Soon afterward he went to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." And he came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, arise." And the dead man sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. 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 concerning him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country. Luke 7:11–17 (RSV)
We know from Scripture that Jesus raised three people from the dead. Jesus raised his friend, Lazarus of Bethany, Jairus' daughter, and the son of the widow of Nain. Of these three, we know the least about the widow of Nain and her son.
The death of anyone is sorrow. These three deaths were no different from all those who died in those days. They were loved. Hearts were broken, tears shed, and the living left wondering how their lives could go forward.
Luke gives us a few details of this resurrection that speak to the tragedy of this young man's death. His body was being carried out of the city to be buried. It was the practice to bury the dead within 24 hours. We have no knowledge of the man's death. We do not know if it came at the end of an extended illness or if he died suddenly, from an accident or other trauma.
Luke tells that he was his mother's only son, and she, a widow. She is bearing not only the pain of her son's death, but her future is now uncertain at best. One duty of a son was to care for his parents in their old age. Her only son's death now dimmed her hope of care as she grew old.
Luke does not indicate that Jesus knew the woman; thus, His actions were an act of grace. Jesus halted death's procession, touching the bier upon which the body lay. 'Do not weep,' Jesus says to the grieving. As He did for Mary and Martha, for Jairus and his household, before there was a hope of life, Jesus asked them to cease their tears.
If these words were on the lips of anyone other than Jesus, they would be heard as callous. Indeed, they were heard by many who could only see the power of death at work. Still, wherever Jesus is, there is life. 'Young man, I say to you, arise.' Where death seemed to reign, life burst forth. Where there was only sorrow and loss, Jesus brought joy.
We speak of death often within the faith. We speak of it because though it once held sway over all the human race, Jesus has made it as nothing by His dying and rising.