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by Sandy Shaw
In Luke 7:11, Jesus goes to the village of Nain. His disciples go along with Him, and Jesus is attracting big crowds. These are two distinct groups – disciples and crowds of people. There comes that point where there has to be the necessary transition. It has to go further than mere interest or curiosity.
A sorry sight meets Jesus. He is confronted with a funeral procession. A widow has lost her only son. Now, Jesus knew what it was to be an only Son. The procession is leaving Nain and Jesus is approaching Nain. These two groups meet. Funerals in the Middle East are very noisy. There is much weeping and wailing.
Here we see a weeping widow in a day when there were no pensions or social benefits. There would be little support for her. Jesus looks at this broken woman, and He is filled with love and compassion. "Don't cry". It is almost a command. He drew near and did what no other rabbi would do - touch the coffin. He stretches out His life giving Hand where there had been death. Everyone was wondering what would happen. What was He doing and what was going through people's minds?
This procession of death meets the Prince of Life, and one of them is going to have to get out of the way - off the road. Jesus spoke a few simple words - "Young man, I say to you, get up." Notice His control - power - authority – and confidence in His Father. The young man sat up and begins to speak. Sat up is the medical term for "beginning to get better". We use it in the same way of someone who has been very ill. Do remember that this account is being written up by a medical doctor.
It is so interesting to note, that here and elsewhere - where the dead are raised - there is no account or record of what was seen or experienced or said beyond the grave. It would not help us to know what it was like to have been dead.
The people are filled with awe or fear, and they begin to praise GOD. They knew it was GOD AT WORK. God never intended there to be death in the world. We need to remember that as well. When God created this world there was no sickness, no pain, no sin and no death. In Genesis, we read that what He created was good and when He completed Creation, on looking at His work, He declared it to be ‘very good’.
This miracle at Nain was never challenged when Luke wrote the record of what actually happened. If this had been untrue, surely there would have been someone around when this was written, who would question what actually happened that day. "I was present when Jesus met that procession, and what Luke has written is not what actually happened." This is never challenged. The dead can be called back - and one day will be.
People begin to say, “A great prophet has appeared among us. God has come to help His people." There is AWE or FEAR. God has drawn very near.
Relationships which had been broken as the consequence of sin are being restored - disease - sickness - death - anxiety - sadness - disharmony - but only restored after Jesus speaks the Word.
Never underestimate the immense importance of the Word of God.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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