Jesus Turns the Insignificant Into Significance - Luke 7-8

Luke 7:11-17 (ESV)

Soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a great crowd went with him. As he drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” And the dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and “God has visited his people!” And this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.

There are parts of stories in the Gospel writings that tell us one main thing but still contain minor nuances that can teach us further good truth.  In the above passage we read about a man who died and was being buried.  Jesus arrives to this town, just as the burial procession is walking by (there is a good truth about the sovereignty of Jesus’ work on this earth ... always in the right place at the right time as orchestrated by the Father and the Spirit).   The name of the town was Nain.   If you gave a very good theologian a chance to name the cities Jesus visited, it is probably a sure bet that Nain would be at the bottom of their list, if even recalled at all.   The word means beautiful in the Greek. It was a small city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.   It is, by anyone’s definition, an insignificant city.    Until this story.    Jesus is moved with compassion on the widow of the man.   We don’t know why this caught Jesus’ attention but it did. In this small insignificant town an unnamed widow is reunited in life with her also unnamed but formerly deceased husband.   Whatever the reason Jesus stopped here and performed this miracle, it accomplished His goal.   The last verse of the story states that this report about him spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.   Here is a great truth buried deeper in this short narrative:   Jesus can make turn the most insignificant into something significant.    Jesus shows up in a little unknown town and makes it now known in all the region.   We don’t have the man’s name or the widow’s name, but Luke gives us the cities name.   When God visits a people, place or situation it becomes significant.   Our significance is tied up in our relationship with Jesus.  Without Him we are just another person walking on this spinning planet.   But when Jesus shows up in our lives we are now not only significant in the world but a child of God.   God makes us significant.   He can make the unknown, known!!