E.V. Rieu comments, “He gave way to such distress of spirit it made his body tremble.” Jesus’ compassion for his creation is deep and authentic. He is not a god who simply loves on the surface. His love is far deeper and greater than our love could ever imagine being!

Don’t miss this: Jesus’ compassion is large enough for our greatest sorrows, for our deepest frustrations, for our most helpless feelings, and he will never leave you. Lamentations 3:22-23 tells us, 

Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV

22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is faithful. After Jesus sees her sorrow and has great compassion for her. He goes to her and says, “Do not weep.” Jesus lovingly comes to the woman and encourages her with, “Do not weep.” Listen, if we did that to someone in the middle of a funeral, well, let’s just say that would get around town at the speed of light. Can you believe what Pastor Ben said to that grieving family? Yet, in this case. Jesus is about to do something incredible. The woman was going to have her son restored to her, and the tears no longer would be needed. She was being comforted by the Comforter. 

In 2020, a nurse named Lori Marie Key from Michigan became a symbol of compassion when a video of her singing 

Amazing Grace

 to COVID-19 patients went viral. She often sang to patients who were alone, providing comfort in their final moments. Her selfless act showed how simple human kindness can bring peace even in the hardest times.

Jesus is the ultimate source of compassion. He will comfort us no matter the storm!

Application

We can take all of our troubles to Jesus and his compassion and love will comfort us! Whether it is the loss of a loved one, a spouse leaving you, a rebellious child, financial ruin, or any other trouble that you face. You can run to Jesus and lay it at his feet! 

Transition: Not only does our Lord have compassion for us, 

2. Our Lord has authority over death.

Luke 7:14–15 ESV

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.

Out of his compassion for the woman, Jesus does something taboo for religious leaders. Jesus approaches and touches the bier. Now you might be wondering what a bier is, the Christian Standard Bible helps us understand a little better. It says, 

Luke 7:14 CSB

14 Then he came up and touched the open coffin, and the pallbearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I tell you, get up!”

In other words, a bier is an open coffin. This practice was pretty commonplace that they would carry the body with an open coffin. Yet, for Jesus to approach and touch the open coffin posed a serious issue. With his touch, he would be considered ceremonially unclean according to the Old Testament laws.

Numbers 19:11 ESV

11 “Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days.

Yet, Jesus, with his perfect wisdom, understood that the Law required mercy above sacrifice.

Hosea 6:6 ESV

6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

This means that Jesus was placing this woman’s needs above the ceremonial laws. With his touch of the open coffin, the pallbearers stop in their tracks. This once-moving procession has been halted. Jesus then speaks. His words are important, he says, “Young man, I say to you arise.” And the dead man sat up and spoke!

Could you imagine being these pallbearers? They were just walking with the dead man, no life in him for a significant length of time. He hadn’t moved, not once uttered a sound, and the life in him was gone. As they are holding the open coffin, Jesus speaks, and now this guy sits up and starts speaking. I’d be scared out of my mind. I can’t help but wonder if at least one or two of them let go of the coffin out of shock. 

Jesus calls out to the man, and he hears Jesus and rises from the grave! Talk about a beautiful picture! One of the things that is so awesome in the Gospels is all the times Jesus foreshadows his death and resurrection. Here, we get an early glimpse that the grave has no authority over Jesus. Instead, Jesus has authority over the grave! Jesus then turns his attention back to the grieving woman, her son is restored to her! 

Don’t miss this, there is a day coming when all of God’s children’s graves will open, the depths of the sea will release bodies, nothing will hold back the trumpeting call of Jesus to rise from the grave and saints will be united with the spiritual bodies and living saints will join them in the air. Listen to 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, 

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 ESV

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Yet, for those who are lost. Dead in their sins. They will be cast into the lake of fire and will not experience the glorious presence of God, forever separated from peace, love, joy, and the radiance of the King of Kings.   

Judge Judy (Judith Sheindlin) became famous for her no-nonsense legal rulings in small claims court cases. Though televised, her authority was real—her judgments were legally binding. Judges like her represent the power of the judicial system, where legal authority determines disputes and enforces justice.

Do you trust that Jesus can restore you? Do you trust in him as the one true son of God. The perfect sacrifice for our sins? You can trust that Jesus will restore you that he will heal you, that he will comfort you! When we place our faith in Jesus, he shows up and provides for us!

Transition: not only does our lord have compassion for us, and authority over death. We also see that, 

3. Our Lord is greater than the prophets.

Luke 7:16–17 ESV

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.

The immediate response we see is that “fear seized them all.” Now, when we hear fear, most often, our immediate thought goes to the feeling we get when we are startled or the feeling we have when we are facing a phobia. Katherine is not a fan of heights, at all. When we went on our first date, we went to the Delta Fair in Memphis, TN. One of the rides was a fairly large Ferris Wheel. I’d had my eye on it from the moment we got there. Knowing that she didn’t like heights, my goal was to get her on the Ferris Wheel. In my mind, it served two purposes: one, it would let me see if she was willing to do something uncomfortable and outside her comfort zone, and two, it would allow me to see if the date was going well if I saved it for the end. Long story short, after a bit of negotiating. She conquered that Ferris Wheel and the rest is history. Now, that is not the kind of fear that this crowd was seized with; they were seized with awe at what had transpired. It was an awe that led to worship. 

Yet, it was not the worship of Jesus. They were so close but yet so far. They compare Jesus to being a great prophet. They were likely recalling the prophet Elijah. The two events of Elijah raising the widow’s son from the dead and Jesus’ raising of the widow’s son have a lot of similarities. Yet, listen to how Elijah heals the son from 1 Kings 17:19-22,

1 Kings 17:19–22 ESV

19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. 20 And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived.

Elijah pleads with the Lord to bring life back into the child. He seeks the power of God almighty to raise the lad. However, Jesus’ miracle is different. Jesus says, “I say to you, arise.” Elijah’s authority came from God granting his prayer. Jesus’ authority was his own because he is God in the flesh! You can get so close to Jesus but miss him. You can come so close to worshipping God but fail. 

The only way to be saved and have eternal life is through Jesus. Jesus is not merely a good teacher or a powerful and great prophet; He is fully God and fully man, the perfect sacrifice for sins, and the first of the resurrection, so we can have eternal life! 

Have you trusted in Jesus alone for your salvation? Or have you fallen prey to the temptation to trust yourself. Maybe you have thought of Jesus as a good teacher but not really the son of God. Jesus was either fully God and fully man, or he is a crazy man. He is either the only way to salvation or he is a liar and the worst prophet to ever walk the either. There is no middle ground with Jesus. Either you are all in or you aren’t in at all!

He was not like the prophets before him. He had the authority to heal, forgive sins, and raise the dead!

Closing This morning, we have seen how Jesus has compassion for us, how he has authority over death, and that he is greater than the prophets. 

Jesus has the authority to heal your broken heart this morning