A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; NEW TESTAMENT STORIES

                                   NOT WORTHY OF ATTENTION B PART III

"I, a widow in Nain,was walking behind the coffin of my son, my only son, this morning.... Just at the time that the funeral procession came to the town gate, this Man Jesus with His disciples arrived.... I did not know why they were there.... Perhaps He was going to preach to the people in my town.... But I did not have time to listen to Him.... I had to bury my son, my only son.... My heart was broken.... I had lost my son, my only son.... Who was going to take care of me now?....I did not think Jesus was going to do it....After all, I am only a poor widow in Nain....He is, no doubt, on an important mission.... So He would be too busy to think of me... Anyway it was all too late....My son had already died... Nothing could be done for him.... But then Jesus did stop.... And Jesus did speak to me.... He told me to stop crying!!... I then saw Jesus go up to the coffin of my dead son.... He asked the ones who were carrying it to put it down... And they did.... And then Jesus spoke to the dead body of my son!!... Yes, that is what He did!!.... He spoke to the dead body of my son!!... I wanted to say to Jesus, "Jesus, excuse me, what are You saying?... Don't You realise that my son, my only son, is really dead?.... I know for I was there when he died.... But You were not there when he took his last breath..... I held him at that moment and everything within me wanted him to come back to life.... But I knew that was not going to happen for he had really gone. And now You are telling him to get up?".... I really wanted to say to Jesus, "Please don't do that to me... My heart is already broken because of his death... Don't make me suffer even more."... But I did not say anything... I just watched.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that Jesus spoke to the dead body of the only son of a widow in Nain....

                      ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; NEW TESTAMENT STORIES

                                      NOT WORTHY OF ATTENTION B PART III

Jesus is moved with compassion for the widow who has now lost her son. No doubt, He wants to comfort her. But telling her not to cry anymore does not seem to be very helpful. I can well imagine that the widow might like to say to Jesus, "Sorry, Jesus, I know You mean well. But how can You expect me to stop crying? I have just lost my son. Why did You not come a few days earlier for then I might not be walking behind his coffin today?" However, she does not say these things and that may well be because something in the tone of His voice actually makes her stop crying. She does not know what Jesus is going to do but within her a glimmer of hope begins to rise up as she sees Jesus going up to the coffin as we can read in Luke 7:14-15

Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up." The dead man set up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.

Jesus did more than comfort the widow. He next walked up to the coffin with the body of her dead son and told him to get up.