Fear of Life
Luke 7:11-17
October 2, 2022 anno Domini
After Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead the crowd was “seized with fear.” It is an odd reaction, but fear was a regular reaction to Jesus’ great miracles of power. At the miraculous catch of fish, Peter trembled at Jesus’ feet and wished Him gone. When Jesus calmed the seas, the disciples were afraid. When He rose from the dead the women left the tomb with fear and trembling.
Why fear? Because the miracles proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth is God in the flesh. And if God was right in front of you, you would be afraid. He knows that you’re daydreaming during the sermon, thinking ungodly thoughts about your neighbor, wondering how bad the Vikings are losing to the Saints. The funeral crowd that met Jesus wasn’t much different than our congregation this morning. What were they thinking of? Anything but Jesus. Some were thinking God is cruel because this widow lost her only son. Some were thinking there is no God because of all the evil and suffering in the world. Some were ticked off because the funeral procession was blocking the road to the bar, and they were going to be late for the kickoff.
If there is a real God, if He shows up in the flesh, if He has the power by His touch and Word to raise the dead, then there’s good reason for you to fear Him. For what does this God think of you? Is He angry with you or pleased with you? How do you know? This miracle of Jesus tells you.
Jesus had compassion on the woman. In this case, we know why her son died. He died so Jesus could be shown to be the Son of God and the Author of life. We don’t always know why a woman miscarries or a teenage boy has a heart condition that takes his life. We don’t know specifically why those things happen, but we know generally. By our sin we have ruined God’s good creation. So, this widow, who already lost her husband to death, now loses her only son.
Sin is certainly behind this young man’s death, but God is also behind it. God is always at work in suffering. He does His greatest work in suffering. At the cross, in the suffering of His Son, God accomplished the salvation of the world. Outside of Nain He shows that Jesus of Nazareth is the resurrection and the life. I’m sure that widow did not think God was at work in this. She saw no good as her son got sick, sicker, and then dead. Did she have any idea that Jesus was walking into Nain when her son’s funeral procession was heading out? Did she even know who Jesus was? What did she think when Jesus said, “Do not weep” which once again is stronger in Greek than in English. “Stop crying.” Don’t write that in your next sympathy card – or maybe you should, because not only do you know Jesus is God, but you believe He has compassion on dead and dying sinners.
The widow of Nain could not have hoped for a better miracle from Jesus. She got her son back. She wouldn’t have to beg for a living and hope like Ruth that some Boaz would look after her. But think of her son. He had escaped this valley of sorrow through death to be in the presence of God, but now he was back in the land of sorrow. He had suffered one miserable death as a young man, now he would have to die again. He had escaped from temptation and sin, now he was back in the battle.
That’s another reason I think the crowd was afraid. Living is more fearful than dying. Being righteous is tougher than being a sinner. Being a slave to death is easier than being a servant of Christ. I read a sermon years ago where a pastor suggested putting seat belts and crash helmets in the pews. The reason – when you take the Gospel to heart, you’re in for a dangerous ride.
If you don’t believe me look at Jesus. We look at a miracle like this one – raising this widow’s dead son and we see the compassion of Jesus. But we make the mistake of interpreting Jesus compassion apart from the His cross and we conclude that the problem with Christianity, in particular with the Missouri Synod is that we’re just too mean. We call homosexuality a sin, and oppose this week’s definition of marriage, or this year’s excuse for divorce. We have the audacity to keep fellow Christians from receiving the Lord’s Supper because they don’t believe what we believe. We need to be more like Jesus. He was compassionate.
But where did Jesus compassion lead Him? He raised the widow’s son. He raised Lazarus from the dead and then they killed Him. Compassion means nothing without the cross.
Jesus shows compassion by dealing with our sin, the cause of death. Jesus has so much compassion for us that He does not neglect our sin, excuse our sin, or let us redefine sin so that it isn’t sin anymore. He didn’t just touch death like He touched the dead young man. He took on our sin. He became sin for us and then suffered the greater death – the second death – the eternal death of hell, separation from God the Father. Jesus deals with sin. He doesn’t deny it.
That is why the crowd was seized with fear. God saw their sin and He had come in person to deal with sin. Why do you think people are so angry at anything remotely Christian, Biblical, or moral? Why are you? Because we don’t want to face our sins. We don’t want to deal with the shame of our conscience. We don’t want to face God, experience real compassion, receive forgiveness and then give up our sins.
The Christian life is not an easy life. It is easier to sin than to resist temptation. It is easier to stay dead in sin than to live in Christ’s forgiveness. It is easier to hold on to your husband’s sins than forgive him. It is easier to love yourself than love your wife. It is easier to complain about others than to do something good for them.
Don’t be surprised at the fear you face, because you have heard Jesus say to you what He said to that young man, “Arise.” In your baptism He says, “Arise” for you have died with Me and now you have been raised to a new life with Me. In the Absolution this morning, Jesus said, “Arise” I have forgiven your sins. At His Table, He says, “Arise” you have eaten the bread of life, My body. You drank the medicine of immortality, My blood. Arise and live and don’t be surprised if fear seizes you. Living in Christ, living risen from the death of sin, living with compassion, is fearful, but it is good, the greatest good for you in the name of Jesus. Amen.