It was a beautiful day, and Jesus went with his friends to a small town called Nain. Many people followed them because they wanted to hear what Jesus had to say and see what He did.
When Jesus and the people reached Nain, a mourning congregation came out of the city. That was a very sad group of people. They carried out a young man who had died. His mother was with them, and she cried a lot, for she had no one now. She was all alone because her husband had already died. The mother was a widow.
Jesus saw the crying mother. His heart ached all because he saw how sad she was. He went up to her and said very gently, “Don’t cry.” Then Jesus did something wonderful. He went to the young man who was lying on a stretcher and said, “Get up!”
Something incredible happened! The young man opened his eyes and began to speak. He was no longer dead! Jesus had brought him back to life. Mom was overjoyed. Jesus brought her Son back to her, and the people who saw this were amazed and very happy.
All the people in Nain said: “God has visited us! He did this because he loves us.” And they told everywhere what Jesus had done.
Message of history
Jesus takes care of us when we are sad, and He can do anything to make us happy again.
Bible passage
The story of Jesus meeting the widow of Nain and raising her son is found in Luke 7:11-17. Here is the text from the Schlachter 2000 translation:
“And it came to pass the next day that he went into a city called Nain, and many of his disciples and a great crowd went with him. But as he approached the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was carried out, his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and a considerable crowd of the city went with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had mercy on her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” And he went up and touched the bier. But the bearers stood still, and he said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And the dead man sat up and began to speak; and he gave it to his mother. Then fear seized them all, and they praised God, saying, “A great prophet has been raised up among us, and God has visited his people.” And this speech about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding area.”
