Anchor My Faith

Life Given to a Widow’s Son

Scripture: Luke 7:11-17

In our previous lesson Jesus reached out and touched a leper and cleansed him of his leprosy, but because of disobedience, on the part of the cleansed man, Jesus was now faced with crowds that demanded his healing service, hindering his work of teaching.

^{Lk 7:11} 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.”

The “soon afterwards” in Luke’s gospel, refers to the healing of the centurion’s servant, but in the gospel harmonization process, we see that it comes after Jesus cleansed the man with leprosy. Following these two events, Jesus went to a town called Nain, which is commonly identified with a modern village (Nein) southwest of Nazareth, though other locations have also been suggested.

As Jesus moves about, great crowds move with him and as he approaches Nain, we meet another crowd coming out from the town. The reason for that crowd was the death of a man, the only son of his mother, a widow. Being a widow with her only son now dead, reveals her desperate economic situation she is in. This only son provided for her and gave her value as a woman, and now with him dead she was left destitute and at the bottom of the social ladder, like Naomi in the book of Ruth.

Jesus sees her desperate situation and had compassion on her and goes to her and said to her, “Do not weep.” This command suggests that Jesus will do something to remove her reason for weeping. The compassion Jesus felt, motivates him to help this grieving mother. ^{Lk 7:14} “[Jesus comes] 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.”

The bier that Jesus touched was a plank that served as an open coffin, used to carry the dead body outside the city to its burial place. Again, as with the cleansing of the leper, Jesus is unconcerned about ceremonial uncleanness in touching the bier. When Jesus touched the leper and said, “Be clean,” Jesus was not made unclean, but instead the leper was made clean. Here when Jesus touched the bier and gave the command for the dead man to rise, Jesus was not made unclean, but instead the man gained his life back, and he sat up and began to speak.

Jesus gives this son back to his mother, replacing her grief with unspeakable joy, but for the two crowds that is now one great crowd, ^{Lk 7:16} “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.”

Because of the recognition, by the crowd, of God’s powerful presence, fear seized them all and caused them to glorify God in worship. They cry out, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” Referring to Jesus as a great prophet is a correct description of Jesus but is an inadequate one unless one adds titles like, the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of Man, or Lord. In this respect, the crowd cries out, saying, “God has visited his people!” This is another opportunity for God to make known his presence in Jesus.

What Jesus was doing, the power he was demonstrating, resulted in a report spreading throughout the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Prayer

Father, we are all born spiritually dead and in need of being born spiritually. This son was physically dead, and Jesus demonstrates his ability to give life to the dead. Acts like this help those in the crowd realize that Jesus also has the power to give spiritual life. Father, thank you for having compassion on us and providing, in Jesus, the opportunity of spiritual life.