Song of Solomon 5.2‐6.3 ~ Cantique des Cantiques 5.2-6.3
Psalm 116.1, 10‐17 ~ Psaumes 116.1,10-17
1 Corinthians 15.29‐34 ~ 1 Corinthiens 15.29-34
The healing of the widow’s son
As Jesus arrives at the gates of the town with his disciples, they encounter a funeral
procession; for a young man, the only son of his widowed mother. Widows in days
before the welfare state were often destitute; reliant entirely on their children or on
the charity of others.
The story is reminiscent, intentionally, of the story of Elijah and the Widow at
Zarephath in 1 Kings 17. During the drought God provides for Elijah; he lodges with
the widow and her son, where the jar of flour is not used up, and the jug of oil does
not run dry (1 Kings 17: 16). When the widow's son dies, Elijah cries out to God in
distress and despair and the young man is restored to life (1 Kings 17:22). And the
widow acknowledges Elijah as being a man of God.
The episode in Luke is a demonstration of Jesus' healing, but it is also about Jesus'
compassion. Luke records: “When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her ... And
he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, Arise.” (vv.13‐14) And then, in words which are a
direct quotation from 1 Kings 17:23: “And he gave him to his mother.” The young man
is restored to life. His mother’s life is transformed as her sorrow turns to joy.
What do these stories tell us about God? They tell us that God is at work in our world;
that God hears the prayers of his people and responds to them. They remind us that
God is our provider; the source of all that we need. We are fed not by the EC
Agricultural Policy, nor by Tesco or Carrefour, but by God's provision for our lives. “All
good things around us are sent from heaven above ...”
Finally, it is no coincidence that there are two widows. God has a particular concern
for the weak and the powerless; the gospel, (and Luke's Gospel in particular) has a
bias towards the poor:
“He has put down the mighty from their seat, but has exalted the humble and
meek. He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent empty
away.” Mary’s song, in Luke 1.
These stories underline the character of the God whom Mary celebrates in the
Magnificat. She herself is an example of one who has been exalted from lowliness to
greatness. The poor in Luke is almost a technical term for followers of Jesus ‐
because they were the people who put their trust in Jesus’s provision and promises.
Chris Martin
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