June 6, 2010
(Second Sunday after Pentecost)
GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 7:11-17 [The raising of the widow's son at Nain]
Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, 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. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
There was a single mother who had an only son. This son had died. As the funeral procession came out of the town toward the cemetery, a famous traveling preacher named Jesus came by. Perhaps he would give a comforting sermon at the funeral. He could talk about the love of God and the resurrection at the end of the world and eternal life. He could give comfort and hope. He told the woman not to cry any more, but the widow could not stop grieving. He saw the widow, the young man being carried on the funeral bier, and Jesus was filled with compassion. He understood her feelings, and in his heart he felt the same sadness, perhaps his eyes were beginning to fill with tears, too. Then he spoke words that are never spoken at a funeral. He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up and was so fully recovered that he began to speak. Soon everyone one began to speak, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God has visited his people!" And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
In this Gospel reading, we see the resurrection power of Jesus, and we see the reason that Jesus reveals that power. In this story we see the power of the compassion of Jesus. Because of the love and compassion of Jesus, there is hope and comfort in the time of death, and in the time of trouble, and even more so in the time of happiness and joy.
There are times in our lives when it seems that life is one big funeral. If someone is not dead, then someone is dying. If not physical death, then someone is being taken away from us by work or addiction or arguments or mental problems and the like. Sometimes it seems that we are the ones who are dying. The Psalmist called this "walking through the valley of the shadow of death." The hymnist called it "trials and temptations." ("What a Friend we have in Jesus")
Jesus comes to us at times like this. He sees our tears and he knows our fears. He has compassion, he feels our sorrow and pain, and our pain leads him to tears. It may be hard to imagine Jesus in Heaven, sitting at the Right Hand of God with tears in his eyes, but he does sorrow for this world. Those are the same tears he shed in the garden of Gethsemane. They are the same tears that were shed when his good friend Lazarus died. It is the same love and compassion that he had when the widow's son died.
What would have happened if the widow had sent Jesus away? "Don't speak nonsense to me! Don't touch my son!" That is what unbelief does. Unbelief refuses to let Jesus into our lives. Unbelief refuses the comfort and hope of God. Unbelief only believes in the power of death and the devil, because death and the devil seem to be in control in the world. That is why it is so important to believe in God. Not only to believe in his almighty power, but to believe in his almighty love and compassion. We believe that in his almighty love and compassion, Jesus gave up his almighty power to die on the cross to forgive our sin, and in this way to overcome the power of the death and the devil.
Jesus touched the bier (the stretcher upon which the man was being carried) and said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." In the same way, Jesus touches our places of death and sin. He says to us, "I say to you, arise." And this is the power given us to rise. This is to be born again. It is to repent and believe. It is to rise and follow Jesus in our lives. It is to rise and to live a life that is really alive. We are alive in Christ Jesus. In this faith we daily arise from the baptismal water and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church