Luke

7:11-17

The mission of the Messiah, 1:5-9:50

4. The acts of Messiah, 6:12-7:50

iv] An escape from death. 7:11-17

Synopsis

In this passage Luke records the raising of the widow's son, a miracle which takes place at Nain, a village located a few kilometres south of Nazareth overlooking the valley of Jezreel. As Jesus approaches the village, he and his disciples came across a funeral procession. It is bad enough that a mother's son has died, but in this case the woman is a widow. She now has no one to care for her in her old age. In the death of the son there is the death of the family line and inevitably her own death. Without being asked and without any demonstration of faith on the part of the woman, Jesus acts to bring to life the dead son. Both compassion and power are demonstrated in Jesus' act of kindness.

 
Teaching

The dawning kingdom of God means nothing less than deliverance from death itself.

 
Issues

i] Context: See 6:12-16. The raising of the widow's son in Nain serves as the fourth episode of the fourth section of Luke's gospel, The dawning of the kingdom in the acts of Messiah, 6:12-7:50.

 

ii] Structure: The raising of the widow's son:

A funeral in Nain, v11-12;

Jesus' healing, v13-15;

Response of the crowd, v16;

News spreads abroad, v17.

 

iii] Interpretation:

When we come to interpret and apply a miracle story like the raising of the widow's son, we can, of course, approach the task in a number of ways:

•iWe could take the view that the incident simply teaches us about the person of Jesus. So, in raising the dead Jesus demonstrates his divinity, along with his love toward broken humanity;

•iWe could interpret the incident literally, arguing that since Jesus raised the dead then his disciples can do the same (as long as their faith is up to it!!!!);

•iWe could take the "moral" line; Jesus demonstrates in this incident his care and consideration for the needy and we should do the same;

•iWe could even choose to go for a "spiritual" interpretation; since Jesus gave new life to this young man so he will give new life to us.

From the perspective of Biblical theology, the incident before us reveals something of the inauguration of the kingdom of God in the mission of Messiah. We have just witnessed the right response to the kingdom revealed in Jesus - the faith that enables "the poor" to possess the kingdom, v1-10. Now we witness how the signs (healings, miracles) of the coming kingdom serve only to confuse a populous without the eyes of faith.

The inauguration of the kingdom of God, in the historic nation of Israel, initially came about by the mighty and powerful intervention of God in the release of his people from their slavery in Egypt. Yet, as the prophets proclaimed, this event only imaged a future perfect reality. The kingdom is finally realised in the person of Jesus - in his words and his deeds.

Yet, the kingdom's realisation has little to do with the popular expectation of the people of Israel. They see its coming in the terms of political release and physical blessings. The dawning of the kingdom of God, inaugurated in the mission of Jesus the Messiah, achieves a far grander release. It entails release from the captivity of eternal death. The unfolding purpose of the kingdom of God is to bring life eternal, a purpose revealed in the release from death of a widow's son and realised in the gift of eternal life. The extent of this release from death, this life eternal, moves beyond our present domain to the ends of the cosmos.

Sadly, Jesus' own countryman miss the significance of the miracle. The crowd sees but a prophet, not a Messiah; they fail to recognise the one who inaugurates the coming of the kingdom of God. Jesus is seen as someone who raises the widow's son in like manner to Elijah of old. This confusion continues to spread and prompts, in the next incident, the question by John the Baptist, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"

 

iv] Synoptics:

See 3:1-20. This story is unique to Luke, as are the two following stories concerning women, 7:36-50, and 8:1-3. Scholars simply identify the story as an L source, a source unique to Luke. Of course, it is likely to be just one element of the Semitic oral tradition preserved by the early church that was available to Luke at this time. There are, of course, those who regard it as an example of the myths that developed around the person of Jesus, as evidenced in the apocryphal gospels.

 

v] Exposition: A simple exposition of this passage may be found in the linked pew-level Sermon Notes.

 
Text - 7:11

The raising of the widow's son, v11-17. i] A funeral in Nain, v11-12: Luke happily contrasts the raising of the widow's son with the previous miracle story, the healing of the centurion's slave, although they are probably not related in time. As Jesus came near to the village, with his disciples and a large group of "sight-seers", he came upon a procession for the burial of a widow's only son. Probably the whole village is in the procession as it headed toward the local cemetery. As was typical of the time, the deceased man was probably wrapped in a linen cloth and carried on a plank of wood, a bier, a kind of stretcher.

Note the similarities with 1Kings 17:8-24, and with Peter's raising of Dorcas in Acts. The evident power of God in these parallel miracles witnesses the realisation / inauguration of the kingdom of God, and not the identification of Jesus, or Peter, as a prophet like Elijah.

kai egeneto (ginomai) aor. "-" - it happened. Transitional, often used by Luke to introduce a new literary unit; "and it came to pass the day after", AV. See egeneto, 1:8.

en tw/ eJxhV "soon afterward" - on the next, in the subsequent time. Temporal use of the preposition en. When used with the feminine article, the more specific "on the next day" is intended, but with the masculine article, as here, a more general "afterward." A feminine articled variant does exist, but the more indefinite reading is probably intended, so "thereafter", "afterward", as NIV. See Metzger.

kaloumenhn (kalew) pres. pas. part. "[a town] called" - [he proceeded into a town] being called. The participle is adjectival, attributive, limiting "town"; "a town which is called Nain".

Nain "Nain" - A village related to Nazareth and Capernaum, probably originally sited near the modern village of Nein, although the actual site is still open to speculation.

suneporeuonto (sumporeuomai) imperf. "went along with" - [and] were travelling along with. The imperfect is used to express the accompanying circumstance of Jesus going (aor. "went") to Nain.

autw/ dat. pro. "him" - him [the disciples and a great crowd]. Dative of direct object after a sun prefix verb "to go along with."

 
v12

wJV "as" - [but/and] as, while. Temporal use here, rather than a comparative, serving to introduce a temporal clause. "Just as he drew near the gate of the town", Cassirer.

thV polewV (iV ewV) gen. "the town" - [he came near to the gate] of the town. The genitive is adjectival, partitive, or possessive. Note that "gate" is a dative of direct object after the verb "to draw near to." Usually of a defensive gate, but in a small village, just the entrance to the village, possibly a decorative entrance.

kai "-" - and [behold]. Untranslated. Probably used to introduce the apodosis of the first clause; "as he approached the gate of the city, then, behold, a dead person was being carried out"

teqnhkwV (qnhskw) perf. part. "a dead person" - a having died person. The participle serves as an indefinite substantive, subject of the verb "to carry out", as NIV.

exekomizeto (ekkomizw) imperf. pas. "was being carried out" - was being carried out. The imperfect tense, being durative, is possibly used to indicate that the procession was in progress. A technical term for carrying a dead body, used once only in NT.

monogenhV adj. "the only [son]" - the only [son]. Used by Luke for an only child; "he had been his mother's only son", Barclay.

th/ mhtri (hr troV) dat. "of his mother" - to the mother [of him, and she was a widow]. The dative is adverbial, reference / respect; "the only son with respect to the mother" = "his mother's only son."

iJkanoV adj. "a large" - [and] a sufficient, considerable / able, worthy. Here with a quantitative sense; "many people from the town were walking along with her", CEV.

thV polewV (iV ewV) gen. "from the town" - [crowd] of the city. The genitive is ablative, expressing source / origin, "from", as NIV.

sun + dat. "with" - [was] with [her]. Expressing association.

 
v13

ii] The healing, v13-15: Luke, giving Jesus his authoritative title, "the Lord", makes a point of noting Jesus' driving motive, his compassion, along with his authoritative word of command, "do not go on weeping." Halting the procession with a touch of his hand on the stretcher, Jesus commands the widow's son to wake up. Pulling himself up on the stretcher, as if waking up in his bed, the young man begins speaking. Jesus then presents him to his mother.

idwn (eidon) aor. part. "when [the Lord] saw" - [and] having seen [her]. The participle is adverbial, best treated as temporal, as NIV.

oJ kurioV (oV) "the Lord" - the lord. Nominative subject of the verb "to have compassion on." This authoritative title for Jesus is particularly used of Jesus after the resurrection. Here Luke is recounting a resurrection story and so, looking back, gives Jesus the name that is above all names. Luke will go on to use this title for Jesus on other important occasions.

esplagcnisqh (splagcnizomai) aor. pas. "his heart went out " - had compassion. This motive is ascribed to Jesus on a number of occasions; "he felt sorry for her", NJB.

ep (epi) + dat. "to" - upon, over, on [her]. Spatial. Usually with the accusative.

mh + pres. imp. "Don't [cry]" - [and said to her, do] not [cry]. This negation, used with the present imperative, was once understood to expresses a command to cease an action already in progress, although today this classification is not as widely held as it was; "stop crying", "do not go on weeping", Plummer.

 
v14

proselqwn (prosercomai) aor. part. "then he went up" - [and] having approached, come to. The participle is adverbial, temporal, as NIV, or just attendant circumstance; "and he went up and touched the bier."

hJyato (aJptw) aor. "touched" - he touched. An important observation, since by touching the bier Jesus has made himself ritually unclean. Nolland and Plummer suggest that the gesture serves to stop the procession. "Laid his hand on the bier", REB.

thV sorou (oV) gen. "the coffin / bier" - the bier. Genitive of direct object after the verb aJptw, "to touch". Once only use in the NT. Properly a plank of wood on which the body is laid, wrapped in a linen cloth. "He went up and touched the bier", NJB; "stretcher", CEV.

oiJ ... bastazonteV (bastazw) pres. part. "those carrying" - [and] the ones carrying [stood]. The participle serves as a substantive, nominative subject of the verb "to stand". "The bearers", Barclay.

soi dat. pro. "[I say] to you" - [and said, young man, i say] to you. Dative of indirect object. The position is emphatic - "to you I say."

egerqhti (egeirw) aor. pas. imp. "get up" - be raised up. The passive is being used with active force and so this is not a resurrection event as such. As in the sense of calling someone back from the dead, thus Phillips "wake up."

 
v15

Note Elijah's actions of raising the widow's son as compared to Jesus' word of command, cf. 1Kings 17:21. See also for Elisha, 2Kings 4:35.

oJ nekroV adj. "the dead man" - [and] the dead man. Adjective used as a substantive.

anekaqisen (anakaqizw) aor. "sat up" - sat up. The word is only used here and in Acts, in both cases of a person restored to life and therefore particularly of a sick person sitting up in bed.

laleiV (lalew) pres. inf. "[began] to talk" - [and he began] to speak. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "began". The talking indicates the healing is complete.

edwken (didwmi) aor. "Jesus gave [him] back" - [and] he gave [him]. cf. parallel "he gave him to his mother", 1Kings 17:23. "Jesus presented him to his mother", Peterson.

th/ mhtri (h roV) dat. "to [his] mother" - to the mother [of him]. Dative of indirect object.

 
v16

iii] The response of the crowd, v16: Given the cues in this miracle story, it is no wonder the crowd thinks they have a new Elijah with them. Even John the Baptist is confused, cf. 7:18-35. Yet, the miracle is actually a messianic sign for those with eyes to see. "Messiah's mission now is revealed as one that will deliver Israel, not from the Romans, but from the captivity of (sin and) death", Ellis.

elaben (lambanw) aor. "they were [all] filled" - [but/and fear] took, seized [all = everyone]. The classic response to messianic signs - fear and amazement takes hold. "They were all awestruck", Barclay.

edoxazon (doxazw) imperf. "praised" - [and] they were glorifying, praising [god]. The imperfect is possibly inceptive, "they began to praise God", Williams; but a durative sense may also be intended where the "awe and respect", Bock (= "fear"), prompts ongoing praise.

legonteV (legw) pres. part. "-" - saying. The NIV treats this participle as attendant circumstance, redundant, expressing action accompanying the verb "they were glorifying", but possibly adverbial, modal, expressing the manner of the glorifying, namely in speech, "saying", as ESV. See legwn, 4:35.

oJti "-" - that. Here twice used to introduce a dependent statement of direct speech, expressing what the people said, although they may be causal, esp. the second; "not the content of the praise but the reason for it", TH.

megaV hgerqh "a great prophet" - a great prophet. The absence of the article indicates that the crowd is not saying that Jesus is the long awaited revived Elijah; nor is their declaration messianic. The people aren't quite sure who Jesus is.

hgerqh (egairw) aor. pas. "has appeared" - was raised up. The passive, "has been brought on the scene", possibly indicates a recognition of divine action in Jesus' ministry in the village.

en + dat. "among" - in = among [us]. Here expressing association; "a great prophet is here with us", CEV.

epeskoyato (episkeptomai) aor. "has come to help" - [and that god] has come to visit [the people of him]. Used of God's visitations to his people, usually with the consequence of blessing - care, salvation. So NIV. "God has come in kindness to his people", Barclay; "God is back, looking to the needs of his people", Peterson.

 
v17

iv] The news spreads abroad, v17: The news of God's prophetic visitation spreads far and wide. As a consequence, the news reaches John the Baptist in prison. John had thought that Jesus was the messiah, not just a prophet. Could the Baptist be mistaken?

oJ logoV outoV "the news" - [and] this report. Possibly generally, "this story about the healing of the widow's son", but probably more specifically the opinion that a prophet was again present in Israel. "And this view of him", NJB.

peri + gen. "about [Jesus]" - concerning [him]. Expressing reference / respect; "this report with respect to Jesus."

exhlqen (exercomai) aor. "spread" - went out. "The news of him (concerning Jesus the Saviour), and of this event, filled every city, village, and home in Judea", Junkins.

en + dat. "throughout" - in [all Judea and the surrounding countryside]. Expressing space / place, here with the sense "into". "Judea", probably taking a regional sense and therefore including Galilee, so "Palestine / Israel". The second clause, Plummer suggests, takes on an augmented force, "and what is more, in the region round about." The point being that John the Baptist hears of the "prophet" at work and, as a consequence, is confused. John the Baptist is imprisoned at Machaerus.

 

Luke Introduction

Exposition

Exegetical Commentaries

 

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