Great Compassion Leads to a Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
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 coffin, and those carrying it 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.
Introduction
Introduction
We come this morning to a very moving passage in which we find the deep compassion of Jesus Christ demonstrated as he came and ministered in this world. We find in this passage an account in which Christ is moved by compassion to act, even though there is no specific request that he act.
But we also see through this passage the importance of a proper and true acknowledgement of the person of Jesus Christ. To follow Christ, to live a life of obedience to Christ, requires a proper understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is.
As we go through this text this morning, do keep in the back your own mind, who it is that you perceive Christ to be.
With that said, let us turn our attention to this text.
The first thing that I’d like us to take note of as we consider this passage, is...
1. The Context (v.11)
1. The Context (v.11)
This text of Scripture flows directly out of what we considered last week, which was the account of the great faith of the Centurion, as his servant lay ill to point of death.
In that account, Jesus marvelled at the faith of the Centurion who had said that he, being a Roman soldier / official, understood at least something of the authority of Jesus Christ, and that Christ did not need to come to his house in order to help him, but rather he merely needed to say the word, and his servant would be healed. At this, Christ marvelled, and said that he had not seen faith like this in all Jerusalem.
The first words in verse 11 are, “soon afterward...” In some manuscripts, the wording is, “the next day.” As Luke writes this account, he links it with the previous account. And ultimately, both of these events will serve to flow into the passage where John the Baptist sends his own disciples to ask if Jesus is truly the Messiah, or if they should expect someone else.
As evidence that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, he will send word back to John, outlining the evidence for the fact that he is indeed the promised Messiah.
As we look back at our text, we must note the location where this event unfolded. Luke records for us that this situation unfolded in a city called Nain, as Jesus was approaching there.
The city Nain is a Galilean city approximately 40km to the South West of Capernaum where Jesus had based his ministry. It would have taken at least a day, possibly a little more than that, to travel on foot to this city from where he was. We are not told any details / specifics of the rest of his journey. But we do see clearly is the fact that Jesus was travelling extensively, in order to get the Gospel message of the kingdom out to the various places.
Christ was about his business of preaching the Gospel, taking the message of repentance and faith to all people throughout Israel. Recall that his Gospel message was that of, “Repent, and believe. The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
But what we will also see through this account is that it was a Gospel message that was accompanied by great care and compassion, and by works that Jesus performed in order to authenticate his claim to the kingdom being at hand.
Note that verse 11 tells us that “His disciples were going along with him.” The disciples of Jesus learned extensively through personal and close interactions with Jesus as he went about his own ministry work.
Ultimately, Jesus was setting the example for the spread of the Gospel throughout the entire world, which, by God’s grace, we are the recipients of.
But note also that, in addition to his disciples going with him, there was a large crowd that accompanied him. And this is not insignificant!!
This was not merely a quick trip down the road to the local hangout. This was a journey over a good distance, which would have required one or more nights sleeping in a foreign place, because a return trip (assuming the crowds were from Capernaum) would not have been possible in one day.
Such was the impact of Christ on the people around him that the crowds were drawn to follow him and to watch him closely.
I emphasize this point because as we work our way through the Gospel, we will see that the very sad reality was that most of the following of Jesus by the crowds was merely hype, and many of those in the crowd would ultimately desert Jesus when he taught them some extremely difficult things.
Within our own context, we need to keep in our own minds that as we proclaim the Gospel and teach people about Christ and call them to be disciples of Jesus, that we are not calling them to the latest fad, but rather are calling them to choose to count the cost, to give up their selfish lives, and follow Jesus along a path that is going to be difficult, and will require self-denial, and will ultimately result in much persecution and suffering, as Christ promised.
For ourselves personally, we need to be sure that our motives for following Christ are pure, and that we are truly submitted to him out of a recognition of his Lordship.
But for now, let us note that this large crowd was following Jesus, and would end up being witnesses to this great miracle of Christ.
Next, we must take note of...
2. The Funeral Procession (v.12)
2. The Funeral Procession (v.12)
In verse 12, we read…
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.
This entire event unfolds as Jesus is approaching the city gate. You will probably be aware that in that day, the cities were usually built with solid walls around the city in order to protect the city in the case of an attack by surrounding armies. They would have these large gates to the city that could be locked up at night, so that no one could enter or exit.
Now, in this instance, Jesus has not yet entered into the city. They are just approaching the city when a large group of people is moving out, carrying a dead person. Because the cities were walled, they would not have graveyards within the walls of the city. Dead bodies were seen to be unclean, and would render the Jews unclean. And so instead of having the bodies buried within the walls of the city, they would take the bodies to a graveyard that was located outside.
And this is the procession that was now making it’s way from within the city, where this particular young man had died, to the gravesite where they would bury him.
The next thing that we should note from our text is that the person that died was a son, the only son of a widow. The significance of this is in the fact that the widow didn’t have a husband that would have been the provider. The cultural context of that day was that women didn’t usually work. They were reliant on their husbands to provide an income in order to provide for the family. When the husband died, the responsiblity for providing for the family and the widow would fall to any sons that she may have had.
In this event, the sad reality was that the woman’s only son had now died, and was being taken to be buried. This woman’s concern was not merely that she had lost a son, a terribly grievous and saddening immediate concern, but also that she would now have no one to provide for her, and she would be reliant on the charity of her neighbours for the remainder of her life, unless she could re-marry.
You will recall that Paul addresses something of this very situation when he writes to Timothy in terms of how to deal with a scenario of this kind in the church.
3 Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. 4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
That would have been the case for the widow from Nain in this present account in Luke. Her son would have been the one that was responsible for caring for her, certainly if he was one that was seeking to live a life pleasing to God.
But notice one further comment that Paul goes on to make in his letter to Timothy. He says this in verse 5...
5 The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
That just gives us an indication of the kind of struggle that existed for widows who didn’t have the support of their husbands or sons to provide for their daily needs. They literally had to live a life of daily prayer, asking God, quite literally, to “give us this day our daily bread!!”
It is precisely this widow’s desperate situation that evokes the response from Jesus. We’ll come to that response in just a moment, but before we do, one last comment on verse 12…
Not only was there a crowd that was following Jesus as he travelled along towards this city, but there was a significantly large crowd that was accompanying this widow on the funeral procession.
In that day, attendance at a funeral was considered a work of love. We see this very often in our own day within the African cultures that are very community -oriented. Funeral’s are seen as important events where love and care may be shown to the bereaved family. You’ll typically find the funerals very well attended.
This was certainly the case in Jesus day. It would have been all the more the case in the event where the person that died was the only son that needed to provide for his mom. This heightens the sense of the great tragedy that the death was.
But further to this, given that there is a large crowd that followed Jesus, and there was an exceedingly large crowd that was coming out of the town of Nain, what we have demonstrated for us is the fact that Christ’s great miracle of the resurrection of this man would be done in an extremely public manner.
You will recall that as Paul was being falsely accused and targeted, needing to give a defense of his position before Agrippa, and he was accused by Festus of being insane, his response was this...
25 “I am not insane, most excellent Festus,” Paul replied. “What I am saying is true and reasonable. 26 The king is familiar with these things, and I can speak freely to him. I am convinced that none of this has escaped his notice, because it was not done in a corner.
Christ’s miracles, his works, his teaching, was certainly not done in a corner. It was witnessed by large crowds of people.
And that fact is a great encouragement even to us as beleivers, because nothing that Christ did was without many witnesses to see it happen.
If we are going to believe eye-witness historians from bygone years, then we had better believe the people that wrote the Scriptures, whose accounts corroborate one another extensively.
Any person who will one day claim before God that they could not know the truth about God, will have to give an account for why the failed to take the Scriptures and read them.
Even if that means reading them as ordinary uninspired writings (which they are not) you will have to come away from them saying, here are historical writings that I must take serious cognisance of.
In fact, the claims of Scripture, and the claims of Christ himself, demand a response from us.
Coming back to our text then, we must note, thirdly...
3. The Compassion of Christ (vv.13-15)
3. The Compassion of Christ (vv.13-15)
In these few verses we see the great compassion of Christ evoked as he witnesses this scene unfolding. And it really is a very moving picture that is presented for us. In verse 13, we read these words...
13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
The phrase, “his heart went out to her” is a beautiful depiction of the way in which Christ was moved with affection. The real meaning of that word is “compassion.” Christ is one that had deep compassion for this woman. Another way that the word could be translated is that “His heart was moved with pity for her.”
In this account, Jesus was deeply touched as he witnessed this procession, and probably the woman leading the procession in deep mourning.
One of the things that we’ll find consistently in the New Testament record is that the compassion of Jesus is not superficial. Very often, we as people can demonstrate a superficial compassion for each other. We will mouth the words, indicating a sense that we feel someones pain. But very often our hearts are not truly moved.
This was not the case with Christ. We find that he had a genuine care and concern for people. And the same is true today as Christ considers us. He has a deep concern for us in life. He has always been concerned for us and our sufferings.
4 Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.
We serve a deeply compassionate Saviour!!
We need to take cognisance of the fact that in that day, the Jewish people were certainly not expecting the predicted Saviour to be one that would come with a demonstration of compassion. As the Saviour that they envisioned would be a great deliverer, they would have antipicated that he would be one that was powerful, a great warrior.
With that said, Christ’s coming with compassion was consistent with the very character and nature of God himself.
6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,
9 If you return to the Lord, then your brothers and your children will be shown compassion by their captors and will come back to this land, for the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him.”
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
Reapeatedly we find that God is shown to be a gracious and compassionate God. As Christ lived his life in this world, interacting with the people around him, we find that he was deeply compassionate towards the helpless. He demonstrated his own likeness to His Father through practical works that were driven by deep compassion.
But we must see that the compassion of Christ was not without action. This brings another key difference bewteen our compassion and that of Christ. Christ’s compassion moved him to action. And he was able to do something about those who were in need.
Such is the case in this account. As soon as Jesus sees this mourning crowd, and particularly the widow, his heart is moved to compassion for her, and he moves to intervene in the situation. His words to her are, “don’t cry.”
The command of Jesus not to cry would surely have put the woman into a sense of anticipation. It would have been some indication that he would bring some sense of hope into a hopeless situation. But what true hope could possibly be brought? Perhaps some termporary relief by offering some gift or financial assistance. But that wouldn’t have done much good in the long run.
But Christ’s help is a help that is meaningful and lasting. In verse 14, we read...
14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
The NIV here says that Jesus touched the coffin. That word creates the wrong picture in our modern minds. A better translation is a “Bier” - B - I - E - R. This was simply a stand or framework on which the body was carried, and was open. And so Jesus approaches where this dead body was laid (the body would have been prepared for burial - wrapped).
But by approaching the bier and touching it, Jesus would automatically render himself unclean, as the bearers of the dead body would be.
11 “Whoever touches the dead body of anyone will be unclean for seven days.
16 “Anyone out in the open who touches someone who has been killed with a sword or someone who has died a natural death, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.
But this is not of any concern to Jesus. His heart is moved with compassion towards this widow, and his action is consistent with his compassion. He’s concerned for her. He stops the procession in its tracks.
Those carrying the coffin stand still, and Jesus looks over the dead body of the man, and begins to talk to the dead body.
“Young man, I say to you, get up!”
Without doubt, the significantly large crowds would have been watching with a great sense of anticipation. It was very clear that this man was dead - probably had been for a while, as they would have redied his body to be buried. The crowds that had followed Jesus from Capernaum were probably holding their breaths to see what exactly Jesus would do. They were, afterall, following him mainly because of his great works. But what would he do in this case?
As Christ speaks these words, he will demosntrate to all the people around him the extent of his authority. Indeed, he would demonstrate that his authority went well beyond casting out demons and healing people. Verse 15 tells us...
15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
The first thing that happens is that the dead man suddenly sits up on this stretcher that he’s on, and he begins to speak. This alone would have shocked the crowds. If the disciples shrank back in fear when Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, what would these people have thought having seen a dead person instantly brought to life?! We’ll consider the response of the crowds further in a moment.
But we see also from verse 15 that Jesus graciously gives this young man back to his mother. Funerals are among the most emotionally charged events. And obviously, the closer you are to the person that has passed away, the more emotional you will be. This was the widowed mother. She would have been shattered!!
But in a instant, without even asking or imagining that anything like this could possibly even happen, Jesus gives her son to her, alive and speaking.
Now, we must just note one important point in this regard. Christ did not do this particular miracle in response to anyone’s faith. No one even anticipated this. It was completely unexpected. But Christ worked.
And I say that somewhat as an aside, but an important aside in light of much that is happening in the church today, where people are accused of a lack of faith when they ask God for things and he doesn’t give them what they asked. The easy copout is that you didn’t have enough faith.
Well, let me say that the very fact that you asked for something is at least an indication of some small measure of faith. If God does not answer, the simple reason is that it is outside of his immediate will. And we should be content with that.
But to place a burden on people by saying that God has not worked due to a lack of their faith is outright dangerous, because it can be so demoralizing to the person asking of God, that they give up even that little bit of faith that they did have!!
One further comment is appropriate at this stage, before we move on to consider the response of the crowds. That is that this profound miracle was certainly a demonstration of the kingdom of God that he broken into this world in a most powerful manner. Although it is true to say that the motivation for Christ in this situation was compassion towards the widow, the consequence of the event was that people would have demonstrated to them that the kingdom of God was indeed at hand.
In Luke 7:22 - the very next portion of Scripture that we’re going to consider - when John sends his disciples to Jesus to ask him if he was the one that was to come, Jesus would respond with the message...
22 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 cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
Even this young man that was raised from the death would stand as evidence of the fact that the Saviour had come.
As we move on, notice finally with me...
4. The Response of the Crowds (vv.16-17)
4. The Response of the Crowds (vv.16-17)
There are three things concerning the response of the people, and all of them are important.
The first dimension of their response is that they were...
4.1. They were Gripped with fear (v.16a)
4.1. They were Gripped with fear (v.16a)
I’ve already made mention of the disciples and their response to Jesus as he calmed the wind and the waves. That was one of fear, even though they didn’t know Jesus.
When Jesus drove out the legion of demons that were possessing the Gerasene demoniac, the people of that town asked Jesus to leave the area because they were fearful.
And so in this case, as the people - these significantly large crowds - witness the profound power of Jesus Christ, they are gripped with fear. This was a holy fear that was driven by deep respect and awe. They recognise that what has taken place is supernatural, and they thus appropriately respond in fear.
Secondly, in term of the response, we see that...
4.2. They Glorified God (v.16b)
4.2. They Glorified God (v.16b)
Verse 16 tells us, “they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited His people!””
Their glorifying of God is found in words of awe, wonder and adoration as they recognise that what has just taken place is beyond the scope of mere human abilities. God has worked, and so they glorify Him.
Luke records two specific statements that the people made as they glorified God.
The first is that “A great prophet has arisen among us!” As the people witness this profound act of the resurrection of this young man from the dead, they immediately make the connection that this man Jesus must be a prophet of God.
Perhaps their minds were taken back to the only prior encounters recorded for them of the raising of the dead. In 1 Kings 17, we read the account of Elijah raising the son of a widow, and then giving this once dead son back to his mother. The same picture is seen in this very account as Jesus gives this young man back to his mother.
The other account in the Old Testament is that of Elisha in 2 Kings 4, when he raised the son of the Shunammite woman. Again, after raising the son, he gave that son back to his mother.
Both grand accounts of the powerful intervention of God through his prophets. And so now, these crowds were considering Jesus to be a great prophet of God.
You will recall that account of Jesus asked his disciples who the people said that he is.
28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
Indeed, the evaluation of the people, even in this account, was that Jesus was a prophet. In some senses, they were quite accurate.
Already in the law of Moses, in the book of Deuteronomy, we find the promise by God that he would send a great prophet to His people. Moses, speaking to the people of Israel, tells them these words in...
15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”
17 The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
Jesus was indeed the prophet that was far greater than Moses. Hebrews 3:3 tells us...
3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.
But therein lies the reality. Jesus was no mere prophet. He was far greater than any mere prophet, as powerful as the prophets may have been. In other words, these crowds failed to perceive the true greatness of Christ.
It’s worth pointing out the sharp contrast between the resurrections performed by Elijah and Elisha, and that performed by Christ. In the account of Elijah, we read...
20 Then he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” 21 Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this boy’s life return to him!”
22 The Lord heard Elijah’s cry, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived.
And in the account of Elisha, we read that Elisha had set his servant Gehari to the boy with his staff, telling him to place the staff on the boy, but that the boy had not awoken. There was no response. And so Elisha had to go to the house and we read...
33 He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy’s body grew warm. 35 Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
How unique is the account of Jesus. He simply speaks to the dead corpse - “stand up” - and the dead body awakens immediately.
Indeed, the crowds in this account saw that Jesus was a prophet, but he was far more than just a prophet. In that instance where Jesus had asked his disciples who the crowds thought he was, and then giving him the answer, Jesus went on...
29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
Jesus was indeed the Christ - the one who had come to save.
Secondly, in terms of the words with which these people glorify God, they said further that “God has come to help his people.” In other translations - “God has visited his people” (NASB / ESV etc.) If only they realised just how pertinent and accurate their words were.
Again, as they spoke those words, they would have been spoken with some measure of a sense that God had visited in the form of a prophet. He had come to care for, or look after, his people in the sense of caring for them.
However, in their minds, God had come to them through a mere man. And furthermore, they saw that God had visited with the view to caring for earthly needs.
Little did they realise that this was the very Son of God. This was God incarnate. This was the Word - the one who was with God, and who was God - become flesh!! And he was there not merely to care for them or look after them in terms of their physical needs, but rather, he was there to save them from their sins.
Finally, in terms of their response...
4.3. They Spread the News (v.17)
4.3. They Spread the News (v.17)
Verse 17 tells us...
17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Indeed, none of this was done in a corner. God had come. The news of Jesus was spreading all over Judea and the surrounding country. There was no media. There were no viral videos of the event. But that didn’t stop the spread of this great news concerning Jesus Christ, then one who even had authority to raise the dead.
Application / Conclusion
Application / Conclusion
As we close, the question that I’d like to ask you is this: Who do you say that Jesus is? What is your perception of Jesus? Who do you understand him to be? This is a critical question that we must all wrestle with in our own hearts and minds.
C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity writes the following:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: 'I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.”
Who do you say Jesus is?! Jesus was indeed a man of deep compassion and care. But this is most clearly demonstrated in the fact that he was prepared, not only to raise a widow’s son from the dead, but to give life to the spiritually dead, even at the great cost of giving up his own life.
We are called to trust in Jesus - the great, compassionate Saviour. Is your faith placed in Him?