The Miracle at Nain (Luke 7:11-17): Part 3 of 5

And the Dead Sat Up 

“And [Jesus] drew near, touched the bier; so the ones carrying [it] stopped. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead sat up and began to speak; and he gave him to his mother” (Luke 7:14-15). [All Scripture references are the author’s own translation unless otherwise noted.] Perhaps to avoid ceremonial defilement or the appearance thereof, Jesus did not touch the corpse but the apparatus (open coffin or stretcher) upon which the body was carried. The simple action halted the procession without disrupting the solemnity of the occasion. This is the first of three recorded accounts of Jesus exhibiting power to raise the dead (note v. 22). In the case of Jairus’ daughter, she was dead but not yet carried out (Luke 8:49-56). The widow’s son was dead and carried out but not yet buried. Lazarus was dead, carried out, and already in the tomb (John 11:14-44). From a deathbed, a casket, and a grave, Jesus raised them all back to life. He never preached a funeral but he interrupted a few!

In contrast to the raising of Jairus’ daughter, where Jesus grasped the girl’s lifeless hand, or the raising of his friend Lazarus, where he shouted with a loud voice from a distance, here he simply spoke. Unlike Simon of Samaria, who claimed to be someone great and dazzled onlookers with deceptive illusions (Acts 8:9-11), the Lord’s approach, without pomp or show, was calm, humble, and direct. Even though Lazarus had been a believer and the young girl had a believing father, Jesus was apparently unknown to the widow and her son. Faith was not required to be on the receiving end of the miracle. 

Addressing the deceased as “young man” (neanískos) suggests he was younger than Jesus but probably not a small child (cf. Matt. 19:20, 22; Mark 14:51; 16:5). The Lord spoke to him personally, “I say to you,” as though he could hear, a direct address only Christ could speak to the living (Matt. 16:18; Luke 5:24), the nearly expired (Luke 23:43), and the already dead (Mark 5:41). In obedience to the single-word command (“arise”), the young man’s spirit immediately rejoined his physical body (cf. Luke 8:55; Jas. 2:26a). He “sat up,” not as an animated corpse but as one who “began to speak.” No record of what he said and to whom he spoke has been preserved. Of greater importance is the fact that Jesus proved to be the Lord of life (cf. John 1:4; 5:21; 11:25). He demonstrated power over death and the hadean realm, dispelling the fear of death and the sorrow of death (cf. 1 Cor. 15:55-57; 1 Thess. 4:13; 2 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 2:14-15). 

Rather than asking the young man to forsake all and join his immediate band of followers, Jesus “gave him to his mother.” Separated loved ones were reunited, a fractured home restored, despair and destitution replaced with security and promise. Jesus not only returned life to the widow’s son, he restored life to the young man’s mother. A crisis averted, a broken heart mended, sorrow turned to gladness, he provided comfort to the grieving and victory over death. It is of interest to note that nearly all biblical accounts of raising the dead were particularly beneficial to women (1 Kings 17:23; 2 Kings 4:36; 7:15; Luke 7:15; 8:51-54; John 11:22, 32; Acts 9:41; Heb. 11:35). 

Jesus would make provisions for the care of his own mother (John 1:12; 19:26-27). Being a follower of Christ obviously does not preclude other God-given responsibilities, including family duties (1 Tim. 5:8). How has the Lord continued through the ages restoring broken families, remedying hopelessness, and bringing comfort to the brokenhearted? How does he still provide victory over death? 

--Kevin L. Moore

*Originally appearing as “Jesus and Power (Luke 7:11-17)” in the 2022 FHU Lectureship Book.

Related Posts: Miracle at Nain: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5

 

Image credit: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1860), <https://depositphotos.com/105716150/stock-photo-jesus-raises-the-widows-son.html>.