]11] 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. [12] 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. [13] When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” [14] 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.” [15] So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.
Theme Verse: Luke 7:13 [NKJV]
“When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”
If you approach a married woman in her fruitful years who has lost her only child and say, “Do not weep,” she understands why you could have said that: she can still bear more children.
If a widow with many children, weeping over the corpse of one of them, were comforted with such words as, “Do not weep,” she would have a reason to heed the comfort: she still has other children.
Should a widow in her fruitful years lose her only son, that is quite pathetic. Yet, there is a reason for her to heed a comforter who says to her, “Do not weep.” She could still remarry and have more children.
However, if you walk up to a widow who is aged beyond reproduction, bewailing her only son, and say to her, “Do not weep,” you are simply being childish. You have just demonstrated shallowness of thinking. Why? Every thoughtful adult who understands the extent of the hopelessness of the situation would rather weep with her than merely blurt out, “Do not weep.”
This last scenario perfectly describes the scene narrated in our root text today. Jesus met a widow weeping bitterly after the coffin of her only son, as he was being carried to the tomb, and said, “Do not weep.”
To the woman, Jesus sounded childish and unsympathetic—just talking nonsense. Why? Because the widow in question had aged past childbearing. How do we know this?
Luke 7:12 [NKJV]
“And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother…”
The widow’s dead son in question is described as a “man”, not a “boy”. A man’s mother can seldom be young—to the point of bearing children.
There was no reason for her to believe Jesus—and she might not have—but Jesus used her case to give us a reason to believe Him when we cannot find one.
Luke 7:14–15 [NKJV]
“[14] 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.’ [15] So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.”
I don’t know how much meaningless every word and promise of God to you appears to be when compared to your current situation, yet here is a reason to believe Him: He’s up to something.
Look Up and Say
Father, I thank You for everything happening around me now. I thank You for all Your words for me. I don’t see how they can possibly come true for me at this time. But I repent of every sin of unbelief. I trust You with all my heart because I know You are up to something.
