Christian Art | Jesus Raises The Dead | King James Audio Bible | KJV
Luke 7:11-17 – Week 24 Ordinary Time, Tuesday (King James Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word)
11 ¶ And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
13 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.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
17 And this rumour of him went forth throughout all Judæa, and throughout all the region round about.
When he saw the young man who had died, and his mother, Jesus had compassion. Compassion means literally to suffer with. This is what Jesus experienced as he entered Nain: Jesus suffered with the young man who had died and with his mother. Then Jesus touched the bier and he restored the young man to life. Jesus said to the man who was dead: Arise.
Everyone who witnessed this miracle saw what had happened and glorified God. The people’s response includes to fear God. The word fear can truly express the magnitude of what it is to find ourselves in the presence of God. This is no mere craven subjection; it is rather a sense of absolute awe and wonder in response to the presence of the Almighty.
We may imagine a trembling through and through the people as they met with God, and this was one of the principle reasons why Jesus performed his miracles, such that they would serve as signs, to help the people to know the truth of Jesus – that God is with us.
At the heart of our Christian faith is this truth: we who were dead, through sin, are called by Jesus to life. Jesus restores our life. Jesus was crucified, died and was buried, and he rose again. Through Jesus, death was overcome by life.
In this Gospel episode, we find our life in Jesus beautifully expressed. Where there was sorrow, now there is joy. Where there was death, now there is life. We are touched by Jesus and told to arise. We who were dead can sit up and begin to speak.
Concluding Prayer | Love Revealed By Jesus Christ
As we pray before you, Lord,
we ask you, in your mercy, for the grace
always to ponder in our hearts
what we proclaim with our lips.
We make our prayer through our Lord.
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
Jesus And The Resurrection Of The Dead
Raising Of The Dead In The Old Testament
Elijah the prophet raised the son of the widow of Zarephath from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24). In this account, the widow’s son had died, and she blamed Elijah for it. Elijah took the boy’s body and prayed to God, asking Him to restore the boy’s life. God heard Elijah’s prayer, and the boy was revived.
Elisha the prophet also raised a boy from the dead (2 Kings 4:8-37). In this account, a wealthy woman invited Elisha to stay at her home, and she and her husband built a room for him. Elisha promised the woman that she would have a son, and she did. However, one day the boy suddenly became ill and died. The woman took the boy’s body to Elisha’s room and laid him on the bed. Elisha prayed to God and laid on the boy’s body, and the boy came back to life.
In addition to these accounts, the Old Testament contains several prophecies about the coming Messiah who would have power over death. For example, Hosea 13:14 says: ‘I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.’ (KJV) This prophecy indicates that the Messiah would have power over death and would redeem His people from it.
The book of Ezekiel contains a vision in which God brings life to dry bones (Ezekiel 37:1-14). In this vision, Ezekiel sees a valley full of dry bones, and God tells him to prophesy over them. As Ezekiel speaks, the bones come together and are covered with flesh, and God breathes life into them. This vision symbolizes the spiritual restoration of Israel, but it also points to the power of God to bring life from death.
The Old Testament accounts foreshadow the coming of Jesus. They also illustrate the consistent message throughout the Bible that God is a God of life, who has power over death and will one day defeat it completely.
Raising Of The Dead In The New Testament
Luke 7:11-17 tells the story of Jesus raising a young man from the dead. As Jesus and his disciples entered the town of Nain, they came across a funeral procession for a young man who was the only son of his widowed mother. When Jesus saw the woman weeping, Jesus was moved with compassion and told her not to cry. Jesus then approached the funeral bier and touched it, saying: ‘Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.’ (Luke 7:14, KJV) The young man immediately sat up and began to speak, and Jesus presented him to his mother.
This miracle demonstrated Jesus’ power over death and Jesus’ compassion for those who are grieving. It also fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah, who would perform such miracles. ‘Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing.’ (Isaiah 35:5-6 KJV)
In addition to the story of Jesus raising the young man in Nain, the Bible records several other instances of Jesus raising the dead. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been dead for four days (John 11:1-44). This miracle was particularly significant because it occurred in front of many witnesses, including Jewish leaders who were seeking to kill Jesus. Lazarus’ resurrection confirmed Jesus’ divine power and foreshadowed Jesus’ own resurrection.
Jesus also raised the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler, from the dead (Mark 5:21-43). In this account, Jesus arrived at Jairus’ home to find mourners weeping and wailing. Jesus took the girl’s hand and said: ‘Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.’ (Mark 5:41, KJV) The girl immediately got up and walked around, and Jesus told her parents to give her something to eat.