Resurrection of a Nain widow’s son.

(Luke 7:11-17).

Only Evangelist Luke describes this event, associating it with John the Baptist’s subsequent dispatch of his followers to Jesus Christ.

The Lord travelled from Capernaum to a township called Nain, which was located on the southern border of Galilee, on the northern slopes of mount Minor Hermon, in the former territory of the Issachar tribe. Apparently, Nain (pleasant) received its name from its location in a magnificent and rich pastureland of the Esdraelon valley. Accompanying the Lord were His disciples and a multitude of people. In ancient times, cities were ringed by solid walls for their protection against their enemies, so that entry into and exit from the city could only be done through one gate. And here at such city gates, the Lord came upon a funeral procession; a deceased youth — the only son of a widow - was being carried toward the cemetery. Upon seeing the grief-stricken woman, the Lord took pity on her. He said: “Do not weep” and touched the open coffin where the youth lay - His action indicating for the procession to stop — and resurrected the youth with the words: “Young man, I say to you, arise.”

While everybody became gripped with fear, the witnesses to this miracle still did not acknowledge Jesus the Miracle Worker as the Messiah, regarding Him as a “great prophet,” and this opinion spread throughout the whole of Judea and outlying regions.