比死亡更有能力

“‘少年人，我吩咐你起来！’那死人就坐起，并且说话。耶稣便把他交给他母亲。” - 路7:14-15

拿因城的寡妇遇见了耶稣。当祂叫寡妇死了的儿子复活时，耶稣行了一个奇妙的神迹。然而，圣经清楚指出，耶稣行这神迹，不是要表现自己或赢取别人的称赞，祂这样做是因为祂怜悯哀伤的母亲，就如路加这样说：“主看见那寡妇，就怜悯她，对她说：‘不要哭。’”耶稣用说话安慰她，跟着便把活过来的儿子交给她。

这个奇妙的神迹带给我们一个小小的暗示，就是有一个更伟大的神迹快要发生了。耶稣能够叫寡妇的儿子复活，显明耶稣比死亡更有能力。耶稣背负我们罪的惩罚、死在十字架上后，第三天便从死里复活了。祂自己的复活，不单表明耶稣比死亡更有能力，它更表明祂已一次性战胜了死亡的权势。

当我们因失去所爱的人而悲伤时，我们可以确信，耶稣会在我们的伤痛中怜悯我们，就像祂怜悯拿因城的寡妇一样。我们更可以确信，因着耶稣复活的大能，死亡不能作最后定论。

赐盼望的神，我们害怕死亡和因它悲伤。因着耶稣复活的大能，求你让我们看见前面的路，又赐我们安慰、勇气、和盼望。阿们。

11过了不多时，耶稣往一座城去，这城名叫拿因，他的门徒和极多的人与他同行。
12将近城门，有一个死人被抬出来。这人是他母亲独生的儿子，他母亲又是寡妇。有城里的许多人同着寡妇送殡。
13主看见那寡妇，就怜悯她，对她说：“不要哭！”
14于是进前按着杠，抬的人就站住了。耶稣说：“少年人，我吩咐你，起来！”
15那死人就坐起，并且说话。耶稣便把他交给他母亲。
16众人都惊奇，归荣耀于神，说：“有大先知在我们中间兴起来了！”又说：“神眷顾了他的百姓！”
17他这事的风声就传遍了犹太和周围地方。

Stronger Than Death

“Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. - Luke 7:14-15

英语音频 English Audio

The widow at Nain met Jesus. Jesus performed an amazing miracle when he raised her son who had died. But the Bible makes clear that Jesus didn’t do this miracle to put on a show or to impress anyone; he did it because he had compassion on this grieving mother. As Luke puts it, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her, and he said, ‘Don’t cry.’” Jesus spoke words of comfort to her, and then he restored her son to her.

This amazing story about a miracle gives us a little hint of an even greater miracle that will happen soon. The fact that Jesus could raise the son of this widow from the dead shows that Jesus is stronger than death. And after Jesus himself died on the cross, bearing all the punishment for our sins, he rose from the dead on the third day. His own resurrection means not only that Jesus is stronger than death but also that he has defeated the power of death once and for all.

When we grieve the loss of people we love, we can be assured that Jesus feels compassion for us in our grief, just as he did for the widow in Nain. We can also be assured that death does not have the last word because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection.

Prayer

God of hope, we are saddened and frightened by death. Show us a way forward and give us comfort, courage, and hope, we pray, because of the power of Jesus’ resurrection. Amen.