Bringing a Dead Man Back to Life

In Luke 7:11-17 a young man has died, his mother’s a widow, and the townspeople of Nain are marching to the graveyard. But Jesus intercepts the sorrowful procession, unleashing his compassion-fueled power to bring the dead man back to life: it’s a miracle! But remember, that young man has to die again. And all the people Jesus heals get sick again and eventually die. This life is still this life—and heaven’s still heaven, and we’re not there yet.

Jesus did not raise the young man from Nain to minimize the hope of future resurrection (and prompt us to cherish this earthly life and cling to it and get all engrossed in doing whatever can be done to extend it) but precisely to spotlight future resurrection. The hope of the life to come, when we’ll be given new resurrection bodies for a glorious and invincible and eternal life in the perfect presence of Jesus (when “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,” Rev 21:4), is what Jesus’ miracles ultimately point to. So how sad would it be to forget the life to come and set all our heart’s hope on this life?

That’s the absurdity the Apostle Paul confronts in 1 Corinthians 15. He begins by documenting the historical fact of Jesus’ bodily resurrection (15:1-11—note the 500+ eyewitnesses). Then he demolishes the claim that being raised from the dead is categorically impossible: it had already happened (15:12-19). And then he moves to the hope-giving truth that Jesus’ resurrection was the “first fruits” of a future resurrection for all who trust in Christ (15:20-26).

In light of this logic, and in light of Jesus’ foreshadowing of our glorious heavenly life when we’ll no longer see through a glass dimly but will see Jesus face to face (cf. 1 Cor 13:12), how ridiculous would it be to cling to and cherish and find our identity / joy / comfort / fulfillment in the present life only, in temporary gains only (1 Tim 6:7)? Better to lay up treasure in heaven (Matt 6:20). “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor 15:19). It’s pitiful to disregard the life to come and live for today! “Lord, awaken in me a heart for your glory and the hope of heaven!”