Lovers of God

Jesus raises a widow's son from the dead in Nain

Lk 7:11-17 11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. 12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep." 14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise!" 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and, "God has visited His people!" 17 This report concerning Him went out all over Judea and in all the surrounding district.

This miracle illustrates the compassionate heart of God.

A widow in these times is a picture of a weak and helpless person. If she has a son, she is dependent on him for sustenance. But what happens to her when her only son dies? Who will help her then?

Even today, there are people who are helpless due to unfortunate circumstance (this is different from people who are in a difficult situation due to their own foolishness). Does God see their need? Yes, He does. Does God want to do something about it? Yes, He does!

If you are like the widow, know that God will not leave you helpless. Let Him help you and solve your problem so that those around you will see it and glorify Him.

We all have the problem of sin. The wages of sin is death – eternal separation from God. Upon our first sin, we are doomed, and there is no way out through our own effort. But Jesus came, lived a sinless life, and then paid for our sins on the cross. We now have a way out, through faith in Jesus. We are like this dead man who has been brought back to life.

It wasn’t by accident that Jesus was there. Before this, Jesus was in Capernaum (Lk 7:1). Nain is about 32 miles away from Capernaum. After this, Jesus went to the area around Capernaum and then sailed across the sea of Galilee to Gerasenes (Lk 8:1, 22, 26). So it seems that Jesus went on foot all that way just to raise the widow’s son, and while there, preached the gospel to the neighboring villages, and then went back to the region around Capernaum. We see from this, the extent that God will go to help the afflicted.

Ps 9:9-12 9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble; 10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; declare among the peoples His deeds. 12 For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

When you are in need, turn to God. He will spare no effort to help you out.