Week 2: When You Least Expect It

Scripture: Luke 7: 11-17 NRSV

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As 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. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen among us!” and “God has looked favorably on his people!” This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

When You Least Expect it

I was privileged by God to be a student at the Nation’s 1^st degree granting HBCU, Lincoln University. Lincoln University was the grounds for the rite of passage that made me into the man I am today. I enjoyed walking through a campus filled with so much history. I often visit my alma mater and the memories of my own times on the campus flood my mind. Some of those memories have brought me much joy, while others remind me of the pains I've experienced. My time on this campus taught me to trust God, even when it isn’t easy. One of those many memories took place during my final semester, when I began to face some of the most uncomfortable adversities that I have ever experienced in life. It felt as if I received a call from home every day about something happening at home that I could've prevented. As a severe asthmatic, I experienced some of the worst Asthma flares I had ever experienced, and as if this wasn’t bad enough, while in a class, I received an email stating that I had a balance that was due by the close of business the following week. The balance was out of my reach, and I knew this meant that I would have to return home without the completion of the degree. Upon calling my mother to inform her of my balance at school, she told me that God would supply. While she seemed to be a pillar of faith, I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As I prepared to get off the phone with my mother, I began to weep. She responded by reminding me to trust God. This time, her words felt very hollow, as I knew that she would not be able to handle this bill as she had done in times before. But before she could settle into the fact that there was nothing that could be done, she began speaking to one of her co-workers during her lunch break. She just needed someone to unload the burden to, so that she could begin troubleshooting. My mother's co-worker had a child who was incarcerated and her only desire was to see at least one of their children achieve some sort of success. Upon the end of their break, my mother’s co-worker went on to raise the funds I needed to pay off my balance. By the time my mother returned to work the following day she had raised the entire debt. She looked at my mother and told her that she would do anything to ensure that I completed what I set out to do. Meanwhile, I was at school preparing to pack up my stuff to come back home. I received a phone call from my mother, and as the phone ring I didn’t want to answer. But as I answer the phone, she showed me that as I least expected it God had worked out a miracle on my behalf.

While I was worried about what would happen next in my story, God was simply putting a comma where I had placed a period. Have you ever been there? That place where you have given up hope and are prepared to live with the disaster that life has placed in your lap? It is an uncomfortable place to be but this story always serves as a reminder to me that not only does God work on our behalf, but that the miracle of faith is that God is up to something even when we least expect it. Today's text is situated after where Jesus performs a miracle without the physical appearance of a need. The centurion comes to meet Jesus in the search of a healing for his servant. Jesus never sees the servant who needs to be healed, but the centurion believes that Jesus is capable of healing a situation that is at a distance from him. To be sure, the centurion had only ever heard of Jesus prior to this situation. In this first encounter with Jesus, he expressed such a level of faith that even Jesus admired it, and answered his petition.  This prepares our hearts to digest what further the author has in store for us. A crowd is following him and he is approaching the city gates of Nain. As Jesus is getting ready to go in the city, the deceased young man was being brought out of the city. This young man was being brought out of the city, because it is uncommon for the dead and the living to dwell in the same place. That’s why, as Jesus was coming into the city, this dead young man was being brought out. Jesus, who is the bread of life, the resurrection and the life; and the way, the truth and the life is walking into the town as a dead man is being carried out; which is a direct symbolism of life and death not dwelling in the same place. But instead of letting the story play out as it was set prior to Jesus’s appearance, Jesus decided to change the story. 

The text never discloses what role he played in the community, nor what caused his death. He could’ve been a model citizen or the city’s vagabond, but Jesus doesn’t treat his death any differently. Jesus realizes that he’s traveling into a town with people who are mourning the loss of a young man from this community, so he goes directly to the members of that community. He specifically goes to the mother of the deceased and is compassionate towards her. This text decides to label this woman with a name that simply describes her misfortune. The name widow is a reminder of the tragedy of loss this person endured in the loss of their spouse. Typically, a woman in this time of antiquity was without value if she was void of a relationship with a man: whether that be a son or her husband.

Most widows were known to be impoverished, but prior to this point in the text, she at least had a child after her husband’s death. Then in a moment without announcement, all that she had left was taken from her. This would bring you to the understanding that inside of this casket, or as the text describes it, a bier, was more than just this widow’s son. Inside of this casket, was all of her livelihood, her hopes of a future, her stability, her sense of equality and so much more. Upon the death of her son, she would go from a member of society to the least of the community. This burial was the beginning of a new misfortune and uncomfortable life for her. This transition was not an easy one to deal with, and thus she began to weep. Just as this mother is getting ready to put her son into the grave. Just as she loses hope for his healing and/or deliverance. Just as she gives up on him coming back to her. Just as she thought that her financial security was in jeopardy; Jesus steps in and tells her not to weep.

But this causes me to bear a question for Jesus: How could she not weep Jesus? She has lived through the loss of a spouse and a child. She sympathizes with Langston Hughes when he said “life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”. So, how could she not weep Jesus? When her secured future has now dried up like a raisin in the sun. How could she not weep Jesus? When her previously planned out life seems more like a dream deferred. How could she not weep Jesus? When we live in a society that cause parents to bury children instead of children burying their parents. How could she not weep Jesus? Jesus tells her not to weep because the way that this story was previously scripted is not how the story will end.

Jesus walks away from the woman who is grieving, and put his hand on the casket. This action halts the processional as Jesus looks to this young man. He speaks to the deceased young man as if he is still alive. Jesus calls for this young man to arise and the body that was once a cadaver is alive again. As Jesus spoke to him, he who had been dead rose. He who was being mourned, was now living. This teaches us that no matter how dead your situation is; it isn’t too dead for Jesus to bring it back to life again! Jesus has the ability to restore all of the things that have died in us. Though the weight of the text seems to be on the need for the restoration of this young man’s life, but you can rest assured that there is more to this text than him being revived. Jesus doesn’t just restore the life of this deceased young man, but he returns him to his mother. In this action, he restores the relationship as well as restoring his economic stature. Her son’s death signified that God had forgotten about her, because she would’ve had no means for her own provision. When Christ rose the young man from the dead, God wasn’t simply think about her loss of relationship with her son, but also about ensuring she had proof that God will take care of her even when she least expected it. This is Good News for us who know that if God was able to do it for her, God can also do it for us.

By restoring this relationship, God proved to this woman and to us that:

·    When we least expect it: God will supply our every need according to His riches in Glory.

·    When we least expect it: God will release from your prison cell like Paul and Silas

·    When we least expect it: God will heal you like the Woman with the issue of Blood

·    When we least expect it: God will mobilize you like the Man at the temple-gate called beautiful

·    When we least expect it: God will refill your supply like Christ did at the wedding at Cana

·    When we least expect it: God will give you an Unexpected Blessing like the Man at the Pool of Bethesda

·    When we least expect it: God will cause things that could kill you to protect you like Jonah

·    When we least expect it: God will shut the mouths of things that could devour you like Daniel

·    When we least expect it: God will restore your sight like Blind Bartimaeus

·    When you least expect it: Blessed Shall you be in the City and Blessed Shall you be in the field.

·    When we least expect it: God will take care of you.

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,

God will take care of you;

Beneath His wings of love abide,

God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,

Through every day, o’er all the way;

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.