He Saw the Woman

Some of the amazing women I met in Namibia.

Scripture:

Luke 7:11   Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. ¹² As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. ¹³ When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴ Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” ¹⁵ The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. ¹⁶ Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” ¹⁷ This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

Observation:

This story is only found in Luke’s gospel. The town of Nain is identified here, and has only recently been uncovered by archaeologists. By now, Jesus and his entourage were quite a sight, for not only were the disciples with him, but a large crowd was following him. This would have raised the attention of both the religious and the government leaders, who would all have feared any type of populist uprising. That, however, was not Jesus’ intent, but rather, he simply continued to faithfully participate in the Father’s mission. 

As he entered the city, there was a funeral procession going out of the town. The body had to be buried outside the city so that the city itself would not become unclean. The person would have to be buried the very day in which they died. This was a particularly poignant scene as the woman was already a widow, having lost her husband, and now, having lost her only son. All of the security in her life is gone in a moment, and she will now be alone. “Had it been in Judaea, the hired mourners and musicians would have preceded the bier; in Galilee they followed. First came the women; for, as an ancient Jewish commentary explains, woman, who brought death into our world, ought to lead the way in the funeral procession” (Edersheim, “Jewish Social Life”). The entire scene is fraught with imagery and symbolism. The woman who symbolizes the entrance of death into the world, is ushering out her son, and Jesus sees her. 

Not only does Jesus see this woman, but he has compassion on her. Again we see the Sermon on the Plain coming to life. For many, women were the enemy, the ones who symbolized Eve, who brought sin and death into the world. As such, women were considered second class, and some might say “the enemy.” Jesus had preached about loving your enemy, and having mercy or compassion on them. This is what unfolds, Jesus sees the woman, she is at the front of the funeral procession, symbolic of the sin of Eve, and Jesus has compassion on her. He tells her not to weep, and this is a word spoken to all women on whom Jesus has compassion, for they are not to weep, because Jesus has come to save everyone. 

The moment of the miracle comes as Jesus touches the bier and speaks to the young man, telling him to rise. We can only imagine the shock of those around for this wasn’t just a small sign of life, but we are led to believe that he is made entirely well. He sits up and begins to speak. Next we envision Jesus taking him by the hand, and then joining his hand with that of his mother. The healing and restoration are now complete. There is no need for weeping, the corruption of death brought into the world by the sin of Eve is defeated, and the widow has a future. 

The parallels to the Old Testament prophets of Elijah, who raised the son of the widow of Zarephath, and also of Elisha, who raised the Shunammite’s son are astounding. No wonder the people are amazed and refer to him as a great prophet among them. Jesus’ action are praised and the news about him spreads throughout the region. 

Application:

Participating in God’s mission in this world requires us to really see people. It’s so easy to be busy and go on with our lives without paying attention to what is happening around us, and the result is that we miss out on God’s mission in this world. It’s in the ordinary moments that we are challenged to really see where God is at work. 

My husband, Chuck, does a great job of taking clothing to the cleaners, because it’s on his way to the church. He’s been going to this particular dry cleaners for about four years now. He likes to park the car and go in so that he can talk to the ladies who work there. What’s amazing is that he takes the time to really see who is working, and have a conversation with them. Now, he has a relationship with the lady behind the counter. She shared with him that she had been having a really hard time. COVID is getting people down — and they are lonely and depressed. He asked if he could pray for her — and right there in the cleaners, he prayed. She told him that when things got better she wanted to visit the church — but told him, by the way, I’ve been watching on-line. None of this would have happened had Chuck not made the effort to see her. 

So many have told me how hard this year has been and how isolated they feel, but we all have opportunities to see people. I think that now, more than ever, we need to go out of our way to try and connect from behind our masks, and let people know that we recognize that they are present and that they are important. 

Also, let’s remember that Jesus really sees us. No matter what is happening in our own lives today, Jesus sees us, has compassion on us, and wants to meet our need.

As always, Jesus leads the way and helps us realize what it means to be living life in God’s kingdom. 

Prayer:

Lord, open my eyes to see those around me. Amen.