The Resurrection at Nain - Introduction

Soon afterwards, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 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. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’ 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!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 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.’ This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Luke 7:11‭-‬17 NIVUK I remember the day very well. I was walking through the centre of Pitesti, Romania, when I came across a funeral procession. Unaware of what the right thing to do culturally was, I decided to stand still at the side of the street and pay my silent respects. The procession was moving very slowly because a horse and cart was leading it and was somberly clopping its way towards the nearby Orthodox church. As it slowly passed me, I saw something that took me by surprise and had to stop myself from calling out. The casket was open. Lying at the back of the cart, arms folded and eyes fixed towards the skies, was the corpse about to be celebrated and then buried. That doesn't happen in my country. The whole horse and cart thing is quite rare, but the open coffin thing is even more rare. Coffins are pretty much always closed. In other countries, it's not that way. Some are like Romania and have several days of spending time with the dead person, lying in state and fully visible, before the body is eventually buried. Apart from the Irish community, people in my country don't do that at all. But there is one thing all countries have in common: it's pretty hard to miss a funeral. The high powered hearses moving at snail's pace. The mourners dressed in black, serious clothes. The undertakers in top hat and tails. It's hard to mistake a funeral for anything else. Yet the whole point of these verses is not just that Jesus saw the funeral. No, the point is that He felt compassion. He did something about it. He changed the sorrow into joy. He did something so utterly wonderful for this family. That doesn't happen at Christian funerals. I've been at enough to know that those who pass away tend to stay passed. I've never been at one yet where the deceased came back to life again. However, this little miracle is an awesome picture of the fact that Jesus has power over life and death. Although He doesn't raise the dead just yet, He can and one day He will. It's also an awesome picture of how He sees our suffering, is not indifferent, and can turn it all around in an instant. But what sets this miracle apart from all others is what we don't see. There is a pattern with every other miracle. Jesus is asked to help, or He asks the sick person or those bringing them to have faith in Him. Then this faith is rewarded with a miracle. But in this miracle, no faith is requested. No faith is sought. The prime reason for the miracle is Jesus' compassion for the mother, not her faith in Him. This is a step away from Jesus' established pattern. He has the sovereign right to do so. But we have to ask ourselves why. Why does He do this? I believe He does this to demonstrate His absolute Lordship. He is not constrained by our faith or the lack of it. He can act completely independently. And I'm glad this is the case. I'm glad He chooses when to reward faith and when to act independently. This proves that He is truly God. Besides, if He did not do this, would we ever respond to the Gospel at all? In this case, it is not faith that stirs Him to act. No, it's compassion. Not just 'there, there', or a feeling of sympathy, but a deep feeling right in His gut that this was wrong and something had to be done about it. This was a deep, powerful emotion He showed here. And I'm glad about that too. He is not just a god who commands or acts or creates. No, He is the God who feels. He is the God who is guided both by a mind that is righteous and a heart full love. There are always times when we need Him to be like this. As we explore the three simple stages of this miracle, bear in mind that this is your God. And when you need Him the most, He is there for you way more than any other could or would. The first stage in this miracle is that JESUS SEES.