“And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judaea, and throughout all the region round about.” Luke 7:11-17

This short passage of only seven verses teaches us much about Christ. First, Jesus is aware of others (verse 13). When Jesus saw the widow, he saw her mourning. He saw her grief. He saw the widow’s son. He saw those who were with the widow extending their love and support. Today, Jesus is aware of us. He is aware of our times of ease and our times of difficulty.

Second Jesus had compassion (verse 13). Imagine the grief this woman felt. She had previously lost her husband to death and was now experiencing the loss of her son to death. This was her only son and, while the text does not say, he may have been her only child. Jesus’ compassion caused him to act, to help. Today, Jesus has that same compassion toward us.

Third, Jesus has divine power (verse 14-15). Jesus spoke to create the world (John 1:13), calm the stormy sea (Matthew 8:23-26), raise Jarius’ daughter (Luke 8:41-56) and raise Lazarus (John 11). With his voice, Jesus raised the widow’s son. One day, we will also hear Jesus’ voice and come out of the grave (John 5:28-29.)

Fourth, Jesus was sent from God (verse 16). When the crowd saw what took place, they were amazed at what they saw. They knew no ordinary man could do what Jesus did (John 3:2). We have no way of knowing how many miracles Jesus did while on earth. But God has given us a record of much of what Christ did in order that we can recognize him as the son of God (John 20:30-31).

Fifth, Jesus is not to be kept a secret (verse 17). When the people saw what happened, they told others. The rumour (news) went throughout all Judaea and all the surrounding region. God has freed us from our bondage of sin and provided us with the hope of heaven. We should never keep that a secret!