A reflection on Luke 7:11-17
Tuesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
©️2022 Gloria M. Chang
Jesus journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him. As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, “A great prophet has arisen in our midst,” and “God has visited his people.” This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.
Luke 7:11-17 (Lectionary)
Three Mothers and the Resurrection
The resurrection defines our faith in Christ, for if the dead are not raised, our hope is empty. Yet, as St. Paul declares, death—the final frontier—has been “swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). The poem below reflects on the resurrection of the sons of three mothers: the woman of Shunem, the widow of Nain, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Centuries before Jesus’ miracle in Nain, the prophet Elisha raised the son of the woman of Shunem (2 Kings 4:8-37). Located just three miles from ancient Shunem, Nain stands as a geographical and spiritual signpost, pointing to Christ as the fulfillment of the prophets’ ministry.
More Than a Prophet
Christ’s authority, rooted in his divine sonship, surpasses that of the prophets. While Elisha’s efforts to raise the dead required persistent prayer and physical intervention, Jesus simply touched the bier and spoke a word to restore life. This miracle reveals not only Christ’s power but also his profound compassion, stirred by the widow’s grief. Unlike the prophets, who ultimately succumbed to death, Jesus triumphed over sin and death through his own resurrection, offering eternal life to all who believe.
Once upon a time in Shunem,
A mother lost her only son.
With faith she rode to Elisha
To implore his intercession.
The prophet’s staff failed to revive,
So Elisha knelt in prayer,
Then stretched out over the boy who
Sneezed seven times into the air.
Attribution: Dr. Michael Lukas.
Centuries later in Nain,
A widow lost her only son.
Mourning and wailing, pallbearers
Bore the boy’s bier in procession.
“Weep not,” said Christ to the widow.
He stepped forward to touch the bier.
“Arise!” he commanded the corpse,
Who rose, filling the crowd with fear.
Outside the City of David,
A virgin gave her only son.
Standing at the foot of his cross,
She hoped in his resurrection.
On the third day Christ rose again,
Victorious over death and sin;
Opening the gates of heaven
To his Father and Origin.
“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.“
John 11:25-26
Over the coffin
Jesus is sovereign.
Traditional Chinese Translation
《耶穌叫拿因城寡婦之子復活》
棺材上
耶穌擁有至高無上的主權。
At the cross, in her tears,
Mary never lost hope,
God’s Word dispels fears.
Mary, Star of the Sea, pray for us!