In Luke 7:11 we read the account of Jesus meeting the widow of Nain at the funeral of her son. Recently I saw a few things in this story I’d never seen before.
Firstly, as you may know, I have taught a lot about how faith is involved in healing and miracles. Yet this story stands out, as this widow didn’t come to Jesus with faith but was just attending her son’s funeral in grief. She’d already lost her husband and now her son had died.
I know what it is to attend your own son’s funeral – it’s an experience that feels so wrong, a deeper grief.
She didn’t come with faith but Jesus got her attention with an unexpected miracle. I think God does that sometimes. He get’s people’s attention with something they weren’t expecting.
Secondly, the story speaks of two large crowds. The first crowd was with Jesus.
“Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.”
Luke 7:11
Why was this crowd with him? They had seen the miracles, heard the life giving teaching – they were a happy crowd. They may even have been singing though we are not told if they were or not.
The second large crowd was with the widow.
“And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.”
Luke 7:12
This crowd was not happy. This was a crowd in grief and mourning. They were on their way to a funeral to bury the dead.
The story tells us that Jesus was going into Nain and that the funeral was coming out of Nain. The two crowds clashed. Joy met grief.
Then it says something happened in the clash.
When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
Luke 7:13
There comes a moment in our life when heaven beckons. It’s a defining moment. O the grace and mercy of our God!
As I think about this story, I realise I am surrounded by dead people every day. O they look alive. They walk around they talk, they eat, they watch TV, they laugh and cry and do all the things I do. But inside they are dead. They had a dream for their life, but it didn’t happen yet. They lost hope. They let their dream die.
Let me ask you a question. Are your memories bigger than your dreams? The memories of past hurt and disappointments, of dashed hope and rejections, of abuse? Are those memories bigger than you’re dreams?
I would love to have been in Nain that day. Something different happened.
Normally, when we see a funeral we observe it in quiet respect and stand aside for the procession to pass.
But Jesus did something profoundly different. He stepped into the road and stopped the funeral.
Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
Luke 7:14
Today, Jesus interrupts the burial of your dreams. He steps into the procession of the funeral of your hopes and dreams. And he says to you, “Young man, young woman, I say to you, arise.”
Rise up! It’s not too late! The devil is a liar! It is not over till the barren woman sings! (isa 54:1)
That dream that God put in your heart maybe the reason you were born. Today Jesus is doing the unexpected and giving you a fresh start beyond your imagining. It is time for you to do your part. To rise up!
Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
Luke 7:16
God has visited His people! What a wonderful phrase. Isn’t that what we want? Maybe today God is going to visit you!
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