Second Presbyterian Church

"A Glimpse of the Future:
Preaching From the Gospel of Luke"
July 4, 2004

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Sermons Homepage » Sermons for 2004 » Sermons for July 2004 » Sermons from the Series on Luke

#23 in the Series on Luke
The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.

• I Kings 17: 17-24
• I Thessalonians 4: 13-18
• Luke 7: 11-17

Today we have received from the Gospel of Luke another Glimpse of the Future. It anticipates the end of Luke's Gospel when the Disciples encounter the Lord Jesus whom God raised from the dead. And it provides a glimpse of the future for all believers: the resurrection and our eternal life with God.

Are you ready for your future? The widow wasn't ready for her future. She, no doubt had had some rough times. She had lost her husband; that was bad. But she did have her only son who could care for her and provide her with the means to live and eat. Now her only son had died; she had lost her means of survival. All of the village of Nain grieved for the widow. The family name was now permanently cut off. You know as well as I that grieving the loss of a parent can be bad enough, but the loss of one's son or daughter is a grief incomparably harder. The widow wasn't ready for her future. It promised only ongoing, severe grief - grief beyond description - and hardship. For the rest of her life she would probably have to beg for food.

This is the situation that Jesus encountered when he approached the gates of Nain. Jesus, his followers and a great crowd, encountered another large crowd, the funeral procession of the widow's son. They stopped to watch as the widow, her son borne upon a wicker bier, lead the town's citizens to the burial ground. They were led by professional mourners who wailed and cried, creating a lot of noise, as they proceeded to the burial site.

Jesus knew what was happening. He sensed the grief and the sadness. And he felt compassion for the widow and her situation and her future that seemed so hopeless. He tells the widow, "Do not weep." Jesus approaches the funeral bier that contains the body of her son. He places his hand on the bier and the procession stops. One gets the sense that everything stopped. The wailers stopped wailing. The people stopped crying and grieving - just dead silence. What was Jesus going to do now? What could he do? Surely it was too late to do anything for the son; he's dead!

Jesus speaks to the dead man, "Young man, I say to you, 'Arise.'" And the man sat up; he began to speak; and Jesus takes him back to his mother.

All of a sudden everything was different! The widow's future had changed from unspeakable grief and hopelessness to a future full of life and hope. All because Jesus had compassion and said these seven words, "Young man, I say to you, 'Arise.'"

It is not by coincidence that Luke quotes phrases from the Greek version of the Old Testament that speaks of Elijah's raising the son of the widow from Zarephath. We can see the point that Luke is making, how Jesus was indeed a great prophet. Again the Lord is speaking to his people and they witnessed great signs and wonders.

And Luke is giving us a glimpse of the future, at least in terms of how the Gospel plays out. It is only the Messiah who raises the dead, heals the sick, and preaches the good news to the poor. We have a preview of the fact that Luke's Gospel ends with the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

And yet it's only a glimpse of the future. The raising of the widow's son was more of a resuscitation than a resurrection. The son was still mortal. He died again, hopefully after a full and fruitful life.

The future, according to Luke and the entire witness of the Bible, is much brighter than a physical resuscitation! The future that awaits us through Jesus Christ is resurrection - life with the Lord that lasts forever!

I would like for you to prayerfully keep this in mind. All of us here have experienced the death of a family member. Some have been recent; others have been less recent. Can we hear and believe Jesus' words? Can we accept the words that Jesus spoke to the widow, "Do not weep," because our future is life, not death?

In a few minutes we will celebrate the healing power of God with our liturgy of wholeness and anointing with oil. We do this with the fact that we are expressing our hope in the future. We do this with the fact that we celebrate the future that we have with God! What is that future? It is a future of wholeness and life. It is a future in which we rejoice in the fellowship of God and one another. It is a future that destroys the destroyer itself - death! When we celebrate our faith in Jesus Christ we are participating, by faith, in God's future for us! Now it is only a glimpse: in God's time it shall come to full fruition! Amen.

The Rev. Daniel E. Hale, D. Min.