Read Luke 7:11-17

JESUS RAISES A WIDOW’S SON FROM THE DEAD
Honoring the dead was important in Jewish tradition. A funeral procession, with relatives of the dead person following the body that was wrapped and carried on a kind of stretcher, would make its way through town, and bystanders would be expected to join the procession. In addition, hired mourners would cry aloud and draw attention to the procession. The family’s mourning would continue for 30 days.
This widow’s situation was serious. She had lost her husband, and now her only son was dead – her last means of support. The crowd of mourners would go home, and she would be left penniless and alone. The widow was probably past the age of child bearing and would not marry again. Unless a relative came to her aid, her future was bleak. She would be an easy prey for swindlers, and she would likely be reduced to begging for food. In fact, this woman was just the kind of person Jesus had come to help – and help her He did. Jesus has the power to bring hope out of any tragedy.
The people thought of Jesus as a prophet because, like the Old Testament prophets, He boldly proclaimed God’s message and sometimes raised the dead. The people were correct in thinking Jesus was a prophet, but He was much more – He was God, Himself.
This story illustrates salvation. The whole world was dead in sin, just as the widow’s son was dead. Being dead, we could do nothing to help ourselves – we couldn’t even ask for help. But God had compassion on us, and He sent Jesus to raise us to life with Him. The dead man did not earn his second chance at life, and we cannot earn our new life in Christ. But we can accept God’s gift of life, praise God for it, and use our life to do His will.