ON THE EDGE OF LIFE
#807 ON THE EDGE OF LIFE
Luke 7:11-17 NIV Orig. 11-23-80
Rewr. 10-25-90
Passage: 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 coffin, and those carrying it 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.
Purpose: Continuing a Sunday night study in the lives of people around Jesus, here discovering Jesus’ reaction to a funeral
Keywords: Compassion Hope
Timeline/Series: Biography
Introduction
In my file are obituaries of all of the funerals that I have preached. I am not quite sure why this material has been saved. I don’t ever look through the list, I don’t even know how many there have been. I suppose there have been a hundred or more. Old men and women, but some not so old. A few have been youths, several infants. They always have merited special attention, but never has there been some passing thought of restoring life. We have gone about the intended business of depositing the corpse in the grave, and encouraging the mourners to get back to the business of living.
I suppose that Jesus went to other funerals. What His demeanor was there, I do not know. Surely, He was at Joseph’s funeral. And John the Baptist! When He went to this event, however, He went of purpose.
Billy Graham can go to London for a crusade, and 50 to 60 thousand people may come out to hear him. Millions more may watch a playback of the crusade a few weeks later. The impact of such a crusade is enormous.
Jesus had no such luxury. He had a commission from God (Luke 4:43): “I must preach the Kingdom of God to other cities also; for therefore am I sent.” The village of Nain is one of them, and one with a reputation. One of the roads out of town, perhaps this very one, led Shumen, where Elisha restored life to the son of the Shumanite (II Kings 4:18). They will be talking about this for a long time to come. I’ll just keep filing obituaries.
I. First of All, We Watch Jesus Seeing. V12 “. . . behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow.” The funeral procession was coming out from the town as Jesus’ procession entered. Do you see coincidence, or providence at work? Two crowds meet. One gives ground to the other. The women are at the front (A61.1 p. 180): “They who brought death into the world must lead it out.”
What Jesus sees however, is a grieving mother. Perhaps He thinks of His own, of the day when she will walk thus. He sees a widow about to lay to rest her almost grown son.
There are three such occasions recorded: A child raised immediately (Matthew/Mark/Luke); a youth from cemetery road (Luke); Lazarus after four days (John). The first, sought; the second, unbidden; the third, discouraged. In every case, the death angel admonished with few words: “Young man, arise.” / “Maid, arise.” / “Lazarus, come forth.”
Jesus saw the grip of death on mere mortals and He addressed it boldly. Shelly’s Adonais (lament for Keats). “As long as skies are blue, and fields are green, Evening must usher night, night urge the morrow. / Month follow month with woe, and year wake year to sorrow.” Wordsworth—She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways: “She lived unknown, and few could know when Lucy ceased to be: But she is in her grave, and, oh, the difference to me.” John Donne—Devotions: “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”
Do I choose to leave my death to Jesus? Or another?
A long day in Oakdale haunts me still. Only relative a brother. When the time came, his remark to me was, “This won’t take long will it?” It’s the only time in my life I’ve wanted to hit a man.
II. Secondly, We Watch Jesus Feeling. V13 “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.” The feeling He feels for her is empathy. There is a place for sympathy. The distress felt by those who can’t, or won’t, do anything. The commiseration absolved by gifts. What Jesus offers is feeling for: Not the word for pity, sympathy;actually the word for bowel (spleen).
Have you felt such yearning to help that you actually hurt? Clearly, He works in the young man’s behalf, but He is not the object. All of us know the story of Hezekiah in II Kings 20: Hezekiah was spared from death and 15 years were added to his life; at Hezekiah’s death his son Manasseh became king at 12 years old. One of my questions centers around what became of the widow’s son. Did he follow?
We must not overlook His feeling for the people who saw, and who heard. There was a grieving company of family, friends, paid mourners, as well as many others who were in the group with Jesus. V11 “many disciples . . . much people.” V12 “much people of the city.” What happened there that day will be told far and wide. V17 “This rumor of him went forth.” As far as I know, only the KJV uses the word rumor; others use “It is logos, ‘word.’”
But see to it, this is not a public relations spectacle. Jesus’ heart hurts for this woman. It is within His power to do something. Compare the story with that of Elisha. Notice Luke’s special designation. V13 “And when the Lord saw her, His heart went out to her and He said, “Don’t cry.”
III. Only in This Last Regard Do We Watch Jesus Coping. V14 “He came and touched the bier: . . . and he said, ‘Young man I say unto thee, arise.’” There are certain things that we can bring to funerals. We can bring memories: how important they are, recalling things forgotten, other things not even known. What catharsis there can be. We can bring kindness and friendship. When a loss has occurred, the need is for stability; we saw that picture of a grieving Bossier City grandmother, upon learning of the deaths of two daughters and four grandchildren in a fire. We can even bring nourishment.
But what we cannot bring to the funeral is hope: We cannot clip the death angel’s wings. We cannot disengage unbelief’s power. This is exactly what Jesus brings to the funeral. Whether bidden or not, He brings hope. Whether in the milling crowd, or in the lonely vigil, He represents hope. In life’s confrontation with death, Jesus is hope. Martha: “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” John 11:21.
Conclusion
A children’s book tells the story of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Alexander awoke to find gum in his hair; he tripped on his skateboard trying to get to the bathroom; got his clothes wet while brushing his teeth; had a particularly bad day at school; and a dental appointment awaited after school. He had lima beans for supper, bath and bedtime were a disaster, his pillow was gone, and the Mickey Mouse light wouldn’t work. His cat chose to sleep in his sister’s room.
If Jesus hasn’t been bidden to the funeral, nothing else will take His place.