Seen in last Sunday’s gospel reading, with Jesus preaching that we should not be anxious about our lives. That we should look to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field, and God provided for them, so how much more will he provide for us? For Jesus says, “Seek the kingdom and all will be added unto you.” And now we come to the widow of Nain. This woman has lost her husband and is now burying her only son. It appears all the Lord has provided her is now gone. What a stark contrast! Yet trials in this life are not given to us to burden us, but to strengthen us in the Faith of our good and gracious heavenly Father who has restored us to new life.
This woman is a member of a long procession of faithful people of God who have been given burdens and trials in this world by the Lord. It is true that the Lord tests his people. These trials are not to draw them away from God, but to draw them closer to him. To rely on him all the more. That Saint Peter would go as far as to say in his first epistle to the church, “You have been grieved by various trials,that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to the praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” As as seen in the Saints of old, were called to put their trust in the Lord in difficult times and their faith is truly refined.
First, of course, there is God’s servant Job. The story of Job is one of testing and faithfulness. The Lord allows all his goods, his property, and even his children to be taken away from him. And still Job says, “The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” And Satan struck him with many sores, and yet the Bible says, “In all this job did not sin with his lips.” Even as his companions tried to comfort him by saying that he must have some fault that he is unaware of, something that he has not completed, a secret sin, or grievance with God yet to be settled. Throughout the entire book, Job insists that he has done nothing wrong, and yet God remains good, faithful, and just in what the Lord is doing. For the servant of the Lord, even says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the Earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh. I shall see God.” The Lord allowed him to be tested, and he never lost hope that he would be vindicated by his good and gracious God.
Then we come to the widow of Zarephath, the same woman who receives the miracle of the flour and oil that would not run out. Now her son, whom the prophet Elijah saved from starvation, is dead. Despite her question, she has done nothing wrong against this man of God. Still in her pain and misery, she gives the Prophet her dead son. This is a great act of faith and worthy of imitation. Her faith receives its result as the Prophet Elijah says to her, “See, your son lives.” Just as gold is purified by fire, for this woman trials refine and increase the value of faith.
Now to the widow of Nain. This woman has already buried her husband, and now her only son will join him. She entirely relied on her son, and now she has no security. Many have come to march with her to the outskirts of town, and now, how many of those people will have compassion on her after everyone has moved on from the death? Despite this trial from the Lord, she remains faithful as she lays her son in the ground with the hope of the resurrection. For she does not turn the Lord away from this parade of death.
The Lord Jesus turns and looks upon her with compassion. Because even in such a trial, the Lord does not allow death and Satan to have the last word. He has compassion for those whom he purifies. The Lord’s mercy is properly acknowledged not when it is expected, but when it is called upon. When this woman saw the Lord Jesus, could she have known what was going to happen next? Maybe some words of encouragement or an embrace from Jesus and the disciples. Instead, this faithful woman receives her son back alive and well. Through her pain, she is brought to greater reliance and faith in Christ Jesus. This woman, who undoubtedly believes that her son would outlive her, would remain comfortable and secure for the rest of her days. She takes her son by the hand, leaving his casket on the road, even with more joy and gratefulness in the Lord than on the day that he was born. As this man was raised from the dead, this woman’s faith is also raised, being more precious than gold.
And what does this mean for us? It is without a doubt, as seen in all of Holy Scripture, that trials will come. And when they do come, they often come from the hand of the Lord. They may not be as extreme as the examples already mentioned, yet you know what I am talking about, now or in the past. I may not know the cross you bear, and you may not know mine, but since we are Christians, we know that from the hands of the Lord come hard times and trials, and the Lord sees us through so that our faith in his mercy may grow and be purified. These could be times when we lose our jobs for no fault of our own, when we lose friends for something we never said, or when our families no longer want to speak to us because we refuse to deny the truth. God uses all things for our good, to put our faith and trust in him.
It is out of his great love that he desires your faith to increase and to be seen by all. Look at Job —how great a witness does he give to his three friends who believe he is a fool? When trials come, we bear witness to Christ and the Holy Spirit at work within us. For example, one of the fruits of the Spirit is love. If it is love that must increase, for the Lord will give us our opportunities for love. If it is patience, the Lord will give us the opportunity to grow in patience. If it is gentleness, the Lord will provide times to be gentle, and so on. The Lord does not do this to shut you out, but to bring you closer to him, to rely on him, and to ask for love, patience, and gentleness.
Let me leave you with this: do not let the world deceive you. As the world doesn’t endure trials from the Lord. For God only can purify those who already have faith. The Lord will not test you beyond your abilities, as he always provides a means of escape. For he is the Lord, who raises the dead to take death upon himself. And he has been raised and ascended to the right hand of the Father, to be your advocate and your helper. So whatever may come your way, either from hell below or heaven above, neither life nor death can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
St. John's and Grace Evangelical Lutheran Parish 