St. Luke 7:11–17
In the name of the Father and of the + Son
and of the Holy Spirit –
Luther’s great Easter hymn, “Christ Jesus
Lay in Death’s Strong Bands,” has this line that has always fascinated me: “It
was a strange and dreadful strife when life and death contended.” For some
reason I always pair those words with this scene outside the village of Nain.
I imagine a country road, just
after sunrise, and coming down the road from the town is the funeral procession
– mourners and pallbearers dressed in black. Weeping had tarried through the
night. The widow kept vigil by her son’s lifeless body. Maybe there were a few
kind women to sit up with her during the long dark hours. But now it was time
to go out to the cemetery. And leading the procession I picture Death himself.
Then coming up the road from the
opposite direction is quite a different procession – I picture it full of
color, laughter, and joy. And leading this procession is the Lord of Life. And
then the two processions meet. They stop. It’s as if all creation holds its
breath – what will happen? Which one will give way? All that you can hear in
the still morning air is the soft weeping of the widow. “It was a strange and
dreadful strife when life and death contended.”
But Luther’s Easter hymn and our
Scripture reading go on: “The victory remained with life, the reign of death
was ended. Holy Scripture plainly saith that death is swallowed up by death,
its sting is lost forever. Alleluia!” The dreadful silence was broken by the
Lord’s strong and compassionate words: Stop
weeping. Young man, I say to you, arise.
Most of us have joined in a
procession out to the cemetery. Most, except for maybe the very youngest among
us, know the pain and tears of losing a loved one. Only some of us know the
grief of burying a child. The ordinary progression of things is that children
are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. I’m not sure if
there can be a sharper pain or more bitter tears than that of a parent who has
lost their child. Perhaps that has something to do with our Lord’s compassion
on this tormented mother. Of all the hundreds of people that surely died during
Jesus’ three-year ministry, He only raised a handful of them. So for His own
good purposes He came to this grieving woman and showed His compassion to her. He
said to her, Stop weeping.
That sounds so offensive to us,
helpless people. What can we offer the grieving mother or father? What can we
do besides hug them and cry with them? Most of the time, the words we try to
muster are woefully inadequate, if not downright unhelpful. As awkward as it
might feel, we might actually try just using the words of Scripture the next
time we go to a wake. We might say something about the forgiveness of sins, the
peace of Jesus, and the resurrection of the body. Our made-up words definitely won’t help, so we might as well
speak God’s Word.
Jesus just says, Stop weeping. And He is not being mean –
He has compassion on her. He is not
scolding her weeping or telling her that her tears are wrong. Her tears are right. Mothers should not have to bury their
sons. Actually no one should be buried, no one should be taken. Death is wrong – it comes from sin. It
is not what Jesus wants for this young man, or that weeping mother, or for us. And so He tells her to stop weeping
because He is going to make things right.
She won’t need to weep anymore because Jesus is going to return her son to
her. He is going to give life to the
dead. That is what Jesus does.
He is the Lord of death and
life. This is true, not only because He is God, but because He is a Man. And
from Nain this Man, our God, went on to Jerusalem where He suffered death. He
became like all men, subject to death. He suffered the pain and the tears. His
soul was torn from His body and that means He died. He died our death – the
death of sinners – in order to conquer death. “Holy Scripture plainly saith
that death is swallowed up by death.” Our death, including the death of that
young man, is all swallowed up by the death of Jesus. And with the reign of
death ended, the true King arose. His soul and body was reunited – a living
person. This Man, our God, stepped out of our grave and now He lives and reigns
forever. That is why Jesus can say Stop
weeping and Young man, I say to you,
arise. That is why Jesus alone can say that and actually make it all
happen.
And of course you know when
Jesus achieved all this – on a Sunday morning. On a Sunday morning He rose from
the grave. That’s the day of the week forever marked with the victory of life
over death. And that’s why Christians made it the practice to come to church on
Sunday. It is the day of Resurrection. Not just the annual celebration of
Easter – but every Sunday – every Resurrection Day.Every Sunday morning is
Easter morning. In the Sunday Communion liturgy the pastor sings, “It is truly good,
right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks
to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, through Jesus Christ, our
Lord, who on this day overcame death and the grave and by His glorious
resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.” This is the Day that
the Lord has made. Sunday is the Day that the Lord has made. This is the Day of
our Lord’s victory over death. And that means Sunday is the Day of our victory
over death. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Now, it’s still ok for
Christians to cry in church. Even on a Sunday. It is ok to miss our sons,
daughters, parents, and grandparents, even as we gather on a Sunday to
celebrate the resurrection. Because we do not grieve without hope. On Sunday,
we are celebrating our Lord’s resurrection and the resurrection that is coming
for our sons, daughters, parents, grandparents, and for ourselves. We say it in
the Creed: “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
We may still weep for now but we have hope. For it is here on Sunday, the Resurrection
Day, that your Lord meets you and says to you once again, “Stop weeping. I
forgive you all your sins. My peace be with you. Take, eat and drink My body
and blood for the forgiveness of your sins. For wherever there is forgiveness
of sins, there is also life and salvation.”
Weeping
may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. (Ps. 30:5) We are still waiting for that
final Sunday morning. The widow of Nain had a taste of it. For her dead son sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave
him to his mother. I can only imagine how the silence was broken as those
two processions mingled together, laughing and singing, praising and glorifying
God.
On that final and greatest
Sunday morning – that final Resurrection Day – the Lord will meet us like He
did at Nain. Death’s reign is done, the silence of death will be broken, and
the funeral procession finally will be stopped for good. And the Lord of Life
will say, Stop weeping. I say to you,
arise. And indeed heaven and earth, all creation and all believers, will
shout and laugh and sing for the joy of that morning.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is
risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the Holy + Name of Jesus –
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Charlotte, IA
September 20, 2015
