Raising the dead son of the widow of Nain

 

Raising the dead son of the widow of Nain

 

In Luke 7:11-17, “And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and he said to her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say to thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother, and there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumor of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.

Those who are deprived of the hope of the kingdom of God are the poor in spirit. If you lose your land in Canaan, you lose your inheritance. This is losing what God promised. Those who lose their land lose all hope. Just as Canaan is an inheritance to Israel, so men are an inheritance to women. The man symbolizes Christ, and the woman symbolizes the church (spirit). A man is a woman's business, but her husband has died. The death of her husband means that her wife will lose her business. In other words, you lose your promise. However, when the husband dies, if there is a son, the inheritance continues, but if there is no son, there is no hope of inheritance.

In Luke 7, even the widow's son died. Israel receiving the land as an inheritance and losing the land and a widow losing her son after her husband died have the same meaning. In the Old Testament, Israel's Husband is Jehovah God. In Jeremiah 31:31-32, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers.” in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they break, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:』If God leaves Israel, Israel will have no hope.

As Deuteronomy 7:7-11 states, the law states that one must not treat widows or the poor poorly. Exodus 23:11 also talks about the poor. 『But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.』Leviticus 19:9-10 also says this.

Here, the poor are “those who have nothing to eat in this world, but ultimately, those who have left the kingdom of God and have no hope of returning.” “Help the poor” means making people aware of this fact. Therefore, helping the poor is “giving them the hope of returning to the kingdom of God through Christ.” A widow whose son has died is poor, and cannot survive without taking care of her. Spiritually, this means a person who has lost the hope (promise) of returning to the kingdom of God. “Many of the people of the city came out with him.” Most of the Israelites are well aware of the meaning of losing their inheritance.

“When the Lord saw the widow, he had compassion on her.” Jesus knew the pain of this woman. In Exodus chapter 2, God placed Israel in Egypt, and when Israel complained of suffering from Pharaoh's oppression, God remembered her promise and delivered them. God heard the suffering of Israel and brought them out of Egypt through the Passover lamb. Likewise, it is Jesus who “can be the hope for this widow who cries desperately.” 『He touched the coffin, and those who carried it stood.』 So Jesus said. 『Young man, I say. to thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak』Jesus restored this woman's hope. By raising the widow's son, Jesus gives people the hope of her future resurrection.

Jesus showed people “the sign of raising the dead.” This news spread throughout Judea, and even John the Baptist, who was in prison, heard it. John sent his disciples to Jesus and asked Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come?” In Matthew 11:5, Jesus said, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” He did it. Through this sign, Jesus is saying, “Let the Jews understand the promised Christ.”

“Jesus raising the dead young man” shows that he is the Christ of promise. “Jesus said to him, ‘Young man, I tell you, arise.’” Jesus said to the dead young man, “Rise.” When Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue, to life, he said, “Rise, child.” Even in chapter 11 of the Gospel of John, when He raised Lazarus, He expressed, “Let us go and wake up Lazarus.”

Regarding resurrection, the spirit that died first comes back to life. The spirit must rise from the dead. Then, the spirit wears the spirit body (clothes of Christ) that comes down from heaven and becomes a new person. When one dies, the old person dies. The new person becomes a new temple in the heart. The new temple is Christ. This is the meaning of resurrection.