The Lord’s Message:  The Hands of God Who Raises the Dead

The Lord’s Message:  The Hands of God Who Raises the Dead
Date:  March 30, 2025
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  Luke 7:11-17

            We are continuing our sermon series, The Hand of God.  The first Sunday of this series, we learned that the Hand of God has authority over the physical world. That Hand of God, Jesus, was with God in creating the physical world and saving Peter from drowning.  Jesus could even walk on water.  Nothing is impossible for God.  The second Sunday, we learned that not only does Jesus have authority over the physical world, but Jesus has authority over the spiritual world, including the devil and his demons.  Last Sunday, we learned that Jesus has the compassion and capability of healing all of our sicknesses.  We also learned that the largest sickness that we all have is sin.  God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit are at work curing us from this sickness.  The Trinity is at work saving us from our sins.  This week, we are going to learn that the Hand of God can raise the dead. 

            Let us pray.

            Verse 11, begins with “Soon afterward.”  What happened before?  Jesus has been preaching what is known as the Sermon of the Plain.  His preaching has astounded the crowds.  He is preaching as “one who has authority, not like the teachers of the law.”  At the beginning of chapter 7, Jesus also heals a centurion’s servant in Capernaum.  Jesus has now traveled to the town of Nain.   Capernaum is on the Sea of Galilee.  Nain is about 30 miles southwest of Capernaum.  It is 700 feet above sea level.  This would quite an uphill climb and take approximately 1 to 2 days to complete the journey.  The town of Nain in Hebrew means “pleasant.”  According to theologians, this town may be the same town that is mentioned in the Old Testament in 2 Kings 4:8-37.  The prophet of God, Elisha, comes to the town and meets a woman that has been unable to have children.  The woman prepares her house for Elisha to stay with them.  Elisha does.  Elisha tries to find some way to thank the woman.  His servant, Gehazi, tells him of the woman’s plight.  Elisha tells her that the next year, she will have a son.  She does not believe him.  The next year, she has a son.  The son grows up and is helping his father in the field reaping the grain.  He gets too close to the sickle and is cut in the head and a short time later dies.  The mother lays him on Elisha’s bed and goes to see Elisha.  Elisha is unsure why she is there.  He can see that she is in “bitter distress.”  Finally, she tells him what has happened.  Elisha leaves immediately to go to her son.  I want to read to you from the Bible,             

2 Kings 4:32-35.  By the hand of God, this boy has been raised from the dead. 

One might say that history repeats itself.  In verses 11-12, we have two processions one leading out of the town and one heading into the town.  Jesus is heading into the town.  The funeral procession is heading out of the town.  One is in a celebratory mood.  The other is in a mournful mood.  One represents life and the other represents death. 

In our world, whenever life meets death, what happens?  Death always conquers life.  We are just one day, one hour, one minute, one second from meeting our death.  It does not matter how old or young we are.  It does not matter how rich or poor we are.  It does not matter whether we live in the country or the city.  We will all face death.  This is because of our fallen nature.  When God created the world, there was no sickness, no diseases, and certainly no death.  Death came because of our ancestors, Adam and Eve, sin.  The Apostle Paul says it this way in Romans 5:12.   He goes on to tells us in Romans 6:23 that death is God’s way of paying us back for our sins.  Death has had a straggled hold on us ever since.

Everything is about to change by the hands of God.  Jesus is coming the other way.  In verse 13, it says “his heart went our to her.”  Some other translations said that Jesus had compassion for her plight.  The Greek word used here is “Splanchnizomai.” It is only in the Bible to describe the heart-wrenching compassion that Jesus has for this woman.  This woman has lost her husband and now her son.  Jesus is not indifferent to the touch of death upon people.   He sees the sorrow for the young man on the bier and He is moved to compassion.  Jesus had similar compassion at the grave of Lazarus, John 11:33-35.

Jesus says to the woman, “Don’t cry.”  According to God’s law in Leviticus 21:1-3, Jesus knows that if He touches the dead man, He will be considered unclean.  This does not stop Jesus.   Jesus is not afraid to touch death.  In verse 14, He reaches out with His hand and touches the coffin.  Jesus stops death in its tracks.   Jesus says to the son, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”

 In verse 15, the dead man sat up and began to talk.  Jesus gave him back to his mother.  This time Life will conquer Death. 

In verse 16, look closely at what the crowd says about Jesus, “a great prophet has appeared among us.”  They are referring to Jesus as Elijah and/or Elisha.  In 1 Kings 17:17-24, By the hand of God, Elijah raises the widow’s son of Zarephath from the dead.  But Jesus is more than simply a prophet, Jesus is God.  Both Elisha and Elijah have to have faith that God will raise the dead.  They expected God to act. 

I want us to be truthful and think about what we have just read.  Jesus touched the young man and raised him from the dead.  When we read this, do we believe that this really happened?  If we believe that Jesus did raise this young man from the dead, then can God do it again?  When we pray, do we expect God to hear our prayers and act? 

I believe that Jesus really raised this widow’s son.  I believe that God can do it again.  Elisha and Elijah expected God to hear their prayers and act.   I believe that when I pray that God hears my prayers and acts on what God knows is best for the person that I am praying for or for myself.  This gives me hope for today and hope for tomorrow. 

Now if we think about this.  This son that Jesus raised from the dead, died.  Lazarus who was raised from the dead, died.  The widow son of Zarephath who God raised from the dead, died.  The son that God raised from dead through the prayers of Elisha died.  All these people in the end died, but I am looking forward to the time when no one will die.  When the Hands of God will raise all people from the grave, Revelation 21:1-7.  We will sing like Paul sings in 1 Corinthians 15:55. 

The Hands of God can and will raise the dead.  I am looking forward to when God will do it again.  So, let us continue to read our Bible, live the Bible and Be the Bible for others.  Amen.