Preaching and the Land

Modern Village of Nain

The gospel reading for June 9 is Luke 7:11-17.  In this story, Jesus is traveling through the Jezreel Valley.  He stops for a funeral procession at the gates of the small village of Nain.  Here is what the Fifth Gospel offers us in terms of better understanding the actions that follow:

•  Nain is located SE of Nazareth in the fertile Jezreel Valley
•  A widow has lost her only son
•  Without her husband and son, the woman has no safety net
•  She will need to resort to desperate measures: prostitution or slavery
•  Her grief and extreme need stir up the compassion of Jesus
•  Jesus ignores defilement in touching the bier
•   Three times Jesus will raise the dead, here and at Capernaum and Bethany
•   The crowd declares with awe that a great prophet is in their midst
•   In doing so, they recall a similar action by Elisha in a neighboring village, Shunem (II Kings 8:4-6)

HT:  Ferrell Jenkins' Photo