The Interruption of a Funeral
(Luke 7:11-15
11 Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him,
accompanied by a large crowd.
12 Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of
his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her.
13 When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”
14 And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, “Young
man, I say to you, arise!”
15 The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Introduction
I have a bad habit I am trying to break. It seems I’m always a few minutes late everywhere I go. If you want me to be somewhere by 7, you need to tell me 6: 45, and maybe I’ll make. However, I try never to be late for a funeral. I leave in plenty of time to get in and seated before the family arrives. No one in our little corner of the world would think of interrupting a funeral. I’m glad that we live in a part of this country that still respects the dead. A Golfer that stopped as he was about to tee off, removed his hat and stood in reverance as a hearse passed. His partner complemented him on his show of respect.” Well, he replied, “I guess I owe her something she was my wife for forty years.”
In our texts, however Jesus dares to interrupt the funeral of this young man in Nain. Dr. D. L. Moody said, “Jesus mess up every funeral he ever attended.” I want you to use your sanctified immigration and go with me to this city gate and watch Jesus as he interrupts this funeral. Are you there yet?
1. First we see a lonely lady
Verse twelve tells a lot about this lady. It says that a crowd of people followed her. Some of these were probably professional mourners or folks that got paid to mourn and cry. Dr. Dennis Love says, “This would be good job for a lot of Baptist. Some of them are always moaning and groaning anyway. Why not get paid for it, amen.”
It says she was a widow. That tells us that she had been to the cemetery before. She had been there to bury her husband. Now she is taking her only son. We need to understand that because of the death of her son, she now had no means of support. This lady had no survivor benefits or social security. The only way for her to live now would be to go into the streets and beg for what she ate.
You say Jesse, why would God do such at thing? This doesn’t sound right. Why would God take this lady’s husband and now her only son, and send her into the streets to beg for what she ate? Why didn’t God take the son of someone who had four or five? Is God like that? Let’s be careful where we lay blame for what. The Bible says sin brings death, not God. The wage of sin is death, but gift of God is eternal life. (Roman 6: 23)
Sin entered the world though one man, Adam, and it’s been around ever since. It’s going to be around until Jesus comes back. We just as well learn to live with that fact, and deal with it. It was sin that caused the death of this woman husband, and son not God. Sin drove her into the streets to beg bread. It’s sin that breaks up homes and causes children to go hungry. Not God. Sin caused Jesus to have to die on the cross. Sin nailed Him to that cruel tree.
Let me ask you something Christians? If sin is so destructive and deadly, why in heaven’s name do we play around with it? Why do we give sin any place in our lives? Why do we live in it? Why do we condone it?
2. A loving Lord.
Not only do we see lonely lady. But here at the gate of Nain, we see a loving Lord. People of that day buried their dead within twelve hours after they died. They didn’t embalm folks or have a receiving. Jesus had to leave Capernaum just in time to be at that gate at the exact mount that funeral was passing through. They tell me that the trip from Capernaum would have taken at least twelve hours on a fast camel. Jesus didn’t have a fast camel. Jesus had to leave before the young man died to be at the gate at the very moment that the funeral was coming by. That’s enough to make me shout. He’s an on-time God. He’s always right on time. He was on time for this grieving widow on the way to burying her only son. He was right on time to encounter the women at the well. Jesus was right on time to raise Lazarus and meet the need of his sisters. Lazarus sisters felt He was late, but he was right on time. He’s an on-time God.
Not only is he punctual, but he’s also powerful. Verse 13 Jesus says to the women, “weep not.” I can say a lot of things to you when you are sad. But only Jesus with His power can say to you “weep not.” Some of you have sorrows and problems that only Jesus His power and His word can solve.
3. A lasting look.
Here at the gate of Nain, not only do we see a lonely widow, and a loving Lord, but we see a lasting look. Don’t miss this look.
It’s a look at our sanctification. The Bible says, “We were dead in trespasses and sin. We were on our way to the graveyard of eternity. An eternity in a hell, being carried out by the devil himself, and he was just grinning. Then Jesus came at our point of greatest need. He touched the coffin and raised us up.
The text says that the “dead sat man up and began to speak.” Listen, if it has happened to you then you’ll speak it. You say, “How do I speak it.” You speak it, first by following Him in believer’s baptism. You speak by getting involved in study of His Word. You speak it, by getting involved in the work of His Church. You speak it by telling everyone you meet what Jesus has done for you.
It’s also a look at our glorification. The scripture says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord”. (1 The. 4: 16 KJS)
Our text says, “And He (Jesus) delivered him to his mother.” I’m going to see my dead loved ones again. Jesus is going to bring them with Him when He comes. I’m going to see my mother again. You’re going to see your loved ones. I know you’ve lost that mother or that daddy, you may have lost a child. But you’ll see them again. Jesus is going to bring them and give back to you when He returns.
This same Jesus can turn sadness in gladness. This same Jesus can turn hopelessness into hope. This same Jesus can put your marriage back together. Etc. Jesus can interrupt a funeral of mine any time.
Conclusion.
Verse fourteen says that Jesus touched the coffin and they that bore it stood still. You understand that this coffin was just a stretcher like on which people of that day carried their dead. Jesus touched it and they stopped. Suppose they had not stopped? Suppose they would have said, I dare you interrupt this man funeral and proceeded on. Listen! Jesus left heaven’s glory just in time to meet you at the point of greatest need, but you have to stop and let Him ministry to you.
Do you have a need? Jesus left heaven’s glory just in time to meet you here at the Altar. But you must stop. You have let Him meet that need. Church, will you stop. Stand still and let Jesus meet your need.
Note: Parts of this message was stolen from Dr. Dennis Love. I think I even have his manuscript.
