The text for our meditation on God’s Holy Word is the Gospel lesson appointed for the day. I bring you grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
This last Monday our nation observed Memorial Day and that observance had a face as we learned that the 1000th member of our armed forces in Afghanistan died in battle. Corporal Jacob Leicht of Kerrville was killed on patrol and as I looked at the pictures in the paper of his father holding his picture I was reminded again of what a terrible thing it is for a child—no matter what their age—to precede their parent in death.
If there is anything that signals to us that this world is broken and dying-- it is for a parent to stand beside their child’s grave-- and that very scene is repeated ten of thousands of time across the world on any given day. Sadly, it’s nothing new. Luke writes:
Jesus 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. The name of the town “Nain” means “Valley of Beauty” but that day it was the valley of the shadow of death. That contrast between beauty and death is the way of life in this world.
Most of us go for many years experiencing nothing but God’s blessings—seeing life in this world as nothing but green pastures and still waters-- but then some tragedy occurs that reminds us that all of human life is a journey through the valley of the shadow of death. We just see it more clearly when we face a tragedy-- like the widow of Nain.
That poor woman—long before the death of her son—already knew about heartache: she was a widow. When I look out at this congregation, I thank God for all of the good marriages that we are—couples who have not only stayed married—but genuinely still love and care for one another. Those of us blessed by God this way--with one who is truly flesh of our flesh—know that we have been blessed by God with the greatest earthly blessing he gives.
But we are reminded today by the widow’s story that there will come a day of parting—when that one who is as close to us as our own flesh is parted from us by death—and we know how painful that will be. That is what that poor widow of Nain had already gone through—but even then, with that painful loss, she was not finished walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Her only son had died.
To lose a child is the worst pain a human being can endure. All of us can imagine what she was going through-- but what not may be immediately apparent to us is what this death meant for her own life as a childless widow.
Women in that time and place were almost completely dependent upon the men in their lives for their welfare. They grew up under their father’s authority--went from there to live with their husbands—and if their husband were to precede them in death—they went to live with their sons. That is how women were cared for.
As heart-broken as she was over the death of her son, somewhere in the back of her mind she was already wondering to herself: how in the world was she going to live? That was the burden that weighed upon her as she walked behind her son’s body in that procession of death—until she met the Lord of Life who invites us to cast our burdens upon him. Luke writes that:
…when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." This is the first place in his Gospel that Luke, as the narrator of these events, addresses Jesus as Lord—the only One who has the power and the authority to change the painful reality of death. And not only did he have the power to do so, he was moved with compassion to do so.
This Greek word for “compassion” is used several times in the New Testament to describe Jesus’ feelings for individuals and groups. The word means to be moved in one’s inmost being—his heart went out to her: one, poor, mourning widow in an obscure town.
Jesus’ attitude of love and concern for those without much earthly power must have really made an impression on Luke, because he tells us again and again in his Gospel that Jesus reaches out to help those who, the rest of society, regards as having little value-- and we see that same thing here.
In terms of the world, one, poor woman in an obscure town doesn’t count for much—but the Lord counts her worthy of his powerful help and merciful compassion. Both compassion and power are perfectly joined together in Jesus and that’s what makes a life-changing difference.
There are many people in the world with the power to make human lives better who do not use it-- even the face of great human need. People in Africa are starving to death while millions of tons of food pour into their countries from across the world because their own leaders—the people in power—find it politically expedient to starve their own citizens rather than help them.
Of course this problem is not just some one else’s problem—it is ours too. We have much more power to help than we think. We are the richest people on the face of the earth but we love our luxuries more than sacrifice for others. We know that there are people who need to be encouraged but our schedules are so busy. We have power-- but much too often we lack compassion.
We justify our lack of compassion by telling ourselves that the poor should have worked harder and the addicted shouldn’t have taken the first drink and so on. And maybe those things are true—but a compassionate person can still identify with individual human tragedies.
Jesus certainly did-- and as Lord he had the power to do something about-- what to human eyes --was a hopeless situation-- and he told the widow “Do not weep.”
If we didn’t know how all this would turn out—if we were simply part of the crowd that day we could appreciate Jesus’ word as simply a kind gesture—but one that was ultimately empty-- because it couldn’t really change anything thing.
But when Jesus Christ says “Do not weep” he means it! Do not weep-- for there is no reason for tears in the presence of the Lord of life. Luke writes that:
Jesus came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still.
And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." People of that day were not buried in coffins but were wrapped in cloths and laid upon a bier (which is a stretcher) and carried to their graves. As the widow’s son was being carried to his grave, Jesus walked up to the stretcher and said
“Arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak. Just- like- that! And what is perhaps even more stunning than the dead man being raised-- is how it was accomplished—simply by a word—spoken by the One who brought all things into being by his Word.
What we see here is that the One who was in the beginning—the One through whom all things were created—is not some impersonal force far removed from our lives. Instead, he is the living Word of God who took upon himself our flesh and was moved by compassion at what we have done to ourselves by our sins to reach out and help.
That day at Nain, the Word spoke—and the Word was spoken—and life came where there was only death before.
The scene that we have before us in Luke’s Gospel gets our attention because it is so common—so easily recognized. It is familiar to every person on earth because: 1. we recognize ourselves in that group of mourners—2. we recognize ourselves in that poor mother—3. we recognize ourselves wrapped in grave clothes upon that stretcher being carried to our own graves.
And Jesus wants us to see our helplessness in the face of it all—because that is the painful truth about us too.
There was absolutely nothing that anyone there that day could have done to change what happened—there were no tears of grief that the mother could have shed which would have brought life back to her dead son. There was no show of support from the friends powerful enough to change tragedy into triumph. There was certainly nothing the dead man could do to help himself.
But Jesus could—and did—and at Jesus’ Word the man was restored to life.
Through this miracle, Jesus wants us to recognize and believe that there is now something greater than sorrow and death in this world—he wants us to recognize that he has entered into our sorrow and death and that changes everything.
When Jesus touched the stretcher of the dead man that day-- according to the law he should have been ceremonially unclean. But just the opposite happened—Jesus’ wholeness and cleanness and life came to rest upon the man.
And the Good News for us today is that what he did for that one man—he did for the world—for you and for me.
Jesus took upon himself all of the uncleanness that comes from sin and death and carried it to the cross where it was washed away in his shed blood. Three days later he rose up from the dead, promising us that we too will rise from death-- and that word of the Gospel that he speaks-- continues to bring life in the midst of death-- even two thousand years later.
Each of us, spiritually, by nature is like that dead young man on the stretcher—we are helpless to change anything about our spiritual condition on our own—but when the words of Jesus are spoken to us: in Baptism (that we have died with him and been raised with him) and Preaching (rebuking our sins and calling us to faith) and Absolution (that we are fully and freely forgiven all our sins) and Holy Communion (that his body and blood are given for us)—when these words of Jesus are spoken to us --death is transformed into life—real life—abundant eternal life that only God can give. Just like he gave that day at Nain. Luke writes that:
Jesus gave him to his mother. Too often, we hesitate to give ourselves to the Lord because we don’t know what the Lord will ask of us and we’re afraid to follow him wholeheartedly. Like the faithless Israelites, too often we would rather live as slaves than as the free children of God because at least we know what slavery entails.
But Jesus tells us that it is the devil who comes to kill and steal and destroy --while he has come to give life—rich abundant life—a full measure pressed down and overflowing. And we see that here. The community was given their friend. The widow was given her son. And the young man was given his life. And none of their lives would ever be the same. Luke writes that:
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.
The Good News for us today is the God has indeed visited his people in his Son Jesus Christ and in his compassion and power has brought us a new life that is just as real and just as life-changing as what occurred that day at Nain that day for the widow and her son.
The dark shadow of sin and death has been driven from our life by the cross and empty tomb. And Jesus invites us to take our place along side of him, glorifying God by speaking to others his words of hope and faith that give life. Amen.
And now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
