3/2 Luke 7:14-15

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.

As Jesus was drawing near the entrance of the city of Nain, a funeral procession was exiting the city. The only son of a widow had died as a young man. A Jewish male was considered a man at the age of thirteen, so he was most likely in his teens. Jesus had compassion on his mother and told her to stop weeping. In that culture, her son was her only means of support. Not only had she lost the last male in the family, but now she would be destitute. How could Jesus ask her to stop weeping? It's because He knew what He was about to do. He was asking her to have faith and see as He sees. This was a challenge for her and for us! She sees the loss of her dear son and no means of support. Jesus sees a joyful reunion about to take place.

According to the laws of Moses, touching the dead defiles a person. Jesus could not be defiled, so when He touched the bier the young man had to return to life the instant before the contact was made. Jesus' words created all things and all things must obey His words. When He said "Arise," the young man had to arise.

Jesus revealed the heart of God toward us all. It is a heart of compassion. The day will come when all who are in the grave will hear the voice of the Son of Man and rise (John 5:28-29). It is a challenge for us to see what Jesus sees instead of the harsh reality of this fallen world. We must look forward through His eyes and see what is coming. Only then can we stop weeping and rejoice looking ahead for a wonderful day of reunion that will far surpass our expectations.

Consider: Many intelligent people tell us Jesus was a good man and teacher. We should strive to live like Him. "However," they say, "He was not God." If you believe that, then be a good person and do what He did. Go raise the dead, walk on water, heal every sick person that comes to you, and preach life-altering messages that change the world. This passage tells us that the people declared, "God has visited His people" (Luke 7:17).