Devotional:

“11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. 16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” 17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.” — Luke 7:11-17

As we read and study these miracles of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, I get overwhelmed sometimes by Jesus’s constant display of unconditional love and compassion for all people. Luke chose to document this account of Jesus for a reason. No other Gospel gave an account of this particular miracle. But this is, in my opinion, one of the more powerful and significant examples of Jesus’s sweetness and love and perfect character. It also shows Jesus as the all-knowing and all-powerful God, even over death.

Jesus didn’t just bring his disciples to Nain; it says a large crowd followed Him. So now, people were traveling with Jesus from town to town. Because He had a following, there was no quiet entrance or sneaking around at this point. But Jesus stopped everything and had compassion for this weeping mother who had just lost her son. Jesus could sense her pain and He heard her weeping. Jesus probably felt her pain was even deeper than the loss of her son. Not only was she sad about that, but she was a widow and most likely had no one to care for her now.

Typically, in that day, widows would go to live with their fathers and mothers if they were still alive, and if not, they would go to live with their oldest sons. Since her only son was now dead, the uncertainty of her future probably weighed heavily on her. She faced a future of many significant social, spiritual and financial hardships.

Jesus showed compassion and gently told her not to weep. This could have been taken poorly because how can anyone tell a mother not to weep for her dead son during his funeral procession? That’s impossible. But I believe Jesus had a calm and soothing sweetness in His voice as He told her not to cry. He touched the bier and commanded the son to arise and He sat up and immediately began to speak.

A bier was more like a platform that the body laid on, so typically the body was wrapped up, laying open on this platform, not under a cover like you would envision a coffin. So, the son sat up, hopped off the bier and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Her sorrow was gone. Her worries about the future were gone.

Jesus saw this woman’s deep sorrow and pain from her loss and knew the worry and fear she must have had for what tomorrow would bring. He didn’t let the large crowds guide Him that day. He disrupted the funeral procession and the large crowds of people just to meet the need of this woman who had no one and no hope.

Jesus showed us with this miracle that He has the power over death by raising this man to life again. Jesus showed us He is all-knowing when He saw and felt every worry and pain this woman had, present and future. Jesus showed His unlimited compassion when He gently told the mother not to weep and gave her the gift of her son back.

Jesus cares for us as He cared for the widow that day and He knows us, and not just the parts of us everyone else can see, He knows the secret things about us. The things that keep us up at night. The struggles we don’t dare share with anyone for fear of rejection, judgment or ridicule. He feels all of our hurts and pains and struggles. He longs to reach into those dark places in our lives, the feelings of hopelessness, guilt or shame and He wants to take those burdens from us. He is the giver of good things and the sustainer of life. He is the great comforter, healer and protector and He is our Lord!

Take comfort in knowing He is there for every need and every sorrow. He is waiting for you to bring it all to His feet so He can carry it for you. He takes away the burden of sin and pain. There is no reason to feel guilty coming to Jesus. He already knows everything. What are you waiting for? Just give it to Him and be free.