“Soon afterward Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the town gate, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother (who was a widow), and a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
Then he came up and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still. He said,
“Young man, I say to you, get up!”
So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying,
“A great prophet has appeared among us!” and
“God has come to help his people!”
This report about Jesus circulated throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.”
(NET)
In a small town around six miles southeast of Nazareth and around twenty five miles from Capernaum we see Jesus making quite the statement. The only son of a widow has died leaving her, culturally at the time, alone without protection or provision. Jesus sees her and says “Do not weep”. The loud weeping and wailing of first-century Jewish funeral processions must have been all the more bitter given that this was the only son of a widow. He then says, to the deceased:
“Young man, I say to you, get up!”
Surely this must be lunacy?
Surely this must be Jesus saying something that doesn’t correspond to reality?
He’s telling a dead body to get up!
Well, without the events that happened next, perhaps this would have been lunacy.
“So the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.”
The young man was given back to his mother, their family now complete again because of the Words, the will, and the ways of Jesus. The response of the people to words which could easily have been taken as lies or lunacy is a great model for us today of how we are to respond to Jesus as Lord:
“Fear (awe, reverence, amazement) seized them all, and they began to glorify God, saying,
“A great prophet has appeared among us!” and
“God has come to help his people!”
This report about Jesus circulated throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.”
(explanation added)
God was praised and the name of Jesus proclaimed because of what the people saw and heard. The proof that these are not the words of a liar not a lunatic is right there: the dead man sat up and began to speak.
James Travis 