“And this word about him went out in all Judea, and in all the neighboring region” (Luke 7:17). [All Scripture references are the author’s own translation unless otherwise noted.] Since the extraordinary incident occurred in Southern Galilee, the allusion here to “all Judea” seems to be tracing the spread of the news southward, just across the political boundary into the Roman province of Judea (cf. v. 18; 3:1). However, the broader Jewish land of Palestine may be in view (cf. 1:5; 23:5), as word also circulated “in all the neighboring region,” potentially as far north as Syria, as far south as Idumea, and as far east as the territories beyond the Jordan (Matt. 4:24-25; Mark 3:7-8).
According to the biblical timeline, soon after this brief excursion to Nain, Jesus was back ministering in the Galilean townships farther north. Even so, what he had accomplished in this tiny community was far reaching. The village of Nain, probably due to the picturesque mountainous region, derived its name from the Hebrew naah (“pleasant” or “lovely”), biblically descriptive of both physical beauty (Song Sol. 1:10) and spiritual beauty (Ps. 93:5). The term is employed only once more in scripture, as Isaiah declared, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of one bearing good news, proclaiming peace, bearing glad tidings of good, proclaiming salvation …” (Isa. 52:7, emp. added KLM).
In the 8th-century-BC context of Isaiah’s message, the prophetic announcement concerned God’s deliverance of his people from Babylonian exile and their return across the central mountains of Judea to Zion. Nevertheless, the prophecy extends much further in application to God’s redemptive work through Christ and the proclamation of the gospel (“good news”) to the ends of the earth (Rom. 10:15-18). Isaiah had also foretold, “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from all faces …” (Isa. 25:8a).
The story is told of a little girl, whose infant brother had just died, asking her mother where the baby had gone. The mother replied, “To be with Jesus.” A few days later the young daughter overheard the grief-stricken mother talking about the recent loss of her precious child. The little girl asked, “Is something lost if you know where it is?” The mother answered, “No, of course not.” The daughter then responded, “We haven’t lost baby brother because we know where he is.” Christ alone can provide this level of consolation.
Conclusion
Death had taken the only son of a widowed mother. She had given him up unwillingly, as she accompanied his lifeless body to its grave. But the funeral procession was interrupted by God’s only Son. Effectively on the way to his own grave, his loving Father had willingly given him up for that very purpose (Rom. 5:8; Heb. 2:9). Jesus made the out-of-the-way excursion to an otherwise insignificant, isolated village to impact a single life, which in turn impacted a crowd of onlookers and multitudes throughout the region, and countless others who have heard the story ever since. In restoring physical life, Jesus set the stage for the restoration of spiritual life through his own death and resurrection.
The power of sin and death has now been defeated by the power of Christ. “But God, being rich in mercy, through his great love with which he loved us, even we being dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved—and raised us up and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:5-7).
--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 3, Part 4
Image credit: https://trustingortripping.wordpress.com/tag/the-great-commission/
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