Death's Door is Always Ajar [5-4-25]

May 4, 2025

Luke 7:11-17

“Death’s Door is Always Ajar”

Today’s passage covers the second healing miracle in chapter seven. The first was based on a request by a Roman Centurion. If you remember, he made it clear that he was unworthy to be in the presence of Jesus. A few days after I wrote the message on Luke 7:1-10, I heard a song from Zach Williams I hadn’t heard before. It would have fit the message. Again, one of the main points of Luke 7:1-10 was Jesus’ love for a man who did not think himself worthy. Here are a few lyrics from “Jesus Loves” by Zach Williams:

All the renegades, the rebels, and the runaways

All the prodigals who got a little lost along the way

And all the backsliders, up all nighters, down in a rut

These are the ones

The ones that Jesus loves

Every dream shattered, bruised and battered, barely hanging on

Every heartbroken, lonely soul sitting all alone

And every outcast, stuck in their past, scared of letting go

These are the ones

The ones that Jesus chose

So come on in, the door is open

And the Savior's arms are too

The table's set, a seat is waiting

And He saved it just for you

So no more running

No more hiding

Come on in and you will find

That you don't have to be enough

To be someone Jesus loves

And all the too proud, the holier than thou, looking down on them

And all the high and mighty, fallen from grace, trying to start again

And all the stones cast, judgment passed, He's forgiven you

Oh, He's leaving the light on

So you know where to run to

Don't gotta fight for His forgiveness

Don't gotta beg Him for his grace

You don't gotta argue for acceptance

If you hear nothin' else, child, hear me say

Yes, Jesus loves

Oh yes, Jesus loves you

That beautiful song fits both healing stories.

After healing the Centurion’s servant, Jesus heads on down to Nain. Nain is about twenty-five miles from Capernaum, where Jesus just was. That’s a long day’s journey on foot.

Here’s our passage:

Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he 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.” Then he 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. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

Let’s first look at the big picture. Here’s something you might want to write down:

JESUS’ WORD IS AUTHORITATIVE AND HE HAS DOMINION OVER LIFE AND DEATH.

From the beginning of the gospel which bears his name, Luke makes clear that Jesus is God incarnate. That means in the flesh. Cutting to the chase in verse thirteen, we read and when the Lord saw her. It doesn’t get more direct than that. Jesus is not simply a great prophet or a great man, mighty in deed and word. He is Lord.

Here's the other big deal in these verses. As the incarnate Son of God, Jesus embodies the true nature of the Father. That’s why we call it Good News. As we’ll see, Jesus has compassion for a widow who’s son is dead. I love how this truth reminds us of Lamentations 3:22-24:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

Can you hear the song that is based on this passage? Are you singing it in your head right now?

1. Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.

2. Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine and ten thousand beside.

Those two songs - “Jesus Loves” and “Great is Thy Faithfulness” - give us solid footing as we reflect on these verses. Jesus travels down to Nain. By the way, it still exists today. About 2,000 people live there. Jesus decides to go to Nain, dragging an entourage with him. As we’ll see, he goes with divine purpose. Remember, God never acts whimsically. It is a mission of mercy and love. As Isaiah 55:11 reminds us, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” God always acts with purpose. And He loves fiercely. In these verses, we see Jesus as a perfect reflection of the Father.

I love how Luke gets us right in to it. Verse twelve grabs us. “As he drew

near to the gate of the town, behold…” Behold. It’s a word meant to indicate something startling. Like saying, “Whoa!” “Would you look at that.” Everybody but Jesus is surprised. Because he is there for the soon-to-unfold display of his Lordship and love.

And what happens? The funeral is over, however they conducted funerals 2,000 years ago. The corpse is carried on a bier, which is a pallet or stretcher or some such device. There’s no coffin. The corpse is wrapped. Powder and herbs and other such aromatics are dusted on the shroud. So that’s where they’re at.

That’s the sight that catches Jesus’ eye. It’s what he’s been waiting for. It’s what he knew was going to happen. And when he sees her, his heart goes out to her.

There’s something we need to understand. Jesus doesn’t have compassion simply because her son is dead. That’s bad enough. She’s also faced with a devastating predicament. You see, she is now alone. Husband dead. Now her son. He was her support system. Chances are, all these people weeping with her and carrying the body are not going to be there for her when the tears dry. They have their own families and lives to support. Especially for a widow, a son was the gold standard for security and care.

Now we know, for two big reasons, why Jesus’ heart goes out to her. She has lost a beloved son. And she has lost an essential lifeline. Here’s how important a son is:

Jeremiah 6:26 – “O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.”

Amos 8:10 – “I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head; I will make it like the mourning for an only son and the end of it like a bitter day.”

Why does Jesus walk more than twenty miles to a nothing of a town? God is moving him toward a dramatic expression of power and love. What did we hear in verse thirteen? Jesus is Lord. We remember back to Luke 4:18 where Jesus says he’s bringing good news to the poor and release to the captives. And what does this healing moment reveal? Good news to a mother who lost her only son and release of that son who is held captive by death. Jesus is there exactly for this moment. It’s not by accident. It is exactly for this moment of the expression of God’s sovereign will. Nothing in the gospel is coincidental.

Next week, we’ll explore the actual healing and its implication for our lives. Until then, remember, Jesus is Lord. Nothing is accidental. And he arrives at this moment as part of an expression of God’s sovereign plan and purpose for our salvation.

Until then, we’ll let the words of Charles Spurgeon lead us to the Lord’s Supper:

“THERE IS NO ATTRIBUTE OF GOD MORE COMFORTING TO HIS CHILDREN THAN THE DOCTRINE OF DIVINE SOVEREIGNTY. UNDER THE MOST ADVERSE CIRCUMSTANCES, IN THE MOST SEVERE TROUBLE, THEY BELIEVE THAT SOVEREIGNTY HATH ORDAINED THEIR AFFLICTIONS, THAT SOVEREIGNTY OVERRULES THEM, AND THAT SOVEREIGNTY WILL SANCTIFY THEM ALL.”