Lessons from an Interrupted Funeral Luke 7.11-17

Lessons from the Interrupted Funeral at Main

Sermon for October 5, 2025 Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Greenville, Illinois

"Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

Luke 7.11-17

 

Introduction

 

     God's miracles override the laws of nature and the curse of sin and give us a fantastic picture of Him and His work. A pastor once said that Jesus ruined every funeral He attended. This is true. He shut down the mourners at the death of Jairus' daughter. He stopped the funeral procession at Nain. He reopened and vacated the tomb of Lazarus. He cancelled the final burial preparations on the third day of His own death. The miracle of the raising of the widow's son at Nain is like viewing a painting in which we can see many important lessons about God and His plans for our lives. 

 

Miracles Are Divine Interruptions

 

     Let's begin with the definition of a miracle. Most of the time Jesus was preaching and teaching God's word. But along with this Jesus often put God's word into action as He interrupted the normal course of the world. Because of sin this world is under the curse of God. The Bible says, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (Romans 5.12). But God also loves this world, and His divine purpose is to save us from this curse through His Son, Jesus. Again the Bible says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us" (Galatians 3.13). When God intervenes, when He interrupts the curse of sin, this is a miracle. 

 

     Some people say that miracles don't happen. They usually say this because they say they've never seen a miracle. It is true that miracles like the raising of the man from Nain are rare. They may not happen often, but how can anyone be sure that they never happen? There are many things even in nature that happen rarely and that I've never seen. I've heard of a century plant that blooms once in it's life some time between twenty and thirty years of age. Amazing. I believe it because I trust the people who have told me about it, but I've never seen it myself. Just because something happens rarely and I've never seen it, doesn't mean it isn't real.  But the real reason people deny the miracles of God is because they don't believe there is a God who is saving us from our sins. They don't believe there is a God who has interrupted and is interrupting this world every day to do that. 

 

     A pastor I know taught his congregation that evangelism and believing in Jesus is a miracle. First, he taught them the words of God that people need to hear in order to believe: That we are sinners; that Jesus, the Son of God, gave His life to forgive our sin and to save us; that believing in Him is being born again from the dead. To really impress this upon his evangelism committe, he took them one night to a cemetery. He asked them to repeat the key Bible passages he had taught them. Then he said, "If you share those passages with somebody, and if the Holy Spirit causes them to believe and confess their faith in Jesus, that is a miracle no different than if you saw the ground in front of you, right now, begin to shake, the casket buried here rising up and opening, and the dead person whose name is on the headstone sat up and began singing." A miracle is God interrupting the curse of sin, and miracles like that are happening every day in one way or another as people hear the word of God and realize the effects of believing, healing, and saving. This is probably the most important lesson to take away from hearing about the miracle of the raising of the man from Nain. But there are more.

 

God Can Save Anyone

 

     Some early church fathers drew allegorical (symbolic) lessons from the resurrection miracles of Jesus. There were three of them as I mentioned early: Jairus' Daughter, Widow's Son of Nain, and Lazarus. They saw in these three miracles a lesson on how God forgives sin in its different stages. Jairus' daughter represented sins of thought (early stage of sin?). The Widow's Son represented more public sins (they were at the city gate). Lazarus represented God's forgiveness of really bad sins since he had been dead four days ("He stinketh!). Is it true that God forgives sins in all stages? Yes. If that's the lesson you draw from these miracles, then that is a good lesson. 

     The Bible tells us there is no sin that God cannot forgive except the sin you withhold from Him and the sin for which you refuse to repent. All sins are equally bad in the eyes of God because they are all connected to each other. If I try to touch a rattlesnake's head, I will probably get bitten quickly. If I try to touch a rattlesnake's tail, I may not get bitten as quickly, but I'm likely be bitten just the same. Yet the evil one loves to use our sins against us. First he acts as the devil, which means "deceiver." He lies to us and convinces us that it is okay to sin. Then he becomes the satan, which means accuser. He makes us feel guilty for our sin and never lets us forget about it. He convinces us that there is no hope, or he convinces us that we can make up for our sin with some good works. But he never tells us about forgiveness. The sin is always there. Yet God does just the opposite. Do you remember the sinful woman (probably a prostitute) who put ointment on Jesus' feet and washed them with her tears and kissed them? Jesus said of her (as He says to all of us): "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven" (Luke 7.47). The miracle at Nain shows us that God can save anyone at any stage of sin or death.

 

Saved by Grace

 

     During the Reformation both Martin Luther and John Calvin saw in this miracle the truth that salvation is by grace alone. They pointed out that there were no negotiations between the dead man or his mother and Jesus. He didn't ask if He could interrupt this funeral. Jesus halted the procession and raised the young man. In the same way our salvation from sin is brought about by the promises of God's grace not by our works. Good works follow the grace of God, not the other way around. Salvation is a free gift that produces good works in us. Good works are not a "have to" but a "want to" because of the good work and miracle of our conversion from "light to darkness and from the power of satan to God" (Acts 26.18). 

 

     One of the reasons this teaching of salvation by grace alone is so important is that it explains something we see around us constantly. There are many people today who try to say that the God of the Bible is bad. They love to point out the many judgments that God brought down upon this world in the past and His present warnings of judgment for sin today. These people don't take sin seriously and therefore think God is unjust for punishing sin. On the other hand there are many, many people who are very indifferent to sin or they think that they have somehow compensated for their sin. Neither of these two groups want to hear about God's grace. They either don't go to church because they hate the God who judges sin, or they don't go to church because they think they don't need God's forgiveness. They don't thank God for baptism. They don't care about receiving forgiveness of sins in confession and absolution or in the Lords' Supper. This is why Jesus wept when He came to Jerusalem to die on the cross. He knew that many hated Him like they hated the prophets of old, or they just didn't care. It saddens me so much to see so many people acting this way in the world. It is a mystery to me why they do this. But I can't blame God for it. No one can blame God for this. He has gone out of His way to tell people He loves them inspite of their sins. He sent His Son, who on this beautiful day at the city gate of Nain, showed His power over sin and death. But not long after this that very Son of God would be forced to carry a Roman cross through the city gate of Jerusalem to the place of the skull. 

 

     The teaching of salvation by grace alone shows us the true nature of God and, unfortunately, the true nature of this world. People are eternally condemned not because they didn't have the chance to believe but because they didn't want to believe. They just don't want a God of grace. I don't understand it. I don't know why. I just know that one day Jesus interrupted a funeral at Nain and raised a man from the dead, totally for free. That touches my heart. That stirs something inside of me. I know that three days after He died on the cross, the "Sun of Righteousness," as Micah called the Messiah, rose "with healing on His wings" (4.2). Because of God's miracles that interrupt and overcome the cycle of sin and death, He can boldly say, "Do not weep."  The world can deny or ignore that miracle if they want. I won't. I want it, and I hope you want it to.

 

Conclusion

 

     God's miracles override the laws of nature and the curse of sin and give us a fantastic picture of Him and His work. If you believe in Jesus, then you have been raised from the dead. "Do not weep;" “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” Amen.

The Resurrection of Jesus is Scientifically Impossible?

How do you respond to someone who says something like this? It might be helpful simply to talk about what science really is. Many people do not really understand it. They often look at science as though it can answer all questions. For some, science has become their god.

Science is observation and interpretation. Scientists observe events in the natural world and then try to explain them. Their explanations are never perfect. They are always a matter of probability. For example, scientists have observed something as simple as boiling water and have come up with an explanation that has a high probability of being correct. We can be quite sure about our understanding of H2O molecules. However, have we come to the end of our understanding of H2O molecules? One hundred years ago many scientists would have said, "yes." As late as 1957, British mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell made this statement: "Physical science is thus approaching the stage when it will be complete, and therefore uninteresting” (Why I Am Not A Christian, p. 49). But there are not many scientists who would dare make a statement like this today. We are not approaching a stage when our understanding of the world will be complete. In fact, just the opposite is true. The more we learn, the more there is to learn. There is an infinite amount of knowledge and complexity in this world. Therefore all scientific explanations are in need of improvement as we learn more and more about the universe.

What does this have to do with the resurrection of Jesus? Science only works when you can make observations. Science works best when we can observe something happening again and again. Each time we observe it we can take a different angle, improve our resolution, or try to isolate certain variables. This works fine for repeatable events. But not all events are repeatable. Follow me on this progression: 1. There are some natural events that are very repeatable - the revolutions and rotation of the earth or photosynthesis in plants. 2. There are some natural events that repeat less often - earthquakes or hurricanes. 3. There are some natural events that are very rare - the birth of quintuplets or the occurrence of certain comets. Following this progression we could propose that there are singular events, events that only happen once. If there are such events, they are beyond our ability to properly observe and explain them.

The Bible tells us about such events: The Creation, The Resurrection of Jesus, and Miracles. Because they are singular events, we cannot observe them repeatedly to develop explanations that have a high probability of being correct. Science simply cannot prove or disprove them. So if a person would say, "The resurrection of Jesus is scientifically impossible," you could correct them and say, "Actually, the resurrection of Jesus is unobservable and therefore beyond the scope of science."

The resurrection of Jesus is not a matter of science but of witnesses. There were many witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. What were they like? Ordinary people. How credible were they? They promoted morality and were not afraid to tell the world about their own faults and failures. They were very honest. What did they get out of saying "Jesus has risen from the dead?" Many were driven from their homes, others were put in prison, and still others were killed. Another important witness of the resurrection is the empty tomb. There were many people in high places who had a great interest in making sure Jesus stayed dead. There were also witnesses who lived long before Jesus' death and resurrection. These were the prophets who promised a Messiah who would die and yet overcome death.

In the end, the question for all of us is not a question of science but a question of witness. What will you do with the witnesses to the resurrection? Do they have a high probability of being correct?

How Can the Resurrection Make a Difference in My Life When I Start Going Crazy?

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The text for my Easter message is from Mark 16.6… probably the most important words ever recorded for us… “He is risen.”

There is probably nothing more important to know and believe in this life other than that God keeps His promises. Everything else in this life will fail us. But God’s promises never fail. Recently we have seen banks and large financial institutions that are in the business of being trustworthy and reliable, fail and collapse. Our country’s defense system, one of the most sophisticated and reliable in the world, was breached just a few years about by extremists who turned airplanes into lethal weapons and killed thousands of people. There are important lessons to be learned here. God’s word reminds us that “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man” (Psalm 118.8). We will never stop trying to make this world a better place. But we have to realize the limitations of those efforts. Our Easter celebration gives us another good opportunity to remember that trust in God’s promises is the only thing that will get us through this life.

Saturday, the day after Jesus died, must have been the worst day this world has ever seen. Imagine walking out to “The Place of the Skull” where Jesus was crucified and looking around at the blood spattered rocks, the footprints of the soldiers, and feeling the emptiness of a world without a Messiah. Perhaps you might have seen a few splinters of wood or a broken nail. But you wouldn’t have seen Jesus. Gone were those beautiful teachings, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted…” Gone were the miracles “Lazarus, come forth” (John 11.43). Gone was the compassion and the hope. Finally the sun would set on that sad day. For the disciples of Jesus it must have been a day of unimaginable pain and despair.

Have you had days like that? Days of unimaginable pain and despair? If you haven’t you will. The phone will ring. Someone you dearly love will have come to the end of their life. You have relied so heavily on this person for so long, how will you be able to go on in life without them? Your boss will call you in to tell you that your job is being cut. What will you do? How will you provide for your family? You thought the cough you had was just a lingering cold. But x-rays confirm that you have cancer growing in your lungs. You cry for hours. You can’t sleep or eat. You are just numb. Then you begin to ask God why? Why all this pain? Why all this disappointment? Can you imagine the questions the disciples must have been asking on that very sad Saturday after the crucifixion? Two of them did say, “We were hoping it was He who would redeem Israel?” (Luke 24.21). All their hopes and joys were dashed… Dashed by an unfair trial and a gruesome death on a cross. Surely they must have also asked, “Why?” and “What’s next?” and “How can I go on?”

But a few of the disciples did push on… the women in particular… who returned to the tomb the next day to complete the burial. I’m sure they were still numb with grief as they carried their spices. But God in His mercy and being true to His very nature did not allow them to finish that burial. He kept His promises. He brought life up out of death and raised His Son. He fulfilled Jesus’ words to Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life.” Suddenly the word began to spread. “He is risen!” And tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy. The disciples remembered that Jesus has said this would happen. God kept all of His promises.

Sometimes when life really has me on my knees I pray like this… Dear God, I know You are there. I know that You can hear me. I know that You will help me… I know that Jesus rose from the dead! That last part doesn’t really seem to fit, but it does. The resurrection is God’s way of showing us that He keeps His promises to us. If there was ever a promise that seemed to fail, it must have been the promise of the Messiah… It must have been the promise that by giving it all up in death, Jesus would save the whole world. You see this is what Satan must have been telling Jesus in Gethsemane… “It’s not going to work. It’s not going to make a difference. Give up on God’s promises.” But of course He didn’t give up. So when Satan comes to us with the same lies… that trusting God in His word doesn’t work… We just need to remember that Jesus showed us that it does. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed. When you start to go crazy, just say that to yourself.

St. Paul says that when we die we are like seeds that are sown into the ground. These seeds have to die, that is our lives have to come to an end. But because they are God’s seeds and contain God’s promises in their hearts, they do not stay buried. They rise again to eternal life. This is God’s promise of the resurrection. As Christ has been raised so will we be raised. The same can be said for our “little deaths” that we have to experience in this life… the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, the broken relationship. When these sad experiences are mixed with faith, they too are buried in the ground only to sprout anew into something even better than before. This is what Paul meant when he said that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8.28). The psalmist wrote long ago, “Those who sow in tears will reap in joy” (Psalm 126.5). That is, those who sow with repentance and faith will bury their problems and reap the joy that God promises as life goes on.

In the jungles of East Asia a missionary showed a movie about Jesus. This was the first movie these people had ever seen, and so they didn’t realize that this was something that had actually happened in the past. As the movie began they were very impressed with Jesus who could heal the sick and who showed so much compassion to everyone. But when the soldiers began to beat him, they began to jump up and shout and demand that they stop. The missionary had to interrupt the movie to explain that there was more to come. Again when Jesus was being crucified, they screamed for the outrage to stop, and again the missionary had to stop the film to explain there was more to come. Finally, when they came to the end of the movie and Jesus rose from the dead, they broke into pandemonium and celebration as Jesus kept His promises.

So this Easter I urge you to cling to all the promises of God and to remember that as the promise of salvation in Christ goes… so go all of God’s promises. They will be fulfilled, and we can live on in that hope. No matter what happens in this life, the resurrection will always mean, “Don’t despair. There’s more to come.” Amen.

Pastor Michael P. Walther
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Collinsville, Illinois
Resurrection Sunday, April 12, 2009