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Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.(Luke 7:11–19)
In the beginning God said, “Let there be light” and there was light. In the beginning God spoke and there was life — life in heaven and on earth, plants and animals, including Adam and Eve. Psalm 33 says, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made. For He spoke, and it came to be” (vs. 6, 9). God's Word has power and authority. It can bring things into existence out of nothing. God's Word is a word of light and life.
In the beginning there was no death. Death was not a part of God's original design. On the sixth day of creation God said, “It is very good.” The evolutionist, on the other hand, believes that death has always been around. They believe that death is simply the normal way of life. They also reject the notion that Jesus came to rescue us from death, because, according them, death is not an enemy.
Again, death was not a part of God's original creation. God created Adam and Eve for life. He intended them to eat from the tree of life and not from the tree which would bring death.
Along comes Satan, the fallen angel from heaven. Satan told Eve that, if she would eat from the forbidden tree, she would not die. Satan goes on to make it look like God is mean and is withholding some good from them. Satan spoke and lie after lie came out of his mouth. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve, who of their own free will, listened to Satan's words, and they ate from the tree which brings death. And sure enough, the darkness of sin and death entered our world. The wages of sin is death.
As time went on Abel experienced death from the hand of his own brother. I'm sure that Adam and Eve wept and mourned as they buried their own son. It's not the way it's suppose to be. Children are to bury their parents.
As we read through the genealogy recorded in the book of Genesis it reads like this, “So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. …So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years; and he died. …So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years; and he died” (Gen 5:5, 8, 11”. And it goes on and on.
In our reading from 1 Kings this morning we learn that the widow's son of Zarephath died. Why? She was a widow and her son was a young boy.
In our reading from Luke 7 this morning we learn that the widow's son of Nain died. Why? She too was a widow and her son was a young man. She will now have no inheritance and no legal rights. She will now have to live off of the generosity of others. No wonder she wept.
We all know that death is a reality. It happens all around us. We see in the evening news that a five–year–old son was struck by a car and died. A teenage daughter died in a car accident. A middle–aged man was told that his cancer is inoperable and is too far advanced for treatment. A wife sits in the intensive care unity with her husband who just died.
All of us have lost a loved one — a grandparent, a parent, a spouse, a son or daughter, a relative or a friend. The wages of Adam's sin meant death for all of us. No one is exempt. No doctor or hospital can ultimately prevent death. Again, death is a reality, but it is also our enemy.
In the moment of sorrow, the widow of Zarephath cries out to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” She is angry with God. She thinks that God is her enemy.
In our moments of sorrow and grief we cry out, “Why? Why did my loved one die?” We struggle and wrestle with God. We cry and we wonder, “Where is God?”
In order to comfort a grieving family member or a friend we bring food over to the house. We say, “I'm sorry” or “My sympathies to you.” But our words have no power to bring true comfort. We stay with them. We join them at the funeral service and we cry with them.
Our God is not a far away God who knows nothing about suffering. He is not distant from us, but He came in the flesh and walked in our shoes. Isaiah 53 says of Jesus that “He is … a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” He bore our burdens and carried our sorrows. He even wept at the death of Lazarus.
Our text says that Jesus had compassion on the widow of Nain. In other words, His heart went out to her. He cared about her. He didn't say to her, “I'm sorry” and let the funeral procession continue. Instead, He said to her, “Do not weep.” It is as if He said, “Don't cry, for I have come to conquer everything that saddens you and makes you feel alone and cut off and hurt and helpless. I am here to wipe away every tear from your eyes.”
Jesus earlier said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” And He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And He said, “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart.” Dearly beloved, you do not face death alone. Jesus is with you. He is your help and your shield. He is your rock and your fortress. He is your refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.
Jesus stops the funeral procession. He touches the open stretcher. Then, He spoke words that bring life. He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise” and the young man came alive. Jesus spoke and it came to be. Jesus' words did what He said. Jesus' words were words of resurrection and life.
Because of this miracle the people recognized that a great prophet has arisen among them. This is true. Jesus is a prophet, yet greater than Elijah. Elijah had to pray to God asking Him to put life back into the widow's son, but Jesus just spoke and life was restored into the widow's son of Nain. The people also recognized that God has visited them. This is also true. Jesus is the Word incarnate, God in the flesh dwelling among them. In Jesus was life and the life was the light of men (John 1:4).
Again, our God is not a far away God who knows nothing about suffering. But He came in the flesh to bear our sin and to overcome death and the devil. Elijah stretched himself upon the dead child, but Jesus — a greater prophet than Elijah — stretched himself upon a dead tree where He was nailed and crucified. Elijah cries out, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” His question was answered by giving life back to the son. But Jesus cries out from the cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” and there was no answer.
It was easy for the widow of Zarephath to think that God had something against her. It was easy for her to think that God was punishing her. It's easy for us to think the same thing. It's easy for us to think that God is the cause of our suffering or that He is our enemy. But nothing is farther from the truth.
God did not spare His only Son but gave Him up for us on the cross. The punishment of sin was placed upon Jesus and not upon you or me. The trials and tribulations that we go through are not God's punishment against our sin. He is not out to get us. Don't believe Satan's lies. But the punishment that we deserve was placed upon Jesus. Jesus, who was sinless, bore our sin upon the cross. Jesus, the one who participated in the creation of light and life, now experienced darkness and death on the cross. Jesus said from the cross, “Father, into your hands I commend My spirit” then He bowed His dead and died. At the foot of the cross was another widow, Mary, the mother of our Lord. I'm sure she wept as she watched her Son die.
If Jesus has the power to give life back to Jairus' daughter, to the widow's son of Nain, and to Lazarus, then He surely has to power to overcome death Himself. Jesus once said, “I have the power to lay my life down and I have the power to take it up again” (John 10:18). And sure enough, on Easter Sunday Jesus rose from the dead defeating our enemies death and the devil.
God's Word is powerful. When God's Word is connected to baptismal water, then there is a new creation. The light of Christ and the gift of eternal life is given to the baptized. You might say that your baptism was your funeral and your Easter. For during your baptism you were buried with Christ and you came out a living being. Just as Jesus said to the young man “arise” and he came alive, so also, it is as if Jesus said at your baptism “arise” and you came out a living being who will never die. Jesus can say that whoever lives and believes in Him shall never die. He also said, “Because I live, you too will live.”
God's Word is powerful. When it is preached in creates and nurtures faith in Christ. When absolution is pronounced, God's Word removes sin as far as the east is from the west. You are justified, forgiven, declared right because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Faith trusts in this Word of Gospel and says, “Amen.”
God's Word is powerful. When it is connected to bread and wine, then there is the forgiveness of sins. In Holy Communion, our Lord touches you with His grace and mercy giving you His body and blood. The cross is our tree of life, and if we eat from the fruit of this tree, we will not die, but we will live.
God's Word is powerful. It gives you hope in the midst of grief. It gives you joy in the midst of sorrow. It gives you life in the midst of death. His forgiveness renews you. His gift of eternal life gives you peace — a peace which the world cannot give.
Someone might say, “Pastor, this sounds great and I'm happy for the widow of Zarephath and for the widow of Nain who got their sons back again. But I did not get my loved one back again.”
Do not weep. There will be a day when you will see them again. On the last day during the resurrection of the body it is as if Jesus will say “arise” and then all the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we will see Christ with our own eyes along with all others who died with faith in Christ. Eternal life in heaven will be our day of light and life forevermore.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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