A faithful study of this, the third of the four Gospels, the book of Luke, will reveal that it was written by the beloved physician, Luke. This is one of two books that Luke penned, the other being the Book of Acts. Luke was greatly influenced by the Apostle Paul. It is even suggested that Luke may have undertaken his medical studies at the University of Tarsus. Attached to that university was a school of philosophy and literature and it is quite likely that Luke and Paul were contemporary students. It is quite possible that it was there while in school that they began their lifelong friendship. There is a striking similarity in their writings.
As Mark had written for the Romans, so Luke wrote for the Greeks. The Greeks were a very intellectual people and Luke’s Gospel was written in a polished literary style and in a more classical style than the others. The Greeks had an idea in their minds of the perfect man. They even made all their gods in the image of the perfect man, deifying their own virtues and vices. Knowing their idea of the perfect man, Luke presents Christ to the Greeks as the Perfect Man, the One who, being both Man and God could fully realize the deepest aspirations of the Greeks. Luke’s Gospel is characterized by its comprehensiveness. He, like most intellectuals, is detail oriented and he knows that the audiece towhich he is writing is as well. This is shown in the fact that Luke’s Gospel contains the most detailed account of our Saviour’s birth and also more parables than any other Gospel. It also contains a number of the miracles of our Lord. Thus, the greater part of Luke’s Gospel shows a Saviour at work.
One such example of a miracle, of our Saviour’s work can be found right here in Luke 7:11-18, as we see our Lord interrupting a funeral service. You’ve heard me say it before and you will hear it again, It always makes a difference when Jesus passes by. Such is the case here, where we see the Lord at work. He shows Himself here to be the Christ who cares. Let’s read about it.
Read Luke 7:11-18
In Rudyard Kipling’s the Jungle Book, Mogli the man cub asks the animals what’s the most feared thing in the jungle. He is told that when two animals meet on a narrow path one must step aside and let the other pass. The animal that steps aside for none other would then be the most feared. He was told it was an elephant. Another told him it was a lion. Finally the wise old owl exclaims, "The most feared thing in the jungle is death. It steps aside for no one."
Death steps aside for no one. In our hearts we know that very fact of life. We all die. We are told in Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: There comes a time when we each must feel the sting of death. No one gets through this life unscaved by death’s curse. The world we live in, is marked by death, time marches towards it. Everyday it grows closer, every tick of the second hand draws death near. The sting of death is a burden we all must deal with. Loved ones die, spouses die, children die, friends die, we die. As depressing as that might seem, it is the truth. Death steps aside for no one.
If ever a person was aware of that fact, it was the lady that we meet here in Luke chapter 7. This is a lady who has certainly come face to face with death’s awful sting. She’s come face to face with death and she knows that it’s not her friend. You see, sometime before this day death came and claimed her husband. The Bible says she is a widow. Death had come knocking at her door and claimed her spouse. Now, once again, death comes knocking, this time for her son. This would have been painful had the Bible said that death came for one of her sons, but the Bible tells us this was her only son. In a span of time, death has come and taken away the family of this lady. Death steps aside for no one.
We don’t know much about the young man that was being carried out of town on the bier on this day. What was his cause of death? Was it a death related to immoral conduct? Was his death related to some sinful lifestyle that he was involved in? Was it a death of natural causes or an accident possibly? We don’t know. All we know is that this, the only son of a widow woman is now dead. His life is done. He is now without hope. There is no hope of a future for him. No hope of a family, no hope of children or a wife. There’s no hope of providing for his mother, of building his own home, of greater things for his family. All hope died when he did. He was hopeless and the widow woman was too. Imagine, she was now left all alone. You see, when her husband died, it became the responsibility of this son to care for her, to provide for her. Now he was gone. A widow in those days was in a totally vulnerable position if there were no male relatives to protect and provide for her. Her dead son was hopeless and she was helpless. She’s left all alone, with no one to help her.
As the funeral procession winds toward the gates of the city, no doubt the widow’s heart breaks even more. Nain only had one gate and so those leaving and those entering the town would ultimately meet up at this one gate.
William Barclay says that even to this day there is a cemetery of rock tombs that is a ten minute walk from Nain. This funeral procession was most likely carrying this young man’s body out of the city limits to this nearby cemetery. The funeral procession, Barclay points out, would be led by a band of professional mourners who would play instruments and cry aloud. They are almost to the grave site. They are almost to the place where she will leave her son and turn around and come back home empty.
If this were all there was to the story, dear friend we would all walk away this morning heartbroken. What a sad story. But you know, the fact of the matter is that this is not just a one time story. There are people all over this world today that are feeling hopeless and helpless just as this widow woman did You may have made your way to the house of God this morning feeling this same way, hopeless and helpless. You feel like everything has been pulled right out from under your feet and you have no idea where to turn next. All hope, any promise of a brighter future seems lost. You wonder if anyone truly cares.
This widow lady didn’t realize how her life was about to change as she came to the gates of the city. As she was prepared to walk out those gates, she wasn’t looking for Jesus. Oh but I can report that He was looking for her. She was about to come face to face with the Christ who cared for her. I am so glad that I can report to you this morning as well, that there is a Christ who Cares for you. And just as He was looking for this widow woman in her darkest time, so is He looking for you. Why? Because He cares for you. I want you to notice four things with me this morning directly from our text concerning the Christ who cares.
I. Compassion of Christ vs12-13
The first thing I want you to notice this morning is the Compassion of Christ. Now, we’ve already made mention of the terrible situation this lady finds herself in. No doubt, this is her darkest hour. This is a time in her life that is full of death and desperation. Everything up to this point has been sadness and grief. However, things are about to change. Verse 13 marks the beginning of a great change in her life. In verse 13, we’re told that the Lord saw her, and had compassion on her. He was moved with sympathy for her. He was moved to the point where He yearned to do something to help her.
In Jewish times, if a son died as a young man, such as the case here, it was often considered an act of judgment by God for some sin in your life. This lady would have a stigma attached to her in society from now on because of her son’s death. There would be neighbors and friends who would make accusations against her. Yet notice, none of those things affected the Lord. He came to her right where she was in her darkest hour. He wasn’t bothered or turned away because of her circumstances. When she was at the bottom, when things were as bad as they had ever been, He came to her and showed her compassion.
If I may make an application, He’ll do the same for you. No matter where you are, He’ll come to you. He’ll come to you in your darkest hour, when all hope seems lost. He’ll come to you right where you are. He won’t tell you to clean yourself up and make your way to Him. He always comes to you. That’s compassion. He gets right down where you are and helps you.
It’s interesting to notice the conversation that takes places here in verse 13. Notice what Jesus tells this lady who is on her way to bury her son. It’s a simple statement, Weep not. It’s interesting that He would say to a widow lady who has lost all her family to weep not. What He is telling her is that He is going to help her. He is comforting her, letting her know that it is going to be alright. And what a great picture of grace this is. We have no record that this lady ever asked for Jesus to raise her son from the dead, yet in His compassion He was willing to help. Such is grace, getting what we do not deserve nor ask for. When we were yet sinners, before we cared anything about God, Christ died for us. He helped us before we ever asked Him to. Such is His compassion for this widow lady.
Such is also His compassion for you this morning. No matter where you are, no matter where you’ve been, He cares for you. How do I know He cares, because He proved His love for you when He died upon the cross some 2,000 years ago. He gave His life to show you how much He cares. You don’t have to sit here this morning and wonder if anybody cares for you, I can assure you based upon the Word of God that someone does, and His name is Jesus. Isn’t it a wonderful thing to know that we serve a Saviour who is moved by our feelings. His heart is touched with our grief. We see the compassion of Christ.
II. Command of Christ 14
Secondly this morning, we see the command of Christ in verse 14. This is great because it shows us that Jesus wasn’t like us. You see, a lot of times we’ll see someone in a desperate situation and we’ll feel sorry for them, but we’re not moved enough to do something to help them. Jesus not only felt sorry for this widow lady, but He cared enough to help her, to do something for her. He brings this funeral procession to a halt. He comes to the bier, the bed that they carried the dead body on, and He touches it. Now the law forbid the touching of a dead body, that’s why Jesus touches the bed upon which the man is lying. This touching was to signify to those carrying it to put it down. Jesus then gives the command we see in verse 14. There are some things worth noting about this command.
It was an individual command. Jesus directly specifies who it is that He is speaking to when He says Young man, Jesus is interested in people on an individual basis. Yes, He shows interest in the multitudes, but He works on an individual basis. This command is going to an individual. It’s said and quite likely that had Jesus not said young man and simply said arise that all the graves would have burst open with everyone being brought back to life. Christ was not speaking to the multitudes, His attention was focused on an individual.
Such was the case when I got saved. Christ came looking for me, an individual. If you are here this morning and you have never trusted Christ, such is the case for you. He’s looking for you this morning. He’s seeking you specifically. He wants to save you. He’s calling your name. This was an individual command.
It was an I command. Notice who it was that was giving the command. It was Jesus. It wasn’t the boy’s mother or even someone following the crowd. I can assure you that if you or I were to walk up to a funeral procession and give a command to arise, not much would happen. It wouldn’t make any difference at all. But when the Creator of this universe walks up to a funeral procession and makes a command,business is about to pick up. The fate of this woman and this boy rest on one person alone, and His name is Jesus.
I am thankful that my salvation does not rest on the fate of some other man. I’m not depending upon anyone but the Lord to take care of my salvation. When He gave the command concerning my salvation, it was an I command. He took the load upon His own shoulders. He took care of it Himself. We’re not depending upon anyone but Him.
It was an impossible command. It was also an impossible command. I mean after all, the boy was dead. He didn’t just die, he had been dead for sometime. Here they were at the conclusion of the funeral march, he was about to be buried and now he is being told to arise. Sounds impossible. Dead men don’t arise. They don’t get up and walk around. Surely in the eyes of the crowd gathered around that day this looked like an impossible thing. But Luke has already told us in Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible. Luke tells us again in Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. The things which seem impossible in the eyes of men are possible with God.
You may be here this morning and you are thinking that it is impossible for God to love you. You may be thinking that it is impossible for you to go to heaven, not after all you’ve done. Well, I have good news for you, for with God nothing shall be impossible. He has made a way where there is no way. True, there was no way for you to make it to heaven on your own, so Jesus Christ made the way for you. It is impossible for you to get to heaven on your own, but with God all things are possible.
Thus we see the command of Christ. When the Lord speaks, business picks up. These commands lead us to verse 15, in which we see
III. Conquering of Christ vs15
The third thing, the conquering of Christ. Now don’t misunderstand, I am not talking about Christ being conquered, but about what Christ conquered. Look at verse 15. The boy that was dead sat up. Now, I’ll admit that probably wasn’t that unusual in these days before embalming. It’s been said that corpses would bend and move some, even sometimes sit up. I’ve heard stories of people sitting around coffins and the body sitting up because of the muscles contracting. This is all before embalming. So, it probably didn’t take the crowd by as much surprise when he sat up, but, just to make sure this isn’t explained away by the skeptics, the Bible records the fact that he began to speak. Now, no dead man in history has ever spoken. To speak cannot be explained away other than to say that Jesus Christ conquered death.
When the Prince of Life met the cruel enemy death in Nain; Life prevailed and conquered death! But, this was merely a skirmish. The real battle would be found sometime later in a garden tomb. When that battle took place, Jesus did not just defeat death for one man, He defeated death for all who will believe on Him by faith.
You see, we’re not merely serving some powerless, generic god. We are serving an all powerful, omnipotent God. We’re serving the One who holds the keys to death, hell, and the grave. Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is your victory? If Christ can conquer death, then there is no problem you or I will ever face that He can’t handle for us. He has conquered it all.
IV. Celebration of Christ vs16
Finally this morning, I want you to see the celebration of Christ in verse 16. We’re told that the people glorified God. Because the power of God had been so wonderfully manifested among them. They recognized the presence of God’s power and mercy, and they celebrated Christ. Let me say, once you recognize Who He is and what He’s done for you, it will cause you to celebrate Him as well. It will cause you to worship and adore Him. You will give Him the praise that He is worthy of because of the wonderful change that He’s made in your life. How can you not? How could a man that was dead and is now alive not praise the One who gave Him life? How could we who were once dead in our trespasses and sins not praise the One who gave us eternal life?
What Jesus did that day in Nain, He did in my life one day as well. I was dead in my sins and in a desperate condition. But, He came in grace and conquered death. That is why I celebrate Him this morning. What a Savior! What love! What grace! Have you experienced this wondrous Saviour today?
