Luke 7:14
Then He went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. "Young man," He said, "I tell you, get up!"
He went up
In this phrase, we see Jesus taking the initiative to approach the situation. The Greek word used here is "προσελθών" (proselthōn), which means to come near or approach. This action signifies Jesus' willingness to engage with those in need, reflecting His compassionate nature. Historically, this act of approaching the dead would have been considered ceremonially unclean according to Jewish law, yet Jesus transcends these boundaries, emphasizing His authority over life and death.

and touched the coffin
The act of touching the coffin is significant. The Greek word for "touched" is "ἥψατο" (hēpsato), which implies a deliberate and purposeful action. In Jewish culture, touching a coffin or anything associated with death would render a person unclean (Numbers 19:11). However, Jesus' touch is transformative, not defiling. This action demonstrates His power to purify and bring life, overriding the laws of ritual impurity.

and those carrying it stood still
The immediate response of the bearers to stand still upon Jesus' touch indicates the authority and presence of Jesus. The Greek word "ἔστησαν" (estēsan) means to stop or stand firm. This reaction underscores the respect and awe that Jesus commanded, even in a moment of mourning. It also sets the stage for the miraculous event that is about to unfold, highlighting the anticipation and attention of the crowd.

Young man
The address "Young man" is personal and direct. The Greek term "νεανίσκε" (neaniske) refers to a young man, often implying vigor and potential. By addressing the young man directly, Jesus acknowledges his identity and worth, even in death. This personal address signifies that Jesus sees beyond the physical state to the soul, affirming the value of each individual.

I say to you
The phrase "I say to you" emphasizes the authority of Jesus' words. The Greek "λέγω σοι" (legō soi) is a declaration of power. In the context of the Gospels, when Jesus speaks, creation responds. This phrase is a reminder of the divine authority of Christ, echoing the creative power of God who spoke the world into existence.

get up!
The command "get up" is a call to life. The Greek word "ἐγέρθητι" (egerthēti) is an imperative, meaning to rise or awaken. This command not only signifies physical resurrection but also symbolizes spiritual awakening. In the broader scriptural context, it reflects the hope of resurrection and new life that Jesus offers to all who believe. This moment is a foretaste of the ultimate resurrection that Jesus promises, showcasing His victory over death.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The central figure in this passage, demonstrating His divine authority and compassion by raising the dead.

2. The Young Man
The deceased son of a widow, whom Jesus raises from the dead, showcasing His power over life and death.

3. The Widow of Nain
The grieving mother of the young man, representing the vulnerable and marginalized whom Jesus often ministered to.

4. The Town of Nain
A small town in Galilee where this miracle takes place, highlighting Jesus' ministry in various regions.

5. The Crowd
The people accompanying the widow and those following Jesus, witnesses to the miracle, representing the broader community impacted by Jesus' actions.
Teaching Points
Compassion in Action
Jesus' response to the widow's plight teaches us to be moved by compassion and to act on behalf of those who are suffering.

Authority Over Death
This miracle affirms Jesus' divine authority, encouraging believers to trust in His power over all aspects of life, including death.

Faith and Witness
The crowd's reaction to the miracle reminds us of the importance of bearing witness to God's work in our lives and sharing it with others.

Hope for the Marginalized
Jesus' interaction with the widow highlights His concern for the marginalized, challenging us to extend hope and support to those in need.

The Power of Jesus' Word
The command "get up" illustrates the power of Jesus' word, encouraging us to rely on Scripture as a source of life and transformation.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Jesus' interaction with the widow of Nain reflect His character and mission? Consider other instances in the Gospels where Jesus shows compassion.

2. In what ways does this miracle of raising the young man from the dead foreshadow Jesus' own resurrection? How does this impact our understanding of eternal life?

3. How can we apply the principle of compassion in action in our daily lives, especially towards those who are grieving or marginalized?

4. What does this passage teach us about the power of Jesus' words? How can we incorporate the authority of Scripture into our personal and communal life?

5. How does witnessing God's work in our lives and the lives of others strengthen our faith and the faith of those around us? Consider sharing a personal testimony of God's intervention.
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 17:17-24
The account of Elijah raising the widow's son, which parallels Jesus' miracle and underscores the continuity of God's power to give life.

John 11:38-44
The raising of Lazarus, another instance where Jesus demonstrates His authority over death, reinforcing His identity as the resurrection and the life.

Acts 9:36-42
Peter raising Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead, showing the continuation of Jesus' life-giving power through His apostles.

Hebrews 2:14-15
Discusses Jesus' victory over death, providing a theological foundation for understanding His miracles as a foretaste of His ultimate triumph over the grave.
The Saviour of Sick and DeadR.M. Edgar Luke 7:1-17
A Bereaved MotherDu Chaillu.Luke 7:11-17
A Risible SermonLuke 7:11-17
Christian Attendance At a FuneralTschupik.Luke 7:11-17
Gospel for the Sixteenth Sunday After TrinityG. Calthrop, M. A.Luke 7:11-17
Jesus and the Widow of NainR. V. Pryce, M. A. , LL. B.Luke 7:11-17
Power of SympathyH. W. Beecher.Luke 7:11-17
Silent SympathyVictor Hugo.Luke 7:11-17
Sixteenth Sunday After TrinityJ. A. Seiss, D. D.Luke 7:11-17
The Compassion of Mankind a Sign of the Compassion of Mankind's Head and LordT. Hancock.Luke 7:11-17
The Funeral of a YouthW. Jay.Luke 7:11-17
The Miracle At the Gate of NainDr. Talmage.Luke 7:11-17
The Miracle of NainJ. Burns, D. D.Luke 7:11-17
The Power of Christ's VoiceThe late Dean of Ely.Luke 7:11-17
The Raising of the Widow's SonH. Macmillan, LL. D.Luke 7:11-17
The Story of NainStopford Brooke, M. A.Luke 7:11-17
The Voice of a FuneralC. H. Spurgeon.Luke 7:11-17
The Widow and Her Dead SonT. B. Dover, M. A.Luke 7:11-17
The Widow of NainBishop Samuel Wilberforce.Luke 7:11-17
The Widow of NainW. J. Gordon.Luke 7:11-17
The Widow's Son of NainA. Mackennal, D. D.Luke 7:11-17
Visit to NainNorman Macleod, D. D., N. P. Willis.Luke 7:11-17
Weep NotJ. O. Dykes, D. D.Luke 7:11-17
Young Man, AriseW. Hay Aitken.Luke 7:11-17
Young Man, Arise!J. Thain Davidson. D. D.Luke 7:11-17
Young Man, is This for You?C. H. Spurgeon.Luke 7:11-17
Christ Visiting and AbidingW. Clarkson Luke 7:13-16
People
Jesus, John, Simon
Places
Capernaum, Galilee, Judea, Nain
Topics
Arise, Bare, Bearers, Bearing, Bier, Bore, Carrying, Close, Coffin, Command, Dead, Halt, Halted, Moving, Nigh, Stood, Stop, Stopped, Stretcher, Touched, Wake, Youth
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Luke 7:14

     5194   touch
     5320   funeral
     9030   dead bodies

Luke 7:11-15

     2345   Christ, kingdom of
     5669   children, examples
     9165   restoration

Luke 7:11-16

     2012   Christ, authority
     5285   cures

Luke 7:11-17

     5743   widows

Luke 7:12-14

     5952   sorrow

Luke 7:12-17

     2318   Christ, as prophet

Luke 7:14-15

     2351   Christ, miracles
     3239   Holy Spirit, anointing
     5136   body
     9310   resurrection
     9311   resurrection, of Christ

Luke 7:14-16

     5962   surprises

Library
June 10 Evening
As Christ forgave you, so also do ye.--COL. 3:13. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.--I forgave thee all that debt; shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had pity on thee? When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

Greatness in the Kingdom
'He that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.'--LUKE vii. 28. We were speaking in a preceding sermon about the elements of true greatness, as represented in the life and character of John the Baptist. As we remarked then, our Lord poured unstinted eulogium upon the head of John, in the audience of the people, at the very moment when he showed himself weakest. 'None born of women' was, in Christ's eyes, 'greater than John the Baptist.' The eulogium, authoritative as it was, was immediately
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Thwarting God's Purpose
'The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of Him.' --LUKE vii. 30. Our Lord has just been pouring unstinted praise on the head of John the Baptist. The eulogium was tenderly timed, for it followed, and was occasioned by the expression, through messengers, of John's doubts of Christ's Messiahship. Lest these should shake the people's confidence in the Forerunner, and make them think of him as weak and shifting, Christ speaks of him in the glowing
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

A Gluttonous Man and a Winebibber
'The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!'--LUKE vii. 34. Jesus Christ very seldom took any notice of the mists of calumny that drifted round Him. 'When He was reviled He reviled not again.' If ever He did allude to them it was for the sake of the people who were harming themselves by uttering them. So here, without the slightest trace of irritation, He quotes a malignant charge which was evidently in the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Worthy-Not Worthy
'... They besought Him ... saying, That he was worthy for whom He should do this:... 6. I am not worthy that Thou shouldest enter under my roof: 7. Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto Thee....' --LUKE vii. 4. 6. 7. A Roman centurion, who could induce the elders of a Jewish village to approach Jesus on his behalf, must have been a remarkable person. The garrison which held down a turbulent people was not usually likely to be much loved by them. But this man, about whom the incident
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Go into Peace
'And He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee: go in peace.'--LUKE vii. 50. We find that our Lord twice, and twice only, employs this form of sending away those who had received benefits from His hand. On both occasions the words were addressed to women: once to this woman, who was a sinner, and who was gibbeted by the contempt of the Pharisee in whose house the Lord was; and once to that poor sufferer who stretched out a wasted hand to lay upon the hem of His garment, in the hope of getting
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Jesus at the Bier
'And when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14. And He came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And He said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And He delivered him to his mother.'--LUKE vii. 13-15. We owe our knowledge of this incident to Luke only. He is the Evangelist who specially delights in recording the gracious relations of our Lord with women, and he is also the Evangelist who
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

John's Doubts and Christ's Praise
'And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. 19. And John calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou He that should come? or look we for another? 20. When the men were come unto Him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto Thee, saying, Art Thou He that should come? or look we for another? 21. And in the same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind He gave sight. 22. Then Jesus, answering,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

The Two Debtors
'There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell Me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43. Simon answered and said, I suppose that he to whom he forgave most.'--LUKE vii.41-43. We all know the lovely story in which this parable is embedded. A woman of notoriously bad character had somehow come in contact with Jesus Christ, and had by Him been aroused from her
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions Of Holy Scripture

Forgiveness and Love.
TEXT: LUKE vii. 36-50. HOWEVER much admiration and honour was given to our Saviour by many of His contemporaries during His life on earth; however powerfully a yet greater number were struck, at least for the moment, by His exalted character; still just His greatest words and His noblest deeds often remained dark even to the noblest and best around Him, and seemed to the rest a piece of insolent pretension. When He spoke of His eternal relation to the Eternal Father, even His more intimate disciples
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

On the Words of the Gospel, Luke vii. 2, Etc. ; on the Three Dead Persons whom the Lord Raised.
1. The miracles of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ make indeed an impression on all who hear of, and believe them; but on different men in different ways. For some amazed at His miracles done on the bodies of men, have no knowledge to discern the greater; whereas some admire the more ample fulfilment in the souls of men at the present time of those things which they hear of as having been wrought on their bodies. The Lord Himself saith, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them;
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Luke vii. 37, "And Behold, a Woman who was in the City, a Sinner," Etc. On the Remission of Sins,
1. Since I believe that it is the will of God that I should speak to you on the subject whereof we are now reminded by the words of the Lord out of the Holy Scriptures, I will by His assistance deliver to you, Beloved, a Sermon touching the remission of sins. For when the Gospel was being read, ye gave most earnest heed, and the story was reported, and represented before the eyes of your heart. For ye saw, not with the body, but with the mind, the Lord Jesus Christ "sitting at meat in the Pharisee's
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On Dress
"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of -- wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; "But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." 1 Pet. 3:3, 4. 1. St. Paul exhorts all those who desire to "be transformed by the renewal of their minds," and to "prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God," not to be "conformed to this world." [Rom. 12:2]
John Wesley—Sermons on Several Occasions

Saving Faith
I. WHAT WAS IT THAT SAVED the two persons whose history we are about to consider? In the penitent woman's case, her great sins were forgiven her and she became a woman of extraordinary love: she loved much, for she had much forgiven. I feel, in thinking of her, something like an eminent father of the church who said, "This narrative is not one which I can well preach upon; I had far rather weep over it in secret." That woman's tears, that woman's unbraided tresses wiping the Saviour's feet, her coming
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 20: 1874

A Gracious Dismissal
THE main part of my subject will be--that gracious dismissal, "Go in peace." To her who had been so lately blest, the word "Go" sounded mournfully; for she would fain have remained through life with her pardoning Lord; but the added words "in peace" turned the wormwood into honey--there was now peace for her who had been so long hunted and harried by her sins. Rising from the feet she had washed with tears, she went forth to keep her future footsteps such as those of a believing, and therefore saved,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

Go in Peace
"And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace."--Luke 7:50. THERE appear to have been four stages in Christ's dealing with this woman. I know not what had preceded the narrative as we have it recorded in this chapter; I need not enter into that question now. There had, doubtless, been a work of the Spirit of God upon that woman's heart, turning her from her sin to her Saviour; but when she stood at our Master's feet, raining tears of penitence upon them, wiping them with the hairs
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 48: 1902

Liii. The Contemplation of Death.
16th Sunday after Trinity. S. Luke vii. 12. "Behold, there was a dead man carried out." INTRODUCTION.--The name of the village where the miracle was wrought which is recorded in this day's Gospel, was Nain, and the meaning of the name is "Pleasant" or "Beautiful." A sweet little village, you can picture it to yourself where you like, in the East, anywhere in Europe, here in England, it is all the same, an "Auburn" among villages, with thatched cottages, and green pastures, and the cows coming home
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

Answer to Mr. W's Third Objection.
Our author says: p. 19. By way of objection to the letter of these three miracles, Let us consider the condition of the persons raised from the dead.--Where then was his wisdom and prudence to chuse these three persons above others to that honour? p. 20. I answer, that Jesus did not ordinarily choose the subjects of his miracles, but heal'd those chiefly who earnestly implored his mercy, or who pressed on him to be healed, or importunately desired it of him by others, when they could not possibly
Nathaniel Lardner—A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles

Justifying or Sanctifying Grace
Sanctifying grace is defined by Deharbe as "an unmerited, supernatural gift, imparted to the soul by the Holy Ghost, by which we are made just, children of God, and heirs of Heaven." As it makes sinners just, sanctifying grace is also called justifying, though this appellation can not be applied to the sanctification of our first parents in Paradise or to that of the angels and the sinless soul of Christ. Justification, as we have shown, consists in the infusion of sanctifying grace, and hence it
Joseph Pohle—Grace, Actual and Habitual

Jesus Raises the Widow's Son.
(at Nain in Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 11-17. ^c 11 And it came to pass soon afterwards [many ancient authorities read on the next day], that he went into a city called Nain; and his disciples went with him, and a great multitude. [We find that Jesus had been thronged with multitudes pretty continuously since the choosing of his twelve apostles. Nain lies on the northern slope of the mountain, which the Crusaders called Little Hermon, between twenty and twenty-five miles south of Capernaum, and about
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Jesus' Feet Anointed in the House of a Pharisee.
(Galilee.) ^C Luke VII. 36-50. ^c 36 And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. [We learn from verse 40 that the Pharisee's name was Simon. Because the feast at Bethany was given in the house of Simon the leper, and because Jesus was anointed there also, some have been led to think that Luke is here describing this supper. See Matt. xxvi. 6-13; Mark xiv. 3-9; John xii. 1-8. But Simon the leper was not Simon the Pharisee. The name Simon was one of the most common among the Jewish
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Raising of the Young Man of Nain - the Meeting of Life and Death.
THAT early spring-tide in Galilee was surely the truest realisation of the picture in the Song of Solomon, when earth clad herself in garments of beauty, and the air was melodious with songs of new life. [2625] It seemed as if each day marked a widening circle of deepest sympathy and largest power on the part of Jesus; as if each day also brought fresh surprise, new gladness; opened hitherto unthought-of possibilities, and pointed Israel far beyond the horizon of their narrow expectancy. Yesterday
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Woman which was a Sinner
The precise date and place of the next recorded event in this Galilean journey of the Christ are left undetermined. It can scarcely have occurred in the quiet little town of Nain, indeed, is scarcely congruous with the scene which had been there enacted. And yet it must have followed almost immediately upon it. We infer this, not only from the silence of St. Matthew, which in this instance might have been due, not to the temporary detention of that Evangelist in Capernaum, while the others had followed
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

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