MH 25
March 25
Luke 7:11-17. The raising of the widow's son.
There are only three instances recorded of the Lord Jesus raising the dead, and in each instance was a case of aggravated sorrow.
The dead boy of Nain was the only son of a widow; he was the earthly all of his mother, the object of her fondest affections, and perhaps the support of her declining years.
If any of us have ever seen a widow who has sustained such a loss, what anguish of heart we have witnessed! How has she dwelt on the attractive qualities of the lost one; how has she lamented her own desolation, and said, in the bitterness of her soul, "Is there any sorrow like my sorrow?" No doubt we felt compassion for the bereaved parent, but not such as Jesus felt at the sight of the widow of Nain; for no heart was ever tender as the heart of the Redeemer.
What tenderness he showed in his manner of performing the miracle! He first addressed the sorrowful mother, saying, "Weep not." We would but mock the afflicted, if we were to say, "Weep not." We can only weep with those that weep. But Jesus could remove the cause of grief. Though himself a man of sorrows, he tasted the pure joy of comforting mourners. If the mother looked up, she beheld him through her tears approach the coffin. What a moment of expectation that was! We do not know whether the bearers had faith to believe that Jesus could raise the dead, but they stood still in his presence. Then the majestic command was heard, "I say unto you, Arise."
On what a scene that young man opened his eyes! There was his fond mother—but who was this wonderful person standing close beside him? He began to speak. By speaking he proved that he was really alive. What were his first words? We are not informed. Did he inquire who had restored him to life? He soon must have known, for he who had snatched him from the grasp of death, now delivered him into the arms of his mother. This sweet office the Lord would perform himself. It must have been a solace to his loving heart to behold the joyful meeting of the parent and the child.
But his chief reason for performing miracles was to confirm his word. By raising the widow's son, he showed that he could bestow life. He had declared, "All who are in the graves shall hear my voice, and shall come forth." Yet there will be a great difference between that resurrection, and this of the young man, because the dead will then be changed; whereas, this young man wore again his corruptible body. Jesus was the first who rose from the dead with a glorified body, no more to die.
Would we be partakers in the resurrection from the grave, we must now experience another —a resurrection from the death of trespasses and sins. This is the most wonderful of all; but Jesus can bestow it by his word. "The hour is coming, and now is," said the Lord of life, "when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and live." Yes, the hour now is when the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live. The dead in trespasses and sins hear the voice of the Christ in his holy word; they believe, and live. As the apostle Paul said to the Ephesians, "You has he quickened, (or made alive,) who were dead in trespasses and sins." (Eph. 2:1.) These very words that Jesus spoke to the widow's son, "Young man, I say unto you, Arise," have aroused some dead in sins, and caused them to live to God.