11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Luke 7:11-17
Raising a widow’s son—that’s just the kind of thing a mighty prophet would do. The mighty Elijah did it. His successor Elisha did it. And now, this traveling teacher from the back woods of Galilee does it. Raising a widow’s son—that’s the kind of thing you expect from a mighty prophet.
The crowd gets the message—this Jesus is something special. They call Him a prophet (He is) and then, almost prophetically, the bystanders themselves proclaim, “God has come to help His people.”
They say it, but they don’t realize how true it is. In Jesus—a prophet, but more than a prophet—God Himself, in the flesh, has come to help His people. The Only Son of the Father willingly walks the path to the cross so that every widow’s son, every desperate mother, ever member of the gathering crowd—so that YOU can face death full in the face and come out on the other side.
At its heart, Good Friday and Easter Sunday mean this: one day Jesus will say to you, “Get up!” Jesus turns funerals into parties; that’s just what He does. Surely God has come to help His people.
We pray: Lord Jesus Christ, by your death, You destroyed death, and by your rest in the tomb You sanctified the graves of all Your saints. May the power of Your resurrection be with me today in every place You send me. Amen.
