Trinity 16
Beloved. In last Sunday’s Gospel, we heard Jesus tell us not to worry about the things of this life: For this reason I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? And So do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unbelievers chase after all these things. Certainly your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. These are indeed words of great comfort in our everyday lives—the Lord is looking out for us, caring for us, providing us what He knows we need and which is best for us. But at times, though, it does seem like God has forgotten us; it seems like all kinds of difficulties mount and various hardships, trials and questions become dominant. Certainly that must have been the case with the woman we meet in today’s Gospel: Jesus went on his way to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. As he was approaching the town gate, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow. This woman had lost her husband and now her only son had also died. Tragedy upon tragedy had come upon this poor woman. At first with no husband to support her, and now with no son to provide for her, her future was certainly uncertain. Certainly she had cause to doubt Jesus’ words we heard last week: do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear; certainly Jesus’ words seemed to be easier said than done. But in a most wonderful and miraculous way, Jesus proves His words; He proves to her and to us of how lovingly God cares for and preserves us. Can/ should we expect that our Lord will always act in such a grand outward way with us? No! But very often the Lord does let us come to know and fully experience the depth of our need and we are at our wits’ end so that we realize that all our help comes from Him.
What an irony we see in our text: Soon afterward Jesus went on his way to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. The name of the town, “Nain”, means something like “the lovely place.” Where it was situated, a few miles southwest of Nazareth, was evidently a beautiful location, hence its name. But the scene there was not beautiful: As he was approaching the town gate, there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. She was a widow. Isn’t that an image of the ugliness of death that has contaminated/ spoiled the world? After all, God created the world, perfect and beautiful. But what happened? By the Fall of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world and with sin every corruption and death.
And that’s the scene we have here—death has come to Nain, that “lovely place.” But the scene doesn’t stop. What happened in Nain that day? Jesus was approaching the town gate and He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He basically said to death—“no further”. And He raised the young man back to life.
This scene before the gate to the town of Nain, is a very brief description of the work of Jesus: He came to this Nain, “lovely place” the world that God had created lovely/ perfect but now was contaminated by sin and death. He went to death/ approached death, He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and death was stopped dead in its tracks: He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Jesus came to destroy/ undo the work of the devil and that’s exactly what He did—as our text clearly shows.
Here Jesus gives us a glimpse of His saving work—He destroyed death completely. He is Lord even over death; therefore we can have comfort in the face of death.
Jesus is Lord even over death because He is the eternal God and therefore life. St. John says of Jesus [Jn 1.4]: In Him was life. Jesus says about Himself [Jn. 14.6]: I am the way, and the truth and the life. Jesus is God, the source of all life itself. He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Notice Jesus touched the coffin with His life giving hand and speaks/ commands life and there is. Even with death, Jesus’ power—His life-giving power is not at an end.
As we look at our text, it is clear that this was no chance encounter. Soon afterward Jesus went on his way to a town called Nain. As the all-knowing God, Jesus knew what would meet Him there—that funeral procession. And that’s why He went there that day. Why would He do that? St. Luke writes in our text: When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not cry.” Compassion! That’s what moved Jesus that day to go to Nain and that’s what moved Him to come to earth in the first place to rescue us sinners. Here, what a great blessing and comfort for us: the almighty God Himself has compassion on us poor sinners who are plagued by and suffer because of death. And because He is the Almighty God, He can do something about it.
Look at the almighty power of Jesus. What does He say? “Young man, I say to you, get up!” By His own power and authority He gives life/ returns life. In the few instances where the prophets brought someone back to life it was as a result of prayer, asking/ pleading God. For example with Elijah we read [1 Ki 17.21]: Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times, and he cried out to the Lord, “O Lord, my God, let this boy’s soul return to his body!” Even when the apostles healed someone, it was [Ac 3.6] In the name of Jesus of Nazareth. But here, by His own power and authority Jesus raises the young man back to life—showing that He, Jesus, true man is also the very God Himself. The Man Jesus has in Him what only God has—life, the power of life—because Jesus is the God- Man and thus the Lord even of death. And death must stop and retreat at His command.
St. Paul writes [2 Ti 1.10]: our Savior Jesus Christ…has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel. We see this not only when Jesus raises the dead, like He does in our text, but also in His own death. Because what happened? Jesus rose from the dead! The amazing and glorious thing is that as God, Jesus could not die; but as man He could. However Jesus is sinless and so death, the result of sin, had no claim on Him. But what did Jesus do? He took our sins upon Himself; He became the world’s sinner—all the sins of all the people ever to love were placed on Jesus/ charged to Him. And He willingly took all our sins bore them and their punishment for us on the cross. He willingly laid down His life, suffering for us the wrath of God over our sin. And He endured the result/ wages of sin—death. But Jesus wasn’t just an unfortunate victim. Instead, by His death Jesus destroyed death. He entered death/ He died precisely so He could destroy it. That’s what He did! St. Paul [1 Cor. 15.54] quoting St. Isaiah writes: Death is swallowed up in victory. When something is swallowed up, it is devoured, it is completely gone. That cookie on the plate that is devoured/ swallowed up is no longer there. Death was swallowed up/ destroyed by Jesus’ victory on Easter Sunday. Jesus is the first to rise from the dead never to die again. And now come the Last Day, all the dead will rise because death has been undone—by Jesus. And that’s what we get a glimpse/ foretaste of in today’s Gospel. “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
And as we look at our text—and we do so with 20/20 hindsight—don’t we also catch glimpses of Good Friday and Easter? Here we see a young man being carried out of town in a coffin; there we see a man carrying His cross out of the city to the place of His death. Here we see a widow and a crowd of the town with her; there we see the Blessed Virgin at the foot of the cross and [Lk. 23.27] a great multitude of the people followed [Jesus], and women who also mourned and lamented Him. Here we see Jesus raising that young man from the dead and giving him back to his mother; there we see Jesus rising from the dead—death could not hold Him.
Jesus, the Lord even over death has placed life in the word. Not only did Jesus tell her to stop crying, He gave her the reason to stop crying: He went up to the open coffin, touched it, and the pallbearers stopped. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. By the power of His almighty word, Jesus undid death. His word is true and life giving!
Dear Christian, don’t just think of the physical here. Yes, Jesus has power over death as He undoes it merely by His word. But think also spiritually! –That is, Jesus’ word has the power to undo spiritual death; it has the power to bring us from spiritual death to spiritual life. That’s what He did for you in holy baptism, as He gave you that new birth and that new life. By His holy word that you hear, read, ponder the Holy Spirit is busy at work preserving and strengthening that faith/ spiritual life. Even now we are enjoying the blessing and benefit of Jesus’ life giving word: “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
Because Jesus is Lord even over death and has destroyed death, we have great comfort when we face death, whether it is our own or of our loved ones. The first great comfort that we have when facing death is that the dead can be raised. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. The dead not only can be raised, but they will be raised on the Last Day. Remember, the One who said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” is the God-man. When Jesus raises back to life this young man from Nain, He is giving us a glimpse ahead to the Last Day when He will call all the dead from their graves. Jesus says of Himself [Jn 5.28-29]: Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. For the Christian, we have that glorious promise of that joyful reunion in heaven—soul and body—of all our loved ones who have died in the faith. When we stand at their graves or they at ours, that will not be the end. On the Last Day and for all eternity we will be soul and glorified body before our Lord. Can this be true? Absolutely! Jesus shows the power of His word over death here in Nain.
What a beautiful and comforting image we also see here in our text: He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Death was undone/ destroyed for this young man for that time. When we consider our own death, let is remember that it leads back again to life. For when the Christian dies, our soul is with our Lord in heaven, while the body is placed in the ground awaiting the resurrection on the Last Day. And when Jesus calls it forth from the tomb, it will be raised the same body but one that is perfect, holy free from the defects of sin; a body fit for an eternity in heaven. The sting and bitterness of death—what makes death truly horrible—has been removed. That’s what Jesus endured on the cross—the wrath and punishment of God for our sin. Since Jesus took it upon Him and endured it, we don’t!
When death comes for us, we can in simple faith commit peacefully our soul to the Lord and say with St. David in the psalm [31.5]: Into Your hand I commit my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. In life and death, we are in our Lord’s hands. He is Lord even over death, for He destroyed it. “Young man, I say to you, get up!” INJ Amen