The ancient philosophy of Stoicism, which was dominant at the time of Christ, was marked by a belief that God was apathetic and incapable of feeling. God could not be moved or influenced by others. Imagine having been influenced by that philosophy and then you hear about a man. A man who claimed to be God while at the same time being a man moved with compassion. That would have been revolutionary. Yet that is precisely who Jesus reveals God to be in today’s Gospel: one who cares deeply and intimately about each and every one of us. One who can be moved with compassion.
Jesus Raises the Widow’s Son at Nain – Luke 7:11-17
Soon afterward he went to a city called Na′in, 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.
Scriptural Analysis
The city of Nain was a day’s journey from Capernaum and it lies between Endor and Shunem. You may recall that Shunem is where the Prophet Elisha raised another woman’s son (2 Kings 4). However, there is an important difference between these stories. In the case of Elisha, we read that, “he went in and shut the door upon the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.” (2 Kings 4:33) Elisha did not raise the man based on his ability but rather through his prayer to the Lord. In the case of today’s Gospel story, Jesus commands the young man, “arise” and he rose. Jesus acted on his own power and authority. This parallel is not by accident. Jesus is clearly showing how he is greater than even the greatest of the Old Testament Prophets.
At the time of Jesus, woman were dependent upon their husbands for their material well being. If the husband passed before his wife, the son would take care of his mother. This is why we see Jesus giving his mother to John. Joseph had already passed and Jesus had no siblings thus he had to make arrangements for the care of his mother. In this particular story, a widow’s only son passed away: here was no-one to take care of her meaning she was going to end up destitute. It is hard not to think that part of the compassion Jesus felt was because he knew that his own mother who was probably already widowed by this time would one day be in a similar situation.
When Jesus saw this woman, he had compassion for her. Some translations use the word pity or sympathy. This is the same word used in several other locations throughout the New Testament (Matthew 14:14, 15:32, 20:34 – Mark 1:41, 8:2). In the original Greek it is the strongest word in the Greek language for compassion. We see here how Jesus is moved as much as any human can be moved at the sight of this woman. This compassion combined with the power of God: the result is the miracle presented in this story.
Invite Him In
There are two key points for us to take away from this particular passage. First, consider the compassion that Jesus had for the widow and her son. That should move us to have similar compassion for those in similar need. Two of the Corporal Works of Mercy are to burry the dead and give alms to the poor. With regards to the first, we may not physically bury the dead but we can support those who have lost someone. Attend the funeral of their loved one. Check in on them and let them know you care. Most of all, pray for the deceased. With regards to the second, give generously to those in need. If you aren’t sure who that is, give to organizations like the Saint Vincent dePaul Society who serve the poor. Consider what things you can cut out of your life so that you can give to those who have no means to care for themselves.
With regards to the compassion of Jesus, we should spend time in prayer with that. The same compassion that Jesus had for this woman he has for us. When our eyes weep, his eyes weep. When our heart aches, his heart aches. Now, that does not mean he will always come along and miraculously ease our pain or work a miracle when we would like him to. What it does mean is he is there with us through all of the challenging times that will inevitably come our way. He is also there with us through all of the joyful times as well. He is so in love with us that he wants to be with us all the time: through every moment of our lives. That is, if we let him in. The Lord will come to us: he will knock on the door. However, he will never bust down the door and come on in without an invitation from us. He will only enter our life, if we ask him to do so.
Invite him in. Allow him to be moved by you. Allow him to show you the same compassion that he showed the widow. Allow him to love you.
Additional Resources
Comments