Behold!
Luke 7:11-17
September 24, 2023 anno Domini
Behold! Whenever you hear that Word, especially in the Gospels, it’s time to pay attention. Stop daydreaming. Check back in to the sermon. Something out of this world is about to happen.
Behold, said Gabriel to Mary, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
Behold, said the Angel to the Shepherds, I bring you good news of great joy … For unto you is born this day in the city of David s Savior who is Christ the Lord.
When the women came to Jesus’ tomb and were perplexed that it was empty, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel and asked them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Behold is God’s trumpet sounding that heaven has come to earth, that God has arrived on the scene, that what you expected to happen is not what is going to happen.
That’s what makes today’s behold a little different, at first. Behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd was with her.
This is not what we want to behold. This is worse than we expect. We expect old people to die. As parents we hope to be spared the death of our children by dying first. This is one of those deaths that get us angry at God, question His mercy, His judgment, His plans. Where is He? My God, my God, why have you forsaken this poor widow. She had already buried her husband. Widows were despised in the ancient world, a burden on society. That’s why the Hebrew people were so weird. Their God, the God of Scripture, commanded them to look after the widow and orphan, but in this case, God Himself appeared to be looking the other way. He had His eyes somewhere else than Nain and this widow.
Behold, Russia is firing missiles into Ukraine. Behold, your marriage is in trouble. Behold, your son isn’t going to church. Behold, Minnesota is not a safe place for unborn humans. Behold, police are bad, and criminals are victims. Behold, you’ve got cancer or depression or both. Behold, only 1/3 of you who belong to this church show up on any given Sunday. That’s nothing to behold, but that’s what we have come to expect. Your troubles are not far from a widow burying her only son.
I played a little sermonic trick on you this morning. I began with “behold,” but that’s not where the text begins. The text begins, “Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain.” That He is Jesus and He’s what you should behold.
Jesus was coming to Nain from Capernaum and the crowd with Him had just beheld something you don’t behold every day. There was a Centurian, a Roman soldier, but this man was a God-fearing Roman, not of some generic god or multiple Roman gods, but the God of Scripture. He was a good leader, respected by the people over whom he ruled. His servant was sick, and the townspeople told Jesus. As Jesus was going to meet the Centurian, he sent friends who said to Jesus, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore, I did not presume to come to you. But say the word and let my servant be healed.” Jesus commended the faith of this Roman and when they returned to the house, the servant was well.
That crowd with Jesus was jacked. They were loud. They were boisterous. Jesus made the sick well. He healed a Roman’s servant. Maybe He can help my sister. Maybe He can heal my son. Maybe He can save my marriage. Maybe He can rescue me from this pit I’ve dug for myself. In the crowd with Jesus you had hope, life, and people looking forward to what could happen, because, as St. Paul says, Jesus is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think:”
Then comes, behold. Behold, life meets death. The only Son of God meets the dead son of widow. Hope and life meet death and doom. One crowd expected life. The other wept over death because it’s all they ever beheld. Which crowd are you in?
Behold, Jesus tells the woman, “Do not weep.” That’s a nice translation but it’s more accurate to say Jesus said, “Stop crying.” Don’t try that at your next funeral. You’re not Jesus. I think the woman stopped crying because what God says He does. His Word does what it says. When He says, “It is finished” your sin is finished. Your hell is finished. When He says, “This is my body – it is.” and when He says, “This is my blood” – it is and when He says He gives it for the forgiveness of your sins – you are forgiven.
Behold, Jesus touched the dead man’s coffin. According to Old Testament Law that made Jesus ceremonially unclean. But then Jesus was never really bothered about being unclean – that’s why He came. He touched lepers and dead people and ate with prostitutes and tax collectors. He came for dirty sinners who had profaned God’s name, their bodies, and God’s gifts. God came for you. No matter how unclean you are Jesus does not hesitate to touch you, to take your sins on Himself, to be unclean on the cross, that you might be clean and radiant in God’s eyes.
Behold, Jesus talks to the dead guy. Probably every one of us has spoken words silently or out loud at the grave of a loved one. It might help us, but it doesn’t help them and it’s always a one-sided conversation. Not so with Jesus. “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak and Jesus gave him to his mother. If I were the Holy Spirit, I would have put another “behold” there. Behold, the dead man sat up and began to speak.
I don’t know what your week has been like. Well, I take that back. I do know. You’re worried about your son or daughter is doesn’t go to church. Your grandchild has some health concerns. Your job is a burden. There’s conflict in your house. You’ve got some medical appointments coming that you’re dreading. You’re hoping things get better, but you’re not optimistic. Some weeks you’re like the widow in the Old Testament reading – down to your last.
Behold Jesus sees you. Behold Jesus came for you. Behold God has visited His people. He visited you today. He put His name on you in Baptism. He forgave your sins. He is preaching His Word to give you hope and a future. He will soon give you His body to eat and His blood to drink. And where Jesus is, with His forgiveness, there is life and salvation.
Not everyone gets their dead child back like the woman in the text. Only a few had that blessing, but everyone who believes in Jesus gets life, gets hope, gets their body back in the resurrection, gets reunited with their loved ones who died in the faith. And that will be something to behold. In the name of Jesus. Amen.