Miracle in Nain

                                                                                                                                                                  

Aloha Dearest Family,

                Today we will look at one of the wonderful miracles of Jesus from the book of Luke. I have read it dozens and dozens of times and it has become one of my favorites. Many times we take the miracles of Jesus as common place since he did so many and we have read them so many times. But if we look at the record closely we can get a feel for the grief, joy and raw emotion of this notable miracle. It took place in the city of Nain in the area of Galilee.  Let’s pick up the record in Luke 7:11.

                “And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.”

As Jesus is traveling from city to city preaching and teaching as he goes, Jesus is now about to enter the city of Nain. He is accompanied by a large group of people; not only his 12 apostles but other disciples as well. But before he enters the city, another large group is coming out.                   

                    “Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.”

Jesus comes upon a large funeral procession leaving the city in mourning. I can just imagine the sounds of grief among the crowd, especially from the mother who had just lost her son. We also learn that she is a widow and this was her only son. In the ancient East, families were close knit units and were the core of daily life and living. In a Patriarchal society, the father took care of the needs of the family. If the father died, this responsibility would be passed to the eldest son. Now her only son is dead. This widow now would have to find a way to survive in society. Women could not just go out and get a job as in our society. She now had to rely on the charity of others. Her situation was most desperate.

                “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.” 

Jesus saw the cries of the crowd and the emotional state of this widow and His heart went out to this woman who was in such a dire situation. Compassion is being able to empathize with another person and see their circumstance and want to help. This was the heart of Jesus Christ. His compassion caused him to act and help.  Because he knew what he was going to do, he said to the woman, weep not. She would have no clue what was about to happen.

                

                “And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.”

In the East, when a person died, they would place the body on a bier, which was a bamboo stretcher where he would be carried by the men of the village. The body would be wrapped in grave clothes with just the face uncovered, and the women would follow the bier loudly weeping and wailing for grief. As soon as Jesus touched to bier the men stopped. Both groups of people had converged for this one important event and the curiosity and anticipation now was very apparent. Some may have seen him heal people before but this was different. The man was dead. Up to this point in his ministry, Jesus had never raised someone from the dead before. What would he do? As he spoke the words ”Young man, I say unto thee, Arise”,  I’m sure there was a stillness among the crowd. All wailing and mourning ceased. And then the impossible happened.

                “And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.”

I can just imagine the awe of the crowd at the impossibility of what they had just witnessed. The sound of wailing and mourning instantly became sounds of laughter and joy. The mother’s cries of deep despair were now turned into tears of incredible joy and thankfulness to God.

                “And there came a fear (awe) on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God has visited his people. And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judea, and throughout all the region round about.”

Word of this miracle of compassion and power shook that entire area. It even reached the region of Judea. Most likely, this word got around to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. How would they deal with this man from Nazareth who’s popularity was growing daily? How would they stop him? Well, we know the rest of the story. It ends on a hill just outside of Jerusalem. Nailed to a tree. They thought they had stopped this trouble-maker who was a threat to their religion. But Jesus, displaying the greatest act of compassion that the world had ever seen, gave up his life so that you and I can have a new one. But it wasn't the end. Three days later the impossible happened. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. And the religious leaders could not stop it from happening. This was God's doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

                We now have Christ living within and we can also show the same kind of compassion that he did. Let us go on to show Christ to a needy and dying world by our love and actions.

                        Love Always, Ray