The Miracles of Jesus Part 11: A Widow’s Son is Brought Back to Life
Luke 7:11-17 Jesus has power over life and death. His compassion fills us with hope for our salvation through Him.
“Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!” This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.”
Luke 7:11-17 NASB1995
Diving into this next miracle of Jesus, I find it fascinating that it is only documented in the Gospel of Luke. Bringing someone back to life is kind of a “big deal” and there are only three miracles documented in the Gospels where Jesus restored someone else to life. Interestingly, the raising of Lazarus from the dead is also found only in one Gospel, John. Only the raising of the daughter of Jairus is found in the three synoptic Gospels. Jesus’ Resurrection is in a totally different category altogether and will be covered separately as a “the supreme bonus miracle” later in this series.
Jesus is with His disciples and a large group of followers and they are nearing the city of Nain (see map below from Precept Austin), located southeast of Nazareth. In the Luke chronology, this event occurs soon after Jesus heals the Centurion’s servant from afar in Capernaum. As they reach the gate of the city, a funeral procession is coming out. A woman who is a widow is accompanying the body of her only son who has died; many from the city accompany her. Jesus sees her and feels compassion. When I started writing this devotional, I was immediately struck again by how much compassion and love our Lord has for us!! I’ve been in tears again weeping for joy over the hope that He brings us!
So what is compassion? According to the lexicon in the Blue Letter Bible, compassion comes from the Greek word splagchnizomai, which is a real tongue twister! Even more interesting is the definition:
to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
To have compassion is to feel far more than casual sympathy or even empathy for another’s woes. It means that you are moved by the plight of another to the inner core of your being. A modern dictionary definition is: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it. We all feel varying degrees of sympathy when we see another in distress, but how often do you just shake your head and continue to walk past the beggar or homeless person? True compassion will force you to consider more than just words, like acting to relieve the person’s distress with actual help (supplies, money, food, transportation to a shelter or to a hospital).
Jesus cannot let suffering go by. He will act on it. He approaches the funeral party and tells the mother “Do not weep”. Steven Cole has a sermon at Bible.org about this passage when Jesus speaks these words, that could seem callous to an outside observer; please go to the link to read the entire sermon. Jesus can do something about her problem and is asking her to trust him so He can solve her grief.
Our Lord then touches the coffin, bringing the procession to a halt. He speaks to the dead man: “Young man, I say to you, arise!”. Have you ever noticed that when Jesus performs a miracle, he requires an immediate action from the beneficiary of that healing or miracle? You are told to arise from your coffin or to rise up, take your mat and walk or you are told to go to the priests and make an offering or you are told to stretch out your hand or you are told to pull in the net. He wants us to take action, get back to life and serve Him (like Peter’s mother-in-law). The young man does exactly what Jesus commands and begins speaking to his mother. The crowd is filled with fear and they glorify God. This is the fear we should all fear in the presence of such infinite power!
The young man will die again eventually, just like Lazarus and the daughter of Jairus. The fourth bringing back to life in the Gospels is the one that really matters for all believers, because His Resurrection ensures that we who believe on Him and repent will have eternal life! God hates death, which entered His creation through the sin of humanity. He wants us all to have life through Him and have it abundantly and He will fully restore His creation (Revelation 21).
This miracle is full of the hope of the grace and word of Jesus. I really loved the Steven Cole sermon (from Bible.org, found through Precept Austin) that has a short excerpt above at the link. In that sermon, he talks about the message of grace and how it brings hope. Bringing others to the Lord is raising the dead. Jesus didn’t have any criteria for His compassion and grace towards this widow. She didn’t ask Him to help her, but He came forward to bring hop to the hopeless.
Cole also talks about the power of God’s word, because it can change hopeless situations. A few words to the dead man and he instantly rose up and could receive new life through Christ’s word. We believers are called to be witnesses to His grace and His word, offering hope to the hopeless. You may never know the true impact of bringing someone to Christ. Steven Cole in that same sermon mentions how a 16-year-old spiritually dead boy in 1934 came under the Holy Spirit after hearing some effective preaching. That boy grew up to be Billy Graham. How many have been brought to Christ because of Billy Graham.
Billy Graham’s impact is still felt worldwide, even five years after his death (we are currently enrolled in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association School of Evangelism training, so he has even impacted us). We all die physically, but if we are born again in Him, we will live with Him in eternity and we should try to fill busloads to bring with us to Heaven. I am filled with that hope today, tomorrow and always!
What did we learn from this miracle?
Jesus is filled with compassion for the suffering and grief of others. He has power over death and can restore us to joy and hope in the face of a hopeless situation. His endless grace and the power of His word are sufficient. We are to spring into action, serving Him and bringing His hope to the hopeless.
My next devotional examines how Jesus calms a storm on the Sea of Galilee. This miracle is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Your boundless compassion and grace bring hope to the hopeless. You have power over death and can bring us to eternal life through our repentance and belief in you. My gratitude for your compassion and grace is flowing over! Amen
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Sermons by Steven Cole on Bible.org (through Precept Austin commentary) are copyright 1998. The link is provided; permission is not provided by Bible.org for use in a website.
The Miracle List:
Water to wine: Jesus can overcome time, He creates beauty and abundance, and He shares in our joy.
Healing of the official’s son: Jesus can overcome space (distance), He does not need to see the person He heals, He has infinite power, but He also wants us to believe without signs and wonders.
Casting out of the evil spirit in the synagogue: The authority of Jesus is recognized by the demons and He triumphs over evil and silences it.
Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law: Jesus does not need crowds to demonstrate His power and He has compassion about the needs of one person, even if those needs seem smaller and only worthy of a couple of verses of scripture.
Healing and casting out demons of many in Capernaum (at Peter’s house): Jesus has compassion on all who come to Him and has no conditions that He places on giving them His mercy. He can heal instantly with a light touch and again demonstrates authority over demons and silences them.
Miraculous catch of fish on the Sea of Galilee: Jesus demonstrates His powers over His creation, He once again brings abundance, and He teaches humble fishermen that their task of bringing souls to Him is the most important thing they can do. They must follow Him.
Cleansing of the Leper: Jesus is willing to heal us, is compassionate towards those who suffer and can instantly cure a dreadful and feared disease. We must have faith when circumstances seem hopeless.
Healing of the Centurion’s Servant: Jesus came so that anyone who believes on His name is saved, Jew or Gentile. One of the most humble and devout persons that He encounters during His ministry is a Roman Centurion who cares and loves a servant who is sick or paralyzed. Jesus has instant authority over this illness, again eliminating space (distance) as a barrier to healing; He also marvels at this man’s faith.
Healing of the paralytic passed through the roof: Jesus demonstrates His ultimate authority as the Son of God to forgive sins and to heal a condition that seems irreversible. He can sense and read the hearts and thoughts of others. He turns a major disruption into a lesson on forgiveness. The friends of the paralytic show tremendous faith in how they solve this problem.
Healing of the withered hand on the Sabbath: Jesus can instantaneously heal a chronic condition, restoring a hand to full function. The man he heals exhibits great faith in His ability to heal and obeys Him. Jesus also challenges the assumptions and rules that have taken the place of faith and wisdom in the hearts of the Pharisees and Scribes. His anger is righteous; their rage is murderous.
Jesus is filled with compassion for the suffering and grief of others. He has power over death and can restore us to joy and hope in the face of a hopeless situation. His endless grace and the power of His word are sufficient. We are to spring into action, serving Him and bringing His hope to the hopeless.