June 9, 2013 at Calvary
Evangelical Lutheran Church – Mechanicsburg, PA
“As [Jesus] drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had
died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow,
and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her,
He had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”
“Do not weep.” Jesus gives that command to the widow who trudges
out of Nain. She has all the reason to weep, mourn, and cry. That reason was
made clear in the Gospel Writer’s description of events: “As [Jesus] drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had
died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow,
and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.” What else should be
expected in that situation? Why wouldn’t this widow be drenched with her own
tears? Her only son was dead and his burial was about to take place.
But Jesus says to her: “Do not weep.” Why would He give such a
command to her? Is Jesus ignorant of what is taking place at the gates of Nain?
Is Jesus a great adherent of Stoicism that demands a mastery over emotions? Is
He making some bumbling attempt at comforting her? Or is it simply that Jesus
is from Mars and this widow is from Venus—a matter of the different makeup of
male and female? No, these are not why He tells her: “Do not weep.” The reason is much, much different.
Note well how Jesus is described
when He speaks this command: “And when
the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to hear, ‘Do not weep.’”
This reveals the reason for Jesus’ words. Compassion drives Jesus’ actions in
Nain, including the command that He speaks to the widow. The pathetic sight of
the funeral procession going through the gates of Nain moves Jesus. The Only
Son of God and of His Mother understands quite well what is taking place. He
knows what this widow is facing—the tragic finality of death and the calamity
that it would cause in her life from that day forward. So Jesus gives the
command to her: “Do not weep.”
That command comes from Jesus’
mouth because He is going to remove the cause of the widow’s weeping. His
compassion moves Him to do so. In that village, Jesus is about to demonstrate
His authority, even over the power of death. And when He displays that
authority, it will bring the widow’s weeping to an end: “Then Jesus came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still.
And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and
began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.” Another command is
spoken, a command that can only come from the One who is the Author of life. When
Jesus speaks that command for the young man to arise, the time for weeping ends—not
that the culturally prescribed morning period draws to a close, but that weeping
no longer has any valid reason to be done. The dead has risen; the son has been
returned to his mother; death’s power has been overcome; burial has turned to
rebirth. With that, the reason for mourning is ended.
This same dynamic is found
today. Even now, Jesus speaks the same command: “Do not weep.” He speaks it to you. Why does He do so? For the same
reasons that existed in the ancient village of Nain. Jesus knows quite well
what drives your mourning. There are so many causes for your weeping. You
suffer pain of body. Hurt emotions are not unknown to you. Witnessing the
pathetic sights of calamity broadcast from places like Moore, OK, in the past
weeks brings sorrow. Broken relationships and the severed bonds of friendship
wreak their havoc. You lament over your sinful acts. And last, but certainly
not least, there is the path that you trudge, just as the considerable crowd
did at Nain, bearing the body of the deceased to be buried. These all bring
forth weeping and wailing.
But Jesus says to you: “Do not weep.” He does so because
compassion has driven Him to act for you. Compassion has led Him to do
something drastic to put an end to these causes of your weeping. The drastic
action is this: the Only Son of God and of His Mother dies and is carried out
of the gates of Jerusalem to a borrowed tomb for His own burial. But that
drastic action also includes the Only Son of God and His Mother being raised
from that tomb, standing alive again, and showing that He has broken the power
of death.
This drastic action that Jesus
does is the answer to all the causes for weeping. By resurrection, He addresses
the reasons for tears to flow. They are done away with. Physical suffering is
brought to an end. The restoration and renewing of creation has begun. Harmony
between God and man is established and from that reconciliation flows the same
between people. The guilt of your trespasses is paid. And last, but not least,
death is swallowed up and replaced with life everlasting. This is what Jesus
does for you. The acts are driven by His compassion and pity. He knows well
what drives your mourning, but He also knows what He has done to overcome it.
And so He says to you: “Do not weep.”
Why? Because this is all for you.
But when the weeping is ended,
when that command is obeyed, there is not just a remainder of silence. The
village of Nain, including its widow, did not remain quiet. Yes, the weeping
was ended. But there was more: “Fear
seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, ‘A great prophet has arisen
among us!’ and ‘God has visited His people!’” Jesus’ drastic action of
raising the widow’s son elicited the testimony of belief about Him. It is the
same reaction that came in Zarephath when Elijah raised the widow’s child: “Now I know that you are a man of God, and
that the word of the Lord in your
mouth is truth.” This joyful confession of faith replaces the weeping. The
wailing mouths turn to worshiping mouths. The sorrowing soul turns to
celebratory spirit. Heavy hearts experience hilarity. That is what Jesus’
drastic actions bring forth in the people.
And so it is today. The
resurrection song flows out of your mouths. You join with the psalmist: “O Lord,
You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You restored me to life from among
those who go down to the pit…. You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed the sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may
sing Your praise and not be silent.” You cannot speak such words unless the
Lord has removed the cause for
your weeping. But that is what He has done. As you have received the gospel of
Jesus—the testimony about His dying and rising for your salvation—those joyous
words become yours to speak.
Those words of joy are yours to
speak because Jesus has died and risen to bring you a blessed end. That same Risen
Jesus says to you, “Do not weep.” And
His command is followed up with the other words that He says to you, the words
that you have heard from Jesus during this past Easter Season: “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will
turn to joy…. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have
overcome the world…. Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one.
I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and
Hades…. Behold, I am making all things new.”
Remember that these are not the
words spoken by someone who is ignorant of what you experience. These are not
words spoken by someone who was just trying to push emotions out of the way.
No, these are words spoken to you by One who was a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief. He has borne that Himself for you. So your Lord Jesus says:
“Do not weep.” And His works show why
that command can be obeyed. The same Jesus not only tells you that the reason
for your mourning is at an end; He also speaks and calls you to arise and share
in the everlasting life that He has won for you.
That is your hope and your
faith. This is the testimony that you carry. This is the report that you spread
about Jesus through the surrounding country, into the world that suffers, so
that the resurrection song can become theirs. Then they can say with you: “Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For
His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may
tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning…. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!”
+ In the Name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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