Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region. (Luke 7:11-17)
In today’s Gospel, we hear of Jesus, moved to pity, and restoring a man to life by his touch. On the surface, this can be read as a physical miracle, which it was at the time, but it is also a story of how Jesus acts in the world today. Anyone who has been converted to Christ will attest to this fact, as the sensation is that of having Jesus physically touch your heart and restore you from death to life. There is no more accurate description of coming out of the darkness of unbelief into the light of Christ than to say that Jesus touched the coffin in which you lay and restored you to life. This action by Christ is wholly unmerited, which is a humbling thought. The Christian does nothing to deserve being chosen as an adopted child of God, nor can the lowly Christian ever repay this gift. All too often we forget that we, just as the dead man in the Gospel today, were resurrected by Christ from the darkness of a life lived in death. This comes out of God’s love for us, as well as his merciful forgiveness.
As Saint John Chrysostom says, “Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave.” Christ was resurrected, love was lifted up in glory, for our sake, and no matter how many times we fall into darkness, Christ is there to bring us back from the dead. He alone restores us to life, and without Him we fall into darkness. If any part of your life has fallen into death, turn to Christ so that he may restore you to life. He is always there with his merciful love to lift you out of darkness.
Copyright 2022 Jessica Tucker