Imagine the Scene...

Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”

Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “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.

They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country. - Luke 7:11-17

Imagine these two crowds colliding. One is with Jesus, having just come from another healing, and it is heading in to town. Another, with the widow, is a funeral procession heading out of town. Luke calls both of them “a large crowd.” They meet at the city gate. Take a moment and put yourself there - perhaps up on the city wall, looking down on the scene, smelling the scents and hearing the noises. What stands out to you about the emotional state of the two crowds? Why are each there?

Now, from your perch there on the not-so-tall wall (Nain wasn’t a big town after all), look carefully at Jesus. You can’t quite hear what’s being said, but what can you tell about what’s going on by his posture, by his actions, by his face?

And then see the commotion in the crowd, the rippling outwards of the news that the man has come alive again. What does it look like from where you sit? What does it feel like? What’s going on in your own heart? What do you want to tell Jesus about what you’ve seen and felt today? (Go ahead and tell him now)