Luke 7:11-17
"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. 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. And when the Lord, saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about," Luke 7:11-17.
The city of Nain was a little over 20 miles from Capernaum. This would be a full days walk, especially with the terrain. When we begin to consider this passage of Scripture with the manners and customs of that day, we see the providence of God magnified. The Jews during that time did not embalm their dead, but instead would anoint the outward body with spices etc. Those who were dead would immediately begin to decompose. It would not be long before the body would begin to excrete fluids (John 11:39). This meant that burials would take place very quickly, usually within 24 hours. It is possible that Jesus Christ left Capernaum and headed to Nain before this man even died. To see how God works all these things out is truly amazing. "And he must needs go through Samaria," John 4:4. These are divine appointments orchestrated by our Sovereign God. There is the big picture that you and I do not see. God is always in control. This doesn't mean that life will always go our way, but it will always go God's way, and our trust is in Him (Psalm 121). With this in mind, let us picture this event in Luke 7.
"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," Luke 7:11. Though Christ has already chosen the twelve disciples (Luke 6:12-16), there are many more disciples who follow Him. A disciple in this verse is a learner, pupil. Someone who follows a teacher. We see a large crowd following Jesus. As Jesus performs more miracles more people will follow Him. Most of them are there for the ride, not because they love Jesus Christ. This is evident in that as Christ continues to teach hard bible doctrines that many of His disciples quit following Him (John 6:25-71). These are looking for experiences and easy sayings. Truths from God's word causes division because they make clear distinctions. A true disciple of Christ will continue walking with Christ, even when walking with Christ is not easy. "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed," John 8:31.
"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," Luke 7:12. Jesus and His crowd are coming to the gate of the city, and the dead man and his crowd are coming out of the gate of the city. A funeral was a big event. People would be hired to play musical instruments and to mourn. The right tune, the right words, and the right wailing. A widow going to burry the only one who was able to provide for her. No doubt she was broken.
"And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not," Luke 7:13. Though Christ preached hard truths and was intolerant to false teachers and false doctrines, He was compassionate towards those who were in need of compassion. "He had compassion" means to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (figurative) feel sympathy, to pity: have (be moved with) compassion. In this divine meeting, Christ was moved with compassion to end this ladies sorrow. There is no doubt that this is why He came to Nain. It is interesting to note that no one asked Jesus to go to Nain, no one asked Jesus to raise the dead, and no one exercised faith. For someone to say that God is waiting on someone to believe before He can work is blasphemy. That would make man omnipotent, and make God impotent. The witch doctors of our day will tell you that your faith controls whether or not you will be healed, and that if you aren't healed it is not their fault but it is your fault because you did not have enough faith to be healed. Yet in our text we see Christ raising the dead even though no one asked Him or believed that He would. A true miracle worker can work miracles when no one asks them to, and especially if they do not have enough faith. This means a true miracle worker can heal everyone and anyone who is sick. It is obvious that no one today is able to heal. Let that sink in.
Jesus Christ had compassion on this widow and told her to "Weep not". Stop sobbing, stop wailing aloud, stop weeping. Christ is telling her this as if she has nothing to weep about. Why say "weep not" unless you are actually able to give her a reason not to weep? "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?" James 2:15-16. "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him," I John 3:17. Christ tells her to stop weeping.
Again, picture these two groups of people meeting just outside the city gate. You would usually give way and let the funeral procession pass by, but Jesus Christ goes in amongst the people, speaks to the grieving mother, touches the bier or the coffin, and then Christ speaks directly to the dead man, "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." See also Luke 8:51-56; John 11:43. In Luke 7:14 Christ tells the dead to arise, and in verse 15 the ole boy sat up and began to speak. A full and complete healing took place. No light show, no smoke, no stage act, just the power of God at work. How do you think the people responded?
The people were in amazement, and this caused them to glorify God. But in their amazement and worshipping God, they missed Who Jesus is. This is heartbreaking. You can have the best religious experience, but if you miss Jesus, you will miss heaven. They were sure Jesus was no more than a prophet, and through this prophet God looked upon them with mercy. This rumour went out to all the region. They missed the true Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:13-17; Luke 9:16-17). Do you know Jesus Christ, or do you just know about Him? Do you love Him; do you desire to obey Him; do you worship Him; are you looking forward to worshipping Him for eternity? Even the devils know who He is, but they do not love Him. "We love him, because he first loved us," I John 4:19. Repent and believe the gospel Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
