The Word That Wipes Tears Away :: Luke 7:11-17

And it came to pass after (leaving Capernaum that Jesus) journeyed into a city called Nain. And his disciples and a great crowd was journeying with him as he drew near to the gate of the city. And behold, a man who had died was being carried out. [He was] the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd of the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion upon her, and he said to her, Stop crying (vv 11-13).

[Introduction]

It sounds like such a harsh word, doesn’t it? ...

Stop crying ...

And to think that these are our Lord’s first words of compassion today.

... Stop ... crying ...

Given the circumstances, it’s hard to hear those words, isn’t it?

... Stop crying ...

I’m sure I could never speak those words at a funeral. 

Here, a widow’s son has just died. So, of course, she’s crying. ... Why wouldn’t she be?

This widow’s son was young. He was full of life. ... And now ... she’s ... alone ... leading a considerable crowd out of the small town of Nain ... to the graveyard ... where they will bury ... her ONLY son. 

Is your heart not broken right now, too? 

This widow has lost all of her support. First, her husband. Now, her son. This blow must have come unexpectedly because who can see death coming when someone seems to be so full of life?

Then Luke writes ... When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and he said, Stop crying (v 13).

3.

I’ve been thinking about these words of God all week. ... And I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around them ... Stop crying. ... I know you want to hear him use softer words ... because let’s be honest ... those two words ... “Stop crying” ... they. don’t. sound. compassionate. ... do they.

Maybe it’s easier hearing this word when we use the Greek ... Μὴ κλαῖε. 

But there is no mistake in how to be literal in translation. The word Μὴ with the present tense imperative κλαῖε expresses the emphatic will of God ... to stop doing what we are doing, and to stop doing it right now. God uses the word like this to open our eyes and ears to enable us to see and hear him. He longs to remind you he is with you ... that his word gives you peace.

So today he says, Stop crying. 

Jesus is giving us one of the most powerful pleas in scripture. He’s giving us grace ... what we don’t deserve ... peace with God. 

We deserve to cry. We deserve that because sin kills. It is sin that killed the young man of the widow of Nain. It is sin that will kill you and me. It is sin that brings about the many cancers we hear about. It is sin that brings about tragedy that tears at our families ... that divides family. It is sin that brings depression, despair, disordered desires, and death. Sin hurts. And brings tears to our eyes.

But something amazing always happens when God speaks. In grace, he does something new. He undoes something we have done. He takes away sin. He takes away pain. As Isaiah and John say, he wipes away every tear. And today, he’s doing it just like he always has and always does ... with the will of his word.

When God speaks, it happens. In the beginning, he said let there be light, and there was and still is. He said let there be an expanse called the heavens, and let there be water and earth, and the sun and moon, and plants, and animals, and man. And there was, and there still is. 

God said, I will bless you, and he did and still does. He said, I will set you free, and he did and still does. He said, the bread we break and cup we drink IS his body and blood, and it still is. He said it is finished. And so it is. The will of his word accomplishes that which he delights in (Isa 55:11). 

And now he says, in compassion, you actually will receive the miraculous removal of grief.

2.

He did this by first coming into our midst ... which, in itself, is amazing. 

In our reading, Jesus is coming to us. The author of life is meeting a procession of death. Whereas we were going straight to the grave, unable to stop crying, the Holy Word of God has come to us in the flesh to give life. Jesus is meeting us where we are ... setting our prisoners free ... preaching his Gospel ... healing the sick ... raising the dead ... and enabling us to stop crying.

Right before he came to Nain, he was in Capernaum. There, he healed the servant of a faithful Centurion. The Centurion’s servant was at the point of death. So when the centurion saw and heard that Jesus was near, he told our Lord: Just say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man under authority. I say to this one go, and he goes. And to another, I say come, and he comes, and to my servant, do this, and he does it (7:7-8).

So Jesus did just that, according to his will. He undid what sin had done.

And now our Lord is headed south with a great crowd that is longing to see and hear more. 

He’s arrived in Nain, a word that means beautiful. And in this beautiful setting in southern Galilee, just north of Samaria, Jesus confronts death for the first time in his Galilean ministry. After telling the widow of Nain to stop crying, he came forward, and touched the bier, and the pallbearers ... they stood (still). Then Jesus said, Young man, to you I say, Be Raised! And just like that, the dead man sat up and began talking (vv 14-15).

What an amazing miracle we have witnessed today! 

THE WORD HAS WIPED AWAY TEARS ONCE AGAIN

Jesus has come into our midst and taken away death. Jesus has spoken and let his light shine forth. Jesus has brought joy into the midst of sadness. Jesus has walked into the valley, not fearing evil. Jesus has removed the effect of sin ... which is death. He alone brings unity into the midst of division. Jesus has taken your sin ... my sin ... the world’s sin upon himself. He took the original sin upon himself. He took the actual sin upon himself. Now we can understand why reverential fear took them all, and they began glorifying God. Now we can repent.

1.

Like the people of Nain, I know that ... A great prophet [indeed] has arisen among us, and God [indeed] has visited his people. 

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it, too. 

God has come to us and has begun wiping away all your tears. 

He is taking away the reproach of his people (Isa 25:8). He is swallowing death forever. By touching the bier, Jesus has stepped forward and taken our curse of death upon himself. He has carried our curse to the cross where he ensured it was crucified. He then took it to the grave, where our sin will never again be heard. Then he began telling us to be raised! 

Eternal life is now ours because ... he is risen! ...

This is the reason we join Paul in bowing our knees to the Father, out of whom all families in heaven and earth are named, in order that, according to the riches of his glory, he may give to you the power to be strengthened through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell through the faith in your hearts in love (Eph 3:15-17).

[Conclusion]

None of this changes the fact that death continues to be a cruel enemy. Until he comes again, death will continue to bring pain and tears to our eyes. But Jesus will destroy death and he will give you eternal life. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: The last enemy to be destroyed is death. He alone will end division between those mourning and those celebrating. He alone will raise us all. The Lord is with you. His baptism continues to cleanse you. His feast of forgiveness continues to feed you. And his eternal life is your reality. 

So let us reconcile with one another and share this good news. Join the people of Nain and the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country in spreading the Word that the Lord is wiping away every tear with the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation ... in Jesus’ name.