Raising the Widow’s Dead Son
TRANSLATION
(11) Soon after this Jesus came to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. (12) As he approached the town gate, a person who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And many of the townspeople accompanied her. (13) When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her and said, “Stop your weeping.” (14) When he came up and touched the bier, the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” (15) And the one who had died sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (16) They were all filled with awe and praised God, saying, “A great prophet has come among us! God has visited his people!” (17) And the report concerning him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding areas.
OBSERVATIONS
Luke’s account of Jesus raising the widow’s son in Nain was marked by the following repetitions: “town” (vss. 11 & 12), “mother” (vss. 12 & 15), and “God” twice (in vs. 16). Isaiah had prophesied that the coming Messiah would “bear our griefs and carry our sorrows” (Is. 53:4). On display in this segment were not only Jesus’ power to raise the dead to life but his heartfelt compassion for a widow who had just lost her only son. Truly he bore her griefs and carried her sorrows and provided a solution for both.
OUTLINE
I. Jesus encountered the funeral procession of the dead son of a grieving widow. (11 & 12)
II. He compassionately raised her son to life and gave him back to his mother. (13-17)
IDEA STATEMENT
Jesus came to meet our deepest needs by conquering death and giving us life.
APPLICATION
Miracles like this one provide us with a preview of the glorious future described by the author of Hebrews. In that day, Christ will “destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Heb. 2:14 & 15).
However, during the three years of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the defeat of Satan at the cross remained a future accomplishment. He graciously alleviated the suffering and pain of death briefly for a few fortunate individuals. Those who were miraculously raised to life such as the son of this widow and Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, would eventually die a second time. However, for those of us who have trusted Christ as Savior, there is a day coming when he will free us from the bonds of death and raise us not just for a brief time but for eternity! This is our great hope and expectation that “the dead will be raised incorruptible.” We look forward to the day when “…this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:52 & 53).