"Word spread on the wind, just like the seeds of a dandelion" - #ForgottenFollowers from Broken to Bold
When Jesus raised to life the son of the widow of Nain, we learn 4 things:
1. Why did Jesus raise to life the deceased son of the widow of Nain? Not because she asked, not because she declared her faith, not because she repented. She was simply crying at her son's burial procession. The widow without her only son would likely be penniless and dependent on charity. Jesus noticed the widow, recognized her pain, and cared about her.
Jesus is Compassion.
2. Jesus touched the stretcher on which the body lay, which would make him ritually impure/dead according to Mosaic law, but instead, Jesus made the young man alive. The story occurs immediately after a centurion showed faith that Jesus could heal with a word, just as he directed those under his authority with a word. Jesus restored the boy with a word.
Jesus is the Word of God.
3. Awe and fear swept over those who had come to mourn the dead boy. They recognized Jesus was from God, similar to Elijah who raised the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17), or Elisha, who raised the son of the woman of Shunem (2 Kings 4). The Son and the Father are One (John 14:10); God took on human likeness in Jesus (Philippians 2:6-7). Jesus is God in human form, and he took the place of both men and women when he laid down his life to make a way for us all to approach God.
Jesus is God in the flesh.
4. Overcoming their fear, the people shouted with gratitude because God is with us. Jesus did not tell them to keep this miracle a secret as he had on other occasions. He wanted all believers, regardless of gender, to share the good news all through the country. This miracle is immediately followed by Jesus telling John the Baptist's messengers to report that "... the dead are raised..." This miracle shows John that Jesus is truly, 'the one who is to come'. Jesus wanted the women and men to spread the word.
Jesus is the promised Messiah.
The widow of Nain (in Luke 7) is one of 35 women in the Gospels. All of these women are included in #ForgottenFollowers from Broken to Bold. Click for more about the 35 women in the Gospels.
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