Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, 'Don't cry.' Then he came up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, 'Young man, I say to you, get up!' The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Jesus doesn't perform this miracle because the widow asked. She doesn't even speak. He sees her grief and is moved with compassion. He acts because of what he perceives in her situation. She's a widow—no economic security in that society. Her son is her provision, her connection, her future. And she's lost him. Jesus responds to that particular vulnerability. He gives him back to her. I think about how often we wait for people to ask before we respond to their obvious pain. Jesus just sees and moves.
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