Luk 7:13-15 | KingComments | STEP | The grace of God in Christ continues its way. On that way also lies Nain. The Lord goes there, with in His entourage two kinds of people: many of His disciples and a large crowd. As He and the many people around Him approach the city gate, a procession meets him with a dead man in their midst. It is the only begotten son of his mother, a widow. Israel is like that widow, without a husband. Israel has an only begotten Son on Whom it should have placed its hope. And He is the One Who will die, and with Him all hope of the people will disappear. Israel itself will kill Him. Together with the widow are also many people. Thus the two large groups of people meet here. The center of the one crowd is Life. The center of the other crowd is death. The Lord sees the mother, the widow. She is deprived of her last support and joy. Her husband had already died and now she has to bring her son to the tomb. It’s taking place at the city gate, the place where justice is spoken. Here there is a confrontation between life and death. One of the two crowds will have to give way to the other. Who has the right of passage? Humanly speaking, death has the last word. Death has the right on its side. For death is the righteous wages of sin, isn’t it ( )? However, when death is confronted with Life, death loses its right and any claim to it. Luke notes that “the Lord” sees the mother. He, the Lord, has authority over life and death. Death will have to give way to the claims of Him Who was dead and has become alive again for all eternity ( ). When the Lord sees her – and He knows all her life and her grief – “He felt compassion for her“. This word ‘compassion’ occurs three times in Luke: with the Samaritan for the man who fell into the hands of robbers ( ), with the father for his youngest son when he sees him coming from afar ( ) and here in . Then the Lord speaks the comforting words: “Do not weep.” He really can say that because He is the Source of all consolation. He speaks these words to her, without any audible appeal by the widow to Him. He acts from His own fullness of grace. We don’t see faith in this woman, we only see grace and compassion on the part of the Lord. Then He Who is the life approaches. He touches the coffin and the bearers come to a halt. Why does He touch the coffin? Because He identifies Himself with it. That coffin is His coffin. It looks forward to His death which He will taste for others through which He can give life to others. Every other human being is being defiled by this touch, but with Him it is the other way around. Whatever He touches becomes clean through His cleanness. We have seen that by the touch of the leper ( ). By the touch of the dead we see that His mighty hand brings death to a halt. Then He speaks words of life. He addresses the dead and the dead obey. He who died is a young man, a man who, in the power of his life, has been caught in the grip of death. Death must let go of its grip on this young man when he hears the Son of God say with authority: “I say to you, arise!” (cf. ). The result is there immediately. The dead person sits up. The first expression of life is that he begins to speak. This is also the result of every conversion. If anyone has passed from death to life, he will testify of it. Then the Lord gives him to his mother. He knows what the young man needs and He knows what the mother needs. He puts them both back in the relationship they had before death intervened. He has established the family ties. He does not command the young man to follow Him. The young man must be there for his mother. That is the task which the Lord gives him. And the mother gets back her comfort and support. It says so remarkably that He gives him to her, He is the Giver of every good gift. Once Israel will receive back the only begotten Son. That is when He is risen from the dead and returns to His people. What is happening here again makes a great impression and God is glorified. All see that God is present in Christ and that God in Him visits His people. To them He is no more than a great prophet, someone in the row of other great prophets. They do not see that He is the Messiah. Yet what He has done causes “this report concerning Him” to be known in a wider area that God has visited His people.

‏ Luke 7:13-15

The Young Man of Nain

The grace of God in Christ continues its way. On that way also lies Nain. The Lord goes there, with in His entourage two kinds of people: many of His disciples and a large crowd. As He and the many people around Him approach the city gate, a procession meets him with a dead man in their midst. It is the only begotten son of his mother, a widow. Israel is like that widow, without a husband. Israel has an only begotten Son on Whom it should have placed its hope. And He is the One Who will die, and with Him all hope of the people will disappear. Israel itself will kill Him.

Together with the widow are also many people. Thus the two large groups of people meet here. The center of the one crowd is Life. The center of the other crowd is death. The Lord sees the mother, the widow. She is deprived of her last support and joy. Her husband had already died and now she has to bring her son to the tomb. It’s taking place at the city gate, the place where justice is spoken. Here there is a confrontation between life and death. One of the two crowds will have to give way to the other. Who has the right of passage?

Humanly speaking, death has the last word. Death has the right on its side. For death is the righteous wages of sin, isn’t it (Rom 6:23)? However, when death is confronted with Life, death loses its right and any claim to it. Luke notes that “the Lord” sees the mother. He, the Lord, has authority over life and death. Death will have to give way to the claims of Him Who was dead and has become alive again for all eternity (Rev 1:18).

When the Lord sees her – and He knows all her life and her grief – “He felt compassion for her“. This word ‘compassion’ occurs three times in Luke: with the Samaritan for the man who fell into the hands of robbers (Lk 10:33), with the father for his youngest son when he sees him coming from afar (Lk 15:20) and here in Lk 7:13. Then the Lord speaks the comforting words: “Do not weep.” He really can say that because He is the Source of all consolation. He speaks these words to her, without any audible appeal by the widow to Him. He acts from His own fullness of grace. We don’t see faith in this woman, we only see grace and compassion on the part of the Lord.

Then He Who is the life approaches. He touches the coffin and the bearers come to a halt. Why does He touch the coffin? Because He identifies Himself with it. That coffin is His coffin. It looks forward to His death which He will taste for others through which He can give life to others. Every other human being is being defiled by this touch, but with Him it is the other way around. Whatever He touches becomes clean through His cleanness. We have seen that by the touch of the leper (Lk 5:13). By the touch of the dead we see that His mighty hand brings death to a halt.

Then He speaks words of life. He addresses the dead and the dead obey. He who died is a young man, a man who, in the power of his life, has been caught in the grip of death. Death must let go of its grip on this young man when he hears the Son of God say with authority: “I say to you, arise!” (cf. Jn 5:25).

The result is there immediately. The dead person sits up. The first expression of life is that he begins to speak. This is also the result of every conversion. If anyone has passed from death to life, he will testify of it. Then the Lord gives him to his mother. He knows what the young man needs and He knows what the mother needs. He puts them both back in the relationship they had before death intervened. He has established the family ties.

He does not command the young man to follow Him. The young man must be there for his mother. That is the task which the Lord gives him. And the mother gets back her comfort and support. It says so remarkably that He gives him to her, He is the Giver of every good gift. Once Israel will receive back the only begotten Son. That is when He is risen from the dead and returns to His people.

What is happening here again makes a great impression and God is glorified. All see that God is present in Christ and that God in Him visits His people. To them He is no more than a great prophet, someone in the row of other great prophets. They do not see that He is the Messiah. Yet what He has done causes “this report concerning Him” to be known in a wider area that God has visited His people.