Luke 7:11-17 (NRSV)
Read Luke 7:11-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 11Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. Verse 12As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. Verse 13When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep." Verse 14Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" Verse 15The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Verse 16Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!" and "God has looked favorably on his people!" Verse 17This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.
Devotion
Jesus and a funeral procession collide on the outskirts of Nain. This gospel scene has the feel of a showdown between life and death. You can almost see the tumbleweed scurry over the dusty road between the bier and Jesus? As this drama unfolds, what will happen when life interrupts death?
In our daily lives, we've become accustomed to experiencing the opposite—death interrupting life. Hopes, dreams, and relationships are all casualties of death's intrusion upon our lives. But Jesus does it differently; Jesus impedes death's path and stymies the normal pattern of things. With a touch and by a word Jesus brings life out of death. This is the greatest of all interruptions. Death is stopped in its tracks. Death is rendered powerless. Death is undone. Indeed, death does not have the final word. The final word belongs to Jesus. "Rise!" Jesus says to you and to all, "Rise!"
Prayer
Resurrected one, interrupt our dying by the promise of our living into your abiding love. Amen.