Gospel

Resurrected to a New Life

by Roland Crim
02/14/17
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Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. Luke 7:11-17 NIV

In the gospels we read three accounts of Jesus raising mortals to life: Jairus’ twelve year old daughter, Lazarus, and this widow’s son. Each of the resurrections had uniqueness to it. This one is unique in that no one had approached Jesus and asked for His help. This raising of a dead man was totally the thought and action of our Lord. I also believe that this raising may have been the mostly widely viewed. Very few were allowed in the room where Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter. There was a crowd for the raising of Lazarus, but this raising had two large groups watching, those who had been with the widow and other town people, and there was a large crowd watching which had been following Jesus and His disciples.

Jesus had compassion for this widow. He told her “Don’t cry.” He certainly gave her cause to not cry, but instead to rejoice. Jesus also tells us not to cry, but instead to rejoice in Him. We may face many circumstances in our lives which can cause us pain and tears. Yet, through it all, our Lord is with us. He knows our pains and sufferings. He wants us to turn our hurt, our anger, resentment, and all our burdens over to Him. He will comfort us and provide for us.

Just as Jesus raised this woman’s son, He has also raised us from the dead. We have died to the things of this world and given our existence over to the hands of the Master. We live a new life now. When our mortal bodies perish, we will be given our heavenly bodies, and then we will spend eternity with the Father and the Son. We have been given even more than what the son of this widow was given. May we always thank our Lord for all He has given to us. We belong to the Father and the Son!