The Widow of Nain

Nain was a small village during Jesus’ time, located on the side of the Hill of Moreh on the eastern edge of the Jezreel Valley. It was a remote area with only one road for access. In Jesus’ day, the village was very poor. According to historical records, the town’s smallest population was just 34 households and 189 residents. Today, the area has about 1,500 residents.

Only Luke records this amazing story in the four Gospels. The day before He went to Nain, Jesus had healed the centurion’s servant in Capernaum. Then, “not long after (some ancient manuscripts say ‘the next day’),” the Savior, accompanied by a large crowd of disciples, entered the city of Nain. Capernaum is 600 feet (183 meters) below sea level, while Nain is located about 30 miles southwest at an elevation of 700 feet (213 meters). The journey to Nain was a difficult, uphill climb. When Jesus Christ completed this exhausting journey and arrived at the city, a funeral procession was carrying a young man. This young man was the only son of a widow, and in this tragic family loss, a large crowd of villagers was with her. According to Jewish tradition, a woman’s financial security was provided by her husband’s family after marriage. If the husband died, the responsibility to care for her fell to her eldest son. Now, her only son, who held the rights of the firstborn, was dead, and she was left without financial support.

These two groups met at the city gate: one was a funeral procession carrying a dead person, with many people accompanying the grieving widow; the other was a group following the Lord of Life, with a great number of people traveling with Him. To people, this meeting might have seemed like a coincidence. For the Lord, however, it was a special trip of more than a day to deliberately intercept this procession on its way to the grave.In Luke 7:13-16, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’ Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. They were all filled with awe and praised God. ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.'”

In the history of Israel, two “great prophets” had raised the dead: Elijah, who raised the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:20-23), and Elisha, who raised the son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-35). In fact, Shunem was only 5 kilometers southwest of Nain. When Jesus resurrected the widow’s son near Shunem, the people couldn’t help but connect it to the “great prophets” Elijah and Elisha, and they had to praise God for coming to help His people. By exercising His authority over the dead, Jesus demonstrated His great power of resurrection. The Lord’s authority is not meant to cause fear; it is always meant to bring freedom from bondage, comfort from sorrow, joy from hardship, and life from death.