Make A Good Connection

Batteries

Who didn’t get a Father’s Day gift last week?

Drives me crazy when I pick up something that I need to use and the batteries are dead.

TV remote

Flash light

When you need these things, you need them.

Smoke and CO detectors

Life-threatening. Some are serious!

We have a remote control for our ceiling fan and light.

When the battery starts to die the remote does things on it’s own.

You know how frustrating it can be for me to have mic problems here.

One Sunday I saw a red light. I had changed them in a while and I was about to go on.

In my haste I put the new batteries in backwards. No bueno.

Slow down, batteries in the right direction so that there is a good connection.

B/C, only when there is a good connection will things come to life.

There has to be a good connection. But, when there is, what was dead comes to life.

Miracle #11. . Jesus resuscitates the widow’s son.

Luke 7:11–17 NIV

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 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. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 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!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 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.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

Luke 7:11-17

Context

Up to this point in Luke, the primary emphasis has been the ushering out of the old and bringing in the new.

Jesus just healed the Centurion’s servant.

Non-Jewish. First time. Totally unexpected.

There’s a new way of life coming!

The religious leaders of the day completely disconnected from God made up their own way based on rules.

Jesus came into our world, into the home of the Centurion, and into the lives of those who believe first and obey second.

Immediately after the widow’s son Luke wrote about the exchange between John the Baptist’s disciples and Jesus.

“Are You the One? Or, should we watch for another?”

Luke 7:22 NIV

So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.

Jesus is the One. Don’t expect anyone else.

God came as a man so we could connect to Him. Everyone who connects to God lives forever.

The connection is a relationship, by faith; not rules and laws.

Something brand new was happening for Jews and non-Jews alike.

The Messiah, The Savior, will bring the dead to life.

Jesus said, “Believe in Me and you will live.”

Great! Prove it.

The Setting

Luke 7:11–12 NIV

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 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.

Luke 7:

The city

Nain, about 25 mi. away from Capernaum, a day’s journey

Historically significant to Jews.

Elisha, one of the great prophets of old, resuscitated the son of a Shunammite woman 900 years earlier.

The last time there was a period when miracles were more common (not common, just more so). Elijah and Elisha leading Israel back to faithful obedience in the PL.

The graveyard

The city is famous for its graveyard. It’s still there.

Death is an attraction in Nain. A common theme.

This day, a young man had died and his mother is leading a funeral procession thru the city gate to the graveyard.

The collision

The parade of death

We don’t know much about these people at all.

They are Jewish, it’s a Jewish community.

And, this is her second funeral, 2nd great catastrophe.

This one, far worse (a child, last opp for an income)

She’s a widow, so she’s buried her husband.

The person being carried out now is her only child, a son.

Women couldn’t own property, get a job, own a bsns, or earn a salary.

She was facing 3 choices.

Move back in w/ her father

Become a beggar

Prostitution

No idea which of these were even available to her.

Typically, someone in this position would not attract much of a crowd. But, for some reason, she did.

She’s popular, maybe for the very sad reason that she’s left alone now and there is an outpouring of support.

Maybe it’s for the very sad reason that she’s left alone now and there is an outpouring of emotional support.

But, there would be no financial support.

Her wound would be fresh. Burials occured the same day the person died.

The body would be wrapped in a burial cloth, lying flat on a plank of wood. No coffin.

She’s all alone. No male representation or protection. The sadness would be palpable. Weeping. Moaning. Drudging along.

This sad parade collided with a parade led by Jesus who had just brought the centurion’s servant back from the brink of death.

It would have been a party.

The parade of life

By this time, Jesus’ 2nd year of ministry and a track record to react to, He had drawn quite a posse to travel w/ Him.

They had traveled all day, it was the end of the day as they neared Nain when the encountered the funeral procession.

The Prince of Life met the Prince of Death.

15-20 minutes either way the never would have seen each other. Clearly, Jesus knew. Timing is everything.

This was no private reception. It would have been a very large crowd.

Normally, it would have been culturally appropriate for a group of people who encountered a funeral procession to join them at the end of the line and go to the graveyard with them, pay respects, and mourn.

But, this wasn’t normal. This was an encounter with God.

The Sign

Luke 7:13–15 NIV

When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 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!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Faultless religion

Religion is the practice of what you believe.

We are all religious. Jesus is religious.

James 1:27 NIV

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

James, Jesus half-brother probably heard this story many times and had to have been in the front of his mind as he pastored the church in Jerusalem.

Jesus stopped, demonstrating a great deal of compassion for this woman, comforted her very tenderly with the words, “Don’t cry.”

There is no indication that even knew who He is. Maybe they did and that’s why they stopped. Or, maybe it was just b/c the road was blocked.

Noisy party crowd comes up on a mournful funeral procession. They probably quieted down out of respect.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything about Who Jesus is and what He might be able to do, He approached the dead son and shocked everyone.

This is new.

Life from death

By touching the bier, the plank, Jesus broke more rules.

Every time you touched a corpse you had to have a red heifer ashes to cleanse you.

One of the things the law did was keep people alive by preventing disease and death.

The law was that a body had to be buried the same day he died.

No one could come in contact with the body. The very practical fear was disease would spread.

Natural disasters in poor countries are made many times worse b/c they cannot recover the bodies and bury them in a timely manner. Disease runs rampant.

Practical or religious, Jesus broke the old law.

But, again, He came to usher out the old and welcome in something, or Someone new. The old rabbinic law is no longer valid.

He grasped it, firmly. This wasn’t a slight, accidental glance.

Everyone would have gasped as He touched the board. B/C, everyone that He would touch after would also be considered unclean and in trouble w/ the synagogue.

There’s a large crowd. There could be a riot.

And, just when He’d gaining momentum and a large following.

Before anyone could react, Jesus spoke to the dead body.

Is He crazy? This could be an awfully insensitive thing to do; a cruel joke. Who does He think He is?

Talking to a corpse and telling it to get up, seriously?!

It was a command. No magic formula or incantation.

Jesus spoke and the young man sat up.

The healing was immediate and complete.

Brain damage? No oxygen. He spoke to his mother and to the crowd. No problems.

Now, the entire crowd was celebrating.

The Sequel

Luke 7:16–17 NIV

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.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.

They immediately remembered the stories told about Elijah and Elisha.

Filled w/ awe, or fear. Evidence that they knew Jesus was from God. They praised God as He had sent someone to help His people. ()

They were blown away by the great thing Jesus had done for them that day.

They recognized this as a divine encounter and the news spread quickly and broadly.

This was no secret conspiracy. Everyone was talking about Jesus now.

Faith? Who had the faith that would have provoked Jesus to act?

No mention of anyone having faith.

Dead men have no faith. Mom? Crowd?

In fact, they think Jesus is just a prophet at this point.

Is He just a prophet? 2nd coming of Elisha?

Saving faith doesn’t require a complete understanding of Who Jesus is. So, there might be faith.

But, obviously, not the point.

Who asked Jesus to do something? Who prayed?

Jesus initiated the whole thing, even going back to when they left Capernaum so that the 2 parades would collide.

Jesus initiated because He had a point to make. This day, this young man would live.

Eventually, he is going to die and stay dead. But, not today.

Jesus made the connection and spoke w/ authority and the dead man came to life.

This was the first time He raised the dead. One more sign before John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One.

Well, what do you see? The lame walk, the deaf hear, the mute speak, lepers are cleansed, and the dead are raised.

What do you think? The One?

Jesus, up to this point had confronted a dead religion and came to a community know for death.

The Prince of Life overcame the Prince of Death.

More than just another Prophet, Elijah or Elisha, The Messiah came to Nain.

This trip was no accident b/c Jesus wants all of us to know that whomever or whatever makes the connection w/ Him will come to life.

Applications

Jesus is initiating

Just like Jesus knew that mom and the funeral procession would be right there right then, He knows where we are and what we need.

He is initiating w/ us.

He won’t wain until we figure out what we need and ask.

We will never know everything He knows even about ourselves.

Pay attention. Listen. Jesus is initiating w/ you and providing exactly what you need.

Sin spreads like disease

They couldn’t touch corpses or anyone else who had touched a corpse b/c of the fear of disease.

It could spread and wipe out an entire village.

The law helped keep Israel alive for generations by providing guidelines to avoid illness and its spread.

Sin is the same way. It will kill you. If you get involved w/ someone who is involved in sin it may kill you, too.

Jesus solved both problems.

Jesus took it all on Himself at the cross and it did not keep Him dead.

Jesus solved both problems.

Faithful obedience will cut off the spread of sin before it takes anyone’s life.

No one else needs to die. Obey Jesus and live.

Connect and live

The first step of obedience is to believe. Connect w/ Jesus.

He came the way He did so that we could relate to Him.

Knowing about batteries won’t bring my remote control to life.

Holding them in my hand won’t. Putting them in the wrong way won’t. One live battery and one dead one won’t.

Just knowing about Jesus won’t save you. Hanging out w/ people who know Jesus won’t save you.

Align the negatives and the positives. Believe in and receive the gift of Him taking your punishment for you.

Connect your life.

Husbands and wives connect your marriage.

Grandparents, parents and children connect your family.

Whatever you make a good connection to Jesus with will come to life.