[At that time, Jesus] 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
Jesus comes upon a funeral procession. It’s the funeral of a young man, and he is the only son of a widowed mother. What unspeakable sadness and mourning must have marked that crowd in Nain. The men who were carrying the body to the burial site were probably thinking of the friend they had lost; the woman who had already buried her husband was now having to give her only son over to the grave; the family friends who were with her no doubt felt her deep loss. Jesus happened to be in the city of Nain on this particular day, and He chanced to be nearby when the procession was making its way to the cemetery. And He was obviously very moved by what He saw. St. Luke tells us that Jesus saw the bereaved mother, and “had compassion on her,” and He went to her and said to her, “Do not weep.” And they weren’t just empty words. They weren’t like the words which you and I say embarrassingly when we’re confronted by someone who has lost someone dear to them. No - our Lord was giving the woman a reason not to cry, because after He said it, He went to the coffin and he addressed the dead man, saying “Young man, I say to you, arise!” And the gospel tells us that at that command the young man sat up, alive, and he began to speak!
Why did Jesus do this? Was it just so that this particular woman could have her son back? Certainly, that was the immediate result of Christ’s action - but that wasn’t the primary purpose of it all. No, Jesus was using a very human and tragic situation to show the world that He is Lord of all - that even death is no match for his power. And in this story is given to us a picture of the Gospel: those who were there in Nain on that day, and those of us who hear about it today, can see Jesus reach out and give life to a dead man. And this is the message which the Church has preached and taught ever since - that death has no sting, that the grave has no victory, in the face of Christ’s divine power.