The town of Nain is mentioned only once in the Bible, in Luke 7:11-17. Yet this single reference contains profound truths about Jesus’ compassion and power over death.
The account begins by stating that Jesus and his disciples were approaching the town gate of Nain, with a large crowd following them. At that same time, a funeral procession was coming out of the town – a widow had lost her only son and was accompanying his body to the burial site. When Jesus saw the widow, he was filled with compassion. He told her not to weep, then touched the coffin and commanded the young man to arise. Instantly the man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus presented him back to his astonished mother.
This miracle astonished the crowds and word about Jesus spread throughout the region. But it also gives us several important insights about Jesus and the gospel message:
- Jesus cares deeply about those who are hurting and grieving. His compassion moved him to act.
- Jesus has power over death itself. His divine authority brought a dead man back to life.
- Jesus came to turn weeping into joy. The grieving mother was incredibly comforted.
- Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. His words and miracles fulfilled Messianic prophecies.
The background of Nain is also significant. Nain was a small village located about 6 miles southeast of Jesus’ base of operations in Capernaum. It was an obscure, insignificant place – so the fact that Luke bothers to name it shows that it had become well known as the site of this remarkable miracle.
The name Nain means “beautiful, pleasant place” – which ironically contrasts with the sad scene of the widow burying her only son. But Jesus transformed the widow’s mourning into joy when he raised her son, fulfilling the true meaning of the town’s name.
The location of this miracle at the town gate is also important. In ancient Jewish culture, the town gate was a place where significant events happened – legal matters, business transactions, and public meetings. So Jesus performed this astonishing sign in full view of many eyewitnesses, leaving no doubt as to its authenticity.
Overall, while Nain is just a small village that most people overlook, Luke masterfully uses this obscure setting to recount a profound miracle of Jesus. As one commentator writes, “By raising the widow’s son, Jesus showed how he came to reverse death and despair with resurrection and hope.”
1. Jesus’ Compassion in the Nain Account
The first major truth we learn from this passage is that Jesus cares deeply for those who are hurting and grieving. The account stresses Jesus’ compassion when he saw the widow in her immense grief.
Luke 7:13 says “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’” The word for “compassion” means to be moved in one’s inner parts – Jesus viscerally felt this woman’s pain. His empathy led him to act.
The background makes this even more profound. In ancient Jewish society, women were completely dependent on their husbands and sons. For a widow to lose her only son meant she lost her sole provider and means of survival. That is the hopeless state Jesus encountered.
And this compassionate response was typical of Jesus throughout his ministry:
- He had compassion for the leper (Mark 1:41)
- He had compassion for the hungry crowds (Matt 15:32)
- He wept with Mary and Martha over Lazarus’ death (John 11:33-35)
- He frequently lifted up outcasts, sinners, and the vulnerable
As Hebrews 4:15 reminds us, Jesus is not unmoved by our weaknesses and sufferings. He can sympathize with us in our pain. He feels compassion for all who are hurting and grieving.
2. Jesus’ Power Over Death
This passage also clearly demonstrates Jesus’ divine power and authority over death itself. He instantly transformed a funeral march into a resurrection miracle.
When Jesus approached the coffin, he said “Young man, I say to you, arise” (Luke 7:14). The dead man then sat up and began to speak. Scripture is clear that he had been dead, not merely unconscious. But at Jesus’ authoritative command, his life was restored.
The witnesses were understandably astonished and glorified God (Luke 7:16). In Jesus’ day, people knew dead people stayed dead. But Jesus displayed his power over mortality and the natural order.
This miracle pointed ahead to Jesus’ own death and resurrection. During his ministry he raised three people – Jairus’ daughter, the widow’s son, and Lazarus. Each one foreshadowed his power over death at the cross. As John 11:25 declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.”
This display of authority also authenticated Jesus’ Messianic identity. The prophets foretold that when the Messiah came, he would perform miracles and triumph over death. Jesus was fulfilling those expectations through signs like raising the widow’s son to life.
3. Turning Weeping into Joy
This passage shows how Jesus came to transform human sorrow into joy. The grieving widow went from hopeless weeping to astonished joy in mere moments.
When Jesus first saw the funeral procession, the widow was openly weeping (Luke 7:13). In that culture, it was customary to hire professional mourners to wail loudly at funerals, so the grieving was intense.
Yet after Jesus raised the man to life, Luke says he “gave him to his mother” (Luke 7:15). Imagine the utter joy and awe of this woman as her beloved son was restored to her.
This demonstrates Jesus’ purpose in coming – to heal our brokenness and wipe away every tear. As Isaiah 25:8 prophecies of him, “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.”
Though we still grieve, we have hope beyond the grave because of Christ. The miracle at Nain points ahead to the day when death and sorrow will be eradicated forever (Rev 21:4).
4. Jesus as the Messianic King
This passage also highlights Jesus’ identity as the long-awaited Messianic king. Both his words and his miracles fulfilled Messianic prophecies about the kingdom of God breaking into the world.
For example, his statement “Do not weep” reflects the Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 25:8 – “The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.” Jesus was fulfilling this role.
Furthermore, raising the widow’s son mirrored events in the ministry of Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:18-37) – prophets who foreshadowed the coming of the Messiah. Jesus was now taking up their prophetic mantle as the preeminent King.
The crowds also recognized Jesus as the fulfiller of prophecy. Luke 7:16 says “Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and ‘God has visited his people!’” They sensed Jesus was inaugurating the Messianic kingdom.
Overall, this obscure miracle in a remote village revealed Jesus as the promised Messiah coming in power and authority. Though he had not yet established his physical kingdom, his signs and wonders gave glimpses of the age to come.
5. The Background of Nain
Looking closer at the background of Nain gives further insight into why this location mattered. Jesus was far from the centers of power – yet this miracle made the name Nain famous.
Nain was a small village located about 6 miles southeast of Jesus’ base in Capernaum. During his Galilean ministry, Jesus spent significant time around the Sea of Galilee, so Nain was just on the southeast fringe.
The village was likely no more than a few hundred residents at most. It was fairly obscure – no major trade routes passed through it. So Nain seems like an unlikely place for a major miracle.
Yet after Jesus raised the widow’s son there, Luke bothers to record the name of the town. This indicates Nain became well known in the early church because of this astonishing sign. The miracle put Nain on the map.
The fact that Jesus did this in an out-of-the-way place shows his concern for individual people, not just places of power and influence. As one teacher said, “The names of small towns and villages have a place in the story of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
6. The Significance of the Name Nain
The actual name of the village also has symbolic meaning that contrasts with the sad scene upon Jesus’ arrival.
The name Nain comes from a Hebrew root word meaning “beautiful, pleasant, lovely.” Some scholars suggest the full meaning is “beauty-land.”
Of course, the village was far from beautiful when Jesus approached. The wailing mourners accompanying the widow made for a miserable procession exiting the town gate.
Yet Jesus was about to transform Nain into a place of joy and life. He took a funeral march and turned it into a resurrection celebration. This fulfilled the pleasant, beautiful meaning of the town’s name.
One commentator writes of Nain, “Our Lord signalized it as the place where He had given back its joy, its life, its beauty.” The raising of the widow’s son made the village live up to its name.
7. The Significance of the Town Gate
The location of this miracle at the entrance gate of Nain also carried symbolic meaning for Luke’s readers.
In ancient Jewish towns, the gate was a place where significant events happened. Legal matters were settled there. Business transactions occurred there. Public meetings took place there. The gate marked the boundary between the town and the outside world.
So this setting highlighted the public nature of Jesus’ miracle. He raised the widow’s son in full view of the crowds passing in and out of the gate. There were many eyewitnesses.
The events at Nain mirror other key events in Scripture that happened at town gates:
- Boaz officially claimed Ruth as his wife at the gate (Ruth 4:1-12)
- The elders judged Deborah’s complaints at the gate (Judges 4:5)
- Mordecai was honored by the king at the gate (Esther 6:10-11)
Similarly, Jesus publicly displayed his authority as Messiah through this gateside miracle. There was no doubt about its authenticity – it occurred in broad daylight in front of many onlookers.
As one commentator summarizes, “Jesus meets this funeral procession at the gate of the city, the place where everything happened publicly, out in the open for all to see.”
8. Transforming a Hopeless Situation
Overall, the account of Jesus raising the widow’s son in Nain provides a profound picture of Christ’s power to utterly transform even the most hopeless of human situations.
The widow was not just grieving, but destitute. She had already lost her husband, and now her sole remaining provider was gone. Without her adult son she would likely wind up begging or starving.
Similarly, the young man had died in the prime of life. There was no chance of resuming his occupation or goals. His life had ended abruptly.
Both found themselves in an utterly hopeless predicament. Yet Jesus’ compassion led him to reverse both tragedies with just a word. He singlehandedly altered two devastating life situations.
This account reminds us we can turn to Christ no matter how hopeless our circumstances seem. There is no human brokenness he cannot mend, no problem he cannot fix, no life he cannot resurrect.
As one commentator summarizes, “He who stood at the gate of Nain still stands ready to enter into our suffering and speak His word of irresistible power.” We serve a God of miraculous compassion.
9. A Picture of the Gospel
In many ways, this brief account of Jesus at Nain provides a beautiful picture of the gospel message itself.
We were once dead in our sins and utterly without hope, like the young man in his coffin. There appeared no way to reverse our condition.
But in compassion Jesus came to us, just as he approached the funeral procession that day. By God’s grace through faith, his authoritative word raised us to new spiritual life.
Now we have joy and peace in Christ, like the astonished widow must have felt holding her son again. In an instant, Jesus transformed her hopeless grief into amazed joy.
And this miracle points ahead to the consummation of our salvation – when Christ will raise our very bodies back to life, just as he did for the widow’s son that day in Nain.
The location may have been remote and obscure, but the spiritual truths Jesus revealed there remain profound to this day. What took place in Nain still lies at the very heart of the gospel message we proclaim.