Jesus Raises the Son of a Widow.  (Luke 7:11-17)

In the 1st century when Jesus walked on this earth, and he said to people follow me he meant that literally. They literally left their home they left their business, and they walked around Palestine with the Lord from city to city they followed him as he conducted his ministry of preaching and healing.

Now this is going to take a little bit of imagination but I want you to imagine that you were in that crowd you were one of those people who decided you were going to follow him, and by the way there were women as well as men who followed him. It wasn't just the 12 apostles there was a crowd of people that followed him from one city to another.

There are many examples of the many times when Jesus surprised his followers with his teachings and revelations. Perhaps you can recall moment s of hugely significant teaching like his Sermon on the Mount, we have just been through. Or later moments when he taught about the end times on the Mount of Olives. But what follows today is just a description of something that happened, something that Jesus did which although narrative is not only one of the most touching stories in all the Gospels, but it is also a story loaded with spiritual truths.

Let me share this story with you tonight from Luke Chapter 7, starting with verse 11.

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

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.

(Luke 7: 11-17)

Now the story is incredibly simple it starts by describing for us a mother was a tragic day in her life, perhaps the most tragic day in her life she had ever had and then it tells about her encounter with the Lord and the amazing thing he did, so let's begin by looking at the mother.

In starts by telling us that these events took place the day after Jesus healed the centurion's servant. To understand the context, it's important to know that professional mourners had been hired for this occasion, creating quite a spectacle. These mourners led the way, followed by the casket, and then a large crowd from the city. So, two crowds were converging on a narrow road, making it inevitable for them to encounter each other.

Verse 12 reveals a sombre scene, telling us, "a dead man was being carried out." This would have been significant on its own, but Luke adds a couple of details that intensify the sorrow. The deceased was the woman's only son. For any parent, the loss of a child is unimaginable. Adding to the tragedy, being her only son, he was the one who would carry on the family name. To compound the grief, the verse reveals that she was a widow, a circumstance that, in the 1st century, meant vulnerability and potential destitution. Without a male relative to care for, protect, and provide for her, she faced a precarious future.

These details are not incidental; Luke intends for the readers to grasp the depth of the tragedy.

The death of a child is profoundly unnatural and challenging thing for a parent to bear. He noted that such deaths are especially cruel because they cut short a life full of beauty and potential. 

Children are meant to bring joy and laughter into our lives. They hold a unique place in our relationships, being born from the very essence of their parents. Some have said that when a child dies, a part of the parent is buried with them. 

I once met a man in his 70s who, within our first ten minutes together, shared a faded photograph of a child he had lost almost 50 years ago. It reflects the reality that, for some life can be like living in a world of great loss and unfulfilled potential.

The world for some is filled with sorrows, and this particular day brought a lady with a profoundly broken heart into focus.

Verse 12 notes a great crowd accompanying her. However, the narrative shifts from the mother to the Lord himself, in verse 13. It states that when the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion and said, "Do not weep."

The term "compassion" in Greek implies feeling, pity, or empathy. It originates from a noun that refers to the inward parts, such as the heart, liver, and lungs, even the bowels, the seat of feelings and the feelings themselves. In this sense, compassion involves a deep emotional response. Jesus, despite the philosophical ideas of his time, did not adhere to the Stoic belief that God is apathetic and incapable of feeling. The Stoics argued that if someone could influence another's emotions, they would be greater than that person. Therefore, since no one can be greater than God, God must be incapable of feeling. However, Jesus demonstrated compassion, showing that God can indeed be moved by the broken heart of a mother.

The text explicitly says that Jesus had compassion and comforted the grieving mother, telling her not to weep. This story challenges the prevailing stoic perspective and highlights the depth of God's emotional engagement with human suffering.

If we isolate that statement, it might seem a bit insensitive, possibly coming across as lacking empathy. Imagine saying something like that to someone in distress. However, the phrase "do not weep" in verse 13 serves as an introduction to what Jesus is going to do next in verse 14. This isn't a callous or insensitive remark; instead, it lays the groundwork for the miracle of hope that Jesus is about to perform.

In times of sorrow, it's crucial to remember the difference between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy says, "I'm sorry," while compassion says, "let me help." So, when Jesus tells the grieving mother not to weep, it's not a causal comment; it's a message of hope. 

However, for us today it's essential to be cautious in such situations, as one can have genuine compassion but inadvertently say the wrong thing. Insensitive remarks can hurt, even if well-intentioned. People often offer clichés like "it must have been God's plan" or "there's a reason for everything," thinking it's comforting. Yet, these phrases may come across as insensitive.

Jesus, on the other hand, is about to turn the woman's tears into a testimony of a miracle performed. He addresses her with words of hope, and then assures her that something miraculous is about to happen. In verse 14, Jesus approaches the open coffin, a box-like structure which allowed everyone to see the body. 

Also, despite the enormous cultural taboo of touching a dead body, Jesus reaches out and touches the coffin. Then, in a straightforward manner, he speaks to the deceased young man, telling him to arise. Amazingly, the young man sits up and starts speaking.

This act not only defies cultural norms but also transforms a moment of grief into a miraculous testimony for both the crowd following Jesus and the funeral procession.

Imagine being a pallbearer or a mourner and witnessing the deceased person sit up and start talking. It's an extraordinary scenario, which might explain the reaction described in verse 16 where it says, “fear came upon them all”. 

However, before looking into verse 16, consider the latter part of verse 15, because it says, "He gave him back to his mother, he presented him to her." This act carries significant meaning. In many instances, Jesus, after performing a miraculous healing or resurrection, would tell the person to follow him. Yet, in this case, he presents the resurrected young man back to his mother.

This small but powerful detail underscores the compassion and comfort that Jesus provides. Instead of urging the young man to become a follower, Jesus recognizes the immediate need for a family reunion. The grieving mother needed her son back. This simple yet profound act of reuniting mother and son brings instantaneous comfort. Can you imagine the overwhelming joy that replaced the deep sorrow in the mother's heart? The Lord, in his compassion, offered comfort by not only raising him from the dead but by restoring the mother's relationship with her son.

This observation resonates with broader themes in the Bible, particularly in passages addressing the hope and comfort Christians can find in the face of death. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul writes to comfort believers who have lost loved ones. The hope he presents here is one which is centered on the future reunion of believers with those who have passed away in Christ. This reunion, described as being caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord, serves as the ultimate source of comfort for grieving Christians.

So, when seeking to comfort someone who is grieving, it's essential to choose words carefully and wait for the right moment. The passage from Luke and the broader biblical context reveal that the comfort God provides often centers on the promise of reunion, a theme that can bring comfort to those facing loss.

When God comforts us today, he doesn't always immediately make everything wrong right, he doesn't necessarily fix everything at that moment, he comforts us with the promise that someday all wrongs will be righted. He doesn't comfort us by overlooking sin he comforts us by forgiving us of our sins. He doesn't comfort us by always taking away the physical pain that we may be under, he comforts us by giving us the strength to bear it.

So, he met the lady he had compassion on her and he gave her great comfort he gave her son back.

In verse 16, it's mentioned that fear came upon the crowd, and if we put ourselves in their shoes, we'd likely have been initially a little scared too. However, their fear transforms into recognition and praise for God. The crowd acknowledges that God performed this miracle, and in response, they glorify Him. They even go on to proclaim that a great prophet has arisen among them, and that God has visited His people. 

While they rightly attribute the miracle to God, they may not all yet fully grasp Jesus' identity. They see Him as a prophet, drawing a parallel to the Old Testament story of Elisha raising someone from the dead.

This recognition, while accurate in part, falls short of a complete understanding the full magnitude of who Jesus is. He is not just a prophet; He is the Messiah—the Shepherd, Savior, Priest, and Coming King. Despite their partial understanding, the news spreads throughout the region, reaching even the Pharisees, priests, and scribes in Jerusalem.

The story highlights Jesus' compassion for a widow, as He raises her son from the dead. This simple yet profound narrative underscores a broader theme in Jesus' ministry—giving life. Whether it's healing the blind, deaf, or lame, or raising the dead, these miracles serve as spiritual illustrations. They symbolize how Jesus brings life, sight, hearing, and the ability to walk with God to those who were spiritually dead, blind, deaf, paralyzed, or even dead.

In conclusion, the essence of this story lies in Jesus giving life and demonstrating compassion. As followers of Christ, the call for us is to copy His compassion, recognizing that He has given us life in the fullest sense.

At a funeral, compassion might seem self-evident, but often it's not so apparent in everyday situations. The point I want to emphasize as we conclude today is that the source of Jesus' compassion in this story was the empathy he felt for the visible pain of the grieving mother, a woman who had not only lost her son but had also lost her societal role as a widow who had lost her only son. The key lesson here is that Jesus was moved by her hurt.

In a world filled with broken hearts, it's essential to recognize that virtually everyone we encounter has experienced heartbreak at some point in their lives. People often wear facades, but deep down, there's a hidden pain. Nearly everyone, by the time they have become a mature adult has had their heart broken or lives with some tragedy in their lives. Therefore, it's crucial to understand that behind the exterior, there lies a story of a broken heart.

So, the takeaway is to be attuned to the fact that people around us, regardless of appearances, may be carrying a burden of a broken heart. Compassion is often stirred not by what we see on the surface but by understanding the pain that others may be silently carrying.

Rejection of the lord is not necessarily logical as some pretend in realty it is much more likely to be emotional (Expand)

So my suggestion is if you want to be more compassionate person and you should be you should look for the hurt in people’s lives. And when you find it then it is a whole lot easier to be compassionate towards them.

One other observation. If you think back to the opening of today’s passage and go back to the first verse, verse 11. It says and a large crowd now this is not just a crowd that was with the woman coming out of the city. There is also a large crowd of disciples and followers coming into the city with Jesu. Luke divided these people into two groups. Those who were learning and those who were looking. 

Which group are you in today, do you just look at what Jesus did and said and think that’s a nice story. Or do you look and learn, are you learning from what Jesus said. We're all as believers in Jesus Christ in one crowd or the other, perhaps we all need to move away from the just looking crowd and move more towards the learning crowd.