Like in the story of the servant of the centurion (Lk. 7:1-10) it seems as if the protagonist is not the most important person.
The other story was not really about the servant who got healed; this story is not really about the young man of Nain. We know virtually nothing about him: not what he died of; not even what he said when he started speaking after Jesus raised him.
Unlike the story of the servant of the centurion, faith has no role in this story. Jesus’ compassion with the widow is all that is necessary. Widows were very vulnerable especially if they had no family. It was up their children to care for them. This widow was not only losing a child but also losing her only form of income. I wonder why there was such a large crowd. Was the young man well known, were there many friends of the widow? I wonder how difficult it was for Jesus to touch the bier and stop the procession. I wonder how it was for the young man to return to his life. But mostly I delight that Jesus’ compassion is stronger than death.
5 June 2016
Luke 7:11-17
This weekly blog on one of the lectionary readings is by Anne Claar Thomasson-Rosingh, Programme Leader for Lifelong Learning at Sarum College.
Leave a Reply