Soon afterward he journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” 17 This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.
Jesus healed the Roman Centurion’s servant who was dying (Lk. 7:1-10) and then went to Nain, a small farming village approximately 6-8 miles southeast of Nazareth. An Israelite widow’s son who was her only means of support had died and a large crowd was accompanying the funeral procession. Left with no one to support her she was in dire straits. Jesus and his disciples met the crowd at the gate to the city. Upon seeing the woman Jesus was moved with compassion, not mercy (v. 13). He stopped the procession and addressed the dead man as if he were alive, “Young man, I tell you, arise (v. 14)!”
The words of Jesus completely restored the man to life and he started to speak. This was not a resurrection but a restoration to the life he had before. Jesus, through the power of God his Father, had power over death. Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead similar to the prophet Elijah raising the son of the widow of Zarephath from the dead through physical actions (1 Kgs. 17:17-24). No prophet had ever raised a dead person back to life with a word. The crowd referred to Jesus as a great prophet and said that God has visited His people (Lk. 1:68).
Lord Jesus, you are Prophet, Priest, and King, but most of all you are our salvation. In your humanity, you know our struggles. In your divinity, you heal our wounds. Out of love, you redeemed us by your blood, and out of compassion, you resurrect us to new life. In your mercy, lead us to everlasting life with you. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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