The passage goes like this:

Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him.  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.  And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  Luke 7.11-13

It’s a tragic situation.  He’s the only son of a widow.  That phrase is chock full of meaning.  In Jewish society, there’s no Social Security.  There’s no government aid.  She’s a widow, and without her son to take care of her, she’ll be all alone.  There is no safety net.

There’s a large crowd, and you can imagine the sadness.  And the whispers.  How will she take care of herself?

Now note, Jesus is on his way somewhere.  He’s got a large crown with him too.  But he interrupts his mission for another mission.  He interrupts the procession (think about it–not cool–how many people interrupt a funeral procession?!!).   Jesus speaks, “young man arise!”

Here’s what I love about this passage.  It says that the young man sat up and began to speak.  And Jesus “gave him to his mother.”

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published November 17, 2016

Topics: A Life of Faith

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