Luke 7:11-16
11 And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people.
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
Have you ever stopped to think that when the text of the gospels says, "and many of his disciples went with him"... that group would always include Matthias and Joseph called Barsabas (Justus)
As Jesus approached and touched the "bier", it must have seemed startling to the crowd because to touch a corpse would render the person defiled. The "bier" could have been a coffin as we think today, but more probably was a funeral bed, or open basket bearing the body to the tombs.
It is interesting to note that scholars have studied the Bible, Jewish customs, and the history of the land to such extent that we can see a clear image of Jesus approaching the small town of Nain, being unable to enter the city by the city gate because a funeral procession was exiting the city.
Quoting Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah 1883
"The way was long - as we reckon, more than twenty-five miles; but, even if it was all taken on foot, there could be no difficulty in reaching Nain ere the evening, when so often funerals took place. Various roads lead to, and from Nain;3 that which stretches to the Lake of Galilee and up to Capernaum is quite distinctly marked. It is difficult to understand, how most of those who have visited the spot could imagine the place, where Christ met the funeral procession, to have been the rock-hewn tombs to the west of Nain and towards Nazareth.4 For, from Capernaum the Lord would not have come that way, but approach it from the north-east by Endor. Hence there can be little doubt, that Canon Tristram correctly identifies the now unfenced burying-ground, about ten minutes' walk to the east of Nain, as that whither, on that spring afternoon, they were carrying the widow's son.5 On the path leading to it the Lord of Life for the first time burst open the gates of death."
And quoting Dr. Sidney DeWaal, President, Jerusalem University College,
"Christian pilgrimage is ultimately the search for places where one can touch the Jesus story. The Christian Bible includes both the Tanach (Old Testament) and the New Testament, and for Christians, the New Testament makes no sense without its predecessor. The connection between the two parts of the Christian Bible becomes even more apparent in the land where they both took place. This is illustrated quite remarkably by two stories with the same theme. In the first, Elisha raises the son of the woman of Shunem from the dead. In the second story, Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain from the dead. The first story is in the earlier Testament; the second is in the latter. In my pilgrimage, I discovered that Shunem was located on the southwest slope of the hill of Moreh, near Mount Tabor - and that Nain was located on the northwest slope of the same hill, about one kilometer away. This physical proximity amplifies the significance of, and connection between, the two stories.... Through connections like this, Christian pilgrims who explore the stories of the Bible and the physical sites of their occurrence discover the unity of the Scriptures and the mystery of God's presence in history."
So much to be learned in looking at the passage and place from different angles.
~serapha~
12 Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.
14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.
16 And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.
Have you ever stopped to think that when the text of the gospels says, "and many of his disciples went with him"... that group would always include Matthias and Joseph called Barsabas (Justus)
As Jesus approached and touched the "bier", it must have seemed startling to the crowd because to touch a corpse would render the person defiled. The "bier" could have been a coffin as we think today, but more probably was a funeral bed, or open basket bearing the body to the tombs.
It is interesting to note that scholars have studied the Bible, Jewish customs, and the history of the land to such extent that we can see a clear image of Jesus approaching the small town of Nain, being unable to enter the city by the city gate because a funeral procession was exiting the city.
Quoting Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah 1883
"The way was long - as we reckon, more than twenty-five miles; but, even if it was all taken on foot, there could be no difficulty in reaching Nain ere the evening, when so often funerals took place. Various roads lead to, and from Nain;3 that which stretches to the Lake of Galilee and up to Capernaum is quite distinctly marked. It is difficult to understand, how most of those who have visited the spot could imagine the place, where Christ met the funeral procession, to have been the rock-hewn tombs to the west of Nain and towards Nazareth.4 For, from Capernaum the Lord would not have come that way, but approach it from the north-east by Endor. Hence there can be little doubt, that Canon Tristram correctly identifies the now unfenced burying-ground, about ten minutes' walk to the east of Nain, as that whither, on that spring afternoon, they were carrying the widow's son.5 On the path leading to it the Lord of Life for the first time burst open the gates of death."
And quoting Dr. Sidney DeWaal, President, Jerusalem University College,
"Christian pilgrimage is ultimately the search for places where one can touch the Jesus story. The Christian Bible includes both the Tanach (Old Testament) and the New Testament, and for Christians, the New Testament makes no sense without its predecessor. The connection between the two parts of the Christian Bible becomes even more apparent in the land where they both took place. This is illustrated quite remarkably by two stories with the same theme. In the first, Elisha raises the son of the woman of Shunem from the dead. In the second story, Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain from the dead. The first story is in the earlier Testament; the second is in the latter. In my pilgrimage, I discovered that Shunem was located on the southwest slope of the hill of Moreh, near Mount Tabor - and that Nain was located on the northwest slope of the same hill, about one kilometer away. This physical proximity amplifies the significance of, and connection between, the two stories.... Through connections like this, Christian pilgrims who explore the stories of the Bible and the physical sites of their occurrence discover the unity of the Scriptures and the mystery of God's presence in history."
So much to be learned in looking at the passage and place from different angles.
~serapha~
posted by ~serapha~ at 8:16 PM
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