The Dead Speak
Luke 7:11-17
1. A Dead Man
11 Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. 12 As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out . . . Luke 7:11-12 (ESV)
12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— Romans 5:12 (ESV)
2. A Devastated Mourner
12 . . . 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. Luke 7:11-12 (ESV)
3. A Discerning Master
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Luke 7:13 (ESV)
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. Psalm 68:5 (ESV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (ESV)
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
4. A Divine Miracle
14 Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” 15 And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Luke 7:14-15 (ESV)
The term for bier refers to an open coffin or a plank upon which the shrouded corpse would lie.
Jesus commanded the corpse to arise and ironically the dead man sat up, which emphasizes the lack of effort in Jesus’ resuscitations as compared to that of the prophets.
5. A Devotional Moment
16 Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” Luke 7:16 (ESV)
“Fear” expresses the emotional reaction of awe and respect from the onlookers toward God’s work.
The language of God visiting His people echoed the promises that were made by Zechariah before Christ was born (see Luke 1:68, 78).
Zechariah:
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people Luke 1:68 (ESV)
6. A Distributed Message
17 And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Luke 7:17 (ESV)
28 Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29 and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29 (ESV)