Lk.7:13,14 – 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…

Jesus often shows up when you least expect Him to. That’s how it was for the widow of Nain that day, when all hope was gone Jesus came walking down the road. It must have been quite a scene of contrasts; the funeral march being led by the mourners met the followers of Jesus on the road just outside of Nain. You could say that death walked right into life that day, the outcome was certain when Jesus put His hand on that boy’s coffin. Here is how the Reformed Expository Commentary describes this scene.

“Jesus cares the same way for us. Luke has included this story in his Gospel so that we would know the compassion of Christ in all our sorrow. The same Jesus who reached out to the widow of Nain reaches out to us when we feel helpless in the face of death. The God of the universe—our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ—has deep compassion for people in pain. He remembers our losses. He knows our sufferings. He hears our cries of anguish. And when he does, his heart goes out to us. As the Scripture says, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows”. This promise is for anyone grieving the death of a loved one, or mourning the loss of a friendship, or lamenting the days that are lost and gone forever. Jesus cares for every suffering soul. He says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”, and then he makes good on his promise by coming to us in all his comfort. So we go to him with our troubles, knowing that in his loving heart there is enough room for all our sorrows.”

So maybe you feel like you are on the path toward death with no hope on the horizon, if so I may have some good news for you, Jesus is coming down the road and everything is about to change. Let Him touch you today, there is resurrection power in His touch. Even if it feels like you are the one in the coffin, His touch will bring you back to life. When He puts His hand on your coffin the dead things in your world will suddenly come back to life.