WHEN A SON IS HANDED BACK TO HIS MOTHER

LUKE 7:1

A. "AND HE SAID, YOUNG MAN, I SAY UNTO THEE, ARISE. AND HE THAT WAS DEAD SAT UP, AND BEGAN TO SPEAK. AND HE DELIVERED HIM TO HIS MOTHER."
  1. An opportune meeting:
    1. It brought the bereaved face to face with the only one who could bring relief.
    2. It was He who said, "I am the resurrection, and the life" - John 11:25
  2. The event was very unusual, but blessed:
    1. It gave a son back to his sorrowing mother.
    2. And it drew the attention of a multitude to the One who raises the dead.
B. WHEN A SON IS HANDED BACK TO HIS MOTHER
  1. A compassionate Saviour:
    1. "He had compassion on her".
    2. That was one of His virtues - Matt. 9:36; 14:14; Mark 1:41
  2. The state of the woman:
    1. She was a widow - Ex. 22:22; Deut. 10:18
    2. The dead man was her only son -
      1. He may have been the breadwinner of the family.
      2. He was deemed worthy by the Master to be brought back to life again.
  3. The miracle of the resurrection:
    1. "Weep not."
    2. The Saviour is cognizant of weeping mothers - Jer. 31:15-17
    3. He was a man of sorrows and fully acquainted with grief - Isa. 53:3
    4. "He touched the bier." There is life-giving power in the touch of the Master - Matt. 8:3; Mark 1:41; Luke 5:13; Matt. 9:29; 14:36; Mark 6:56
    5. He spoke -- "Young man, I say unto thee, arise." There is resurrection power in His word - John 5:28, 29; 11:34-44
    6. This fact is comforting assurance to all who face the inevitable -- pain, sorrow, and death.
    7. It is a glorious hope that shines from the tomb of the risen Saviour into the graves of all who await His call in the resurrection.
  4. The resurrection scene:
    1. "And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak."
    2. The dead man responded to the call of the Life- giver -- "he sat up."
    3. "He began to speak." We have no way of knowing what he said; but one would assume that he turned to the Life-giver and said: "Thank you, dear Lord, for bringing me back to life again, and to let me take care of my mother."
  5. "And he delivered him to his mother":
    1. What a revelation to sorrowing mothers!
    2. They labor, they pray, and they hope, they weep, and in the end they are honored by the Life-giver; they are given back their loved ones.
C. A TIMELY LESSON FOR ALL WHO SORROW
  1. The scene portrayed in our text has been recorded:
    1. For the consolation of all the bereaved and sorrowing ones - Rom. 15:4
    2. We know of no other point in this life when heavenly consolation is more needed -- death is a heart breaker.
    3. Even the Son of God wept when He stood at the grave of His friend Lazarus - John 11:35
  2. Blessed consolation:
    1. "Thy dead men shall live again." - Isa. 26:19
    2. "Thy brother shall rise again." - John 11:23
    3. "The dead in Christ shall rise again." - 1 Thess. 4:16
  3. Loved ones:
    1. Look beyond the tomb.
    2. Fix your sight on the promise of the resurrection.
    3. Look for that blessed event at the second coming of Jesus Christ - Rev. 14:13-17
    4. Sorrow not as those that have no hope, "there is hope in thine end" - Jer. 31:17
    5. "I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy likeness." - Ps. 17:15


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