Power Over Life And Death

Power Over Life And Death

Soon afterward Jesus went with his disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed him. A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. Luke 7:11-15

The young man from Nain wasn’t the only person that Jesus raised from the dead. Jesus repeatedly demonstrated his power over life and death—power that surpasses any medical miracle that might be used to explain it away.

I have been at the bedsides of many patients who were dead for a few minutes while we resuscitated them with CPR. Usually, after thirty minutes of CPR without getting a heartbeat, we will call the code. On rare occasions when we have seen some sign of life even without a heartbeat, we might continue for a bit longer. But two hours of CPR is the maximum. If a patient’s heartbeat hasn’t returned by then, it’s not going to.

I’ve had only one patient who came back from the dead after two hours of CPR. But when she awoke and told us about where she’d been, she regretted that we’d worked so hard to bring her back. She spent the rest of her life telling people about heaven, and she couldn’t wait to go back to stay.

The fact that the boy in Nain was being carried to his funeral means he had been dead for some time—possibly as long as three days. Moreover, he hadn’t received any treatment, such as CPR, that might have kept him alive. He was in his coffin, en route to his final resting place.

Yet, at precisely this moment when it seemed as if nothing could be reversed, Jesus brought him back to life. The boy immediately sat up and began to talk as if he’d just been taking a nap. This miracle demonstrates the true power over life and death of our Almighty God.

TODAY’S RX

If you’ve been told that your death is imminent, ask Jesus for a second opinion.

Jesus, you’ve raised me to new life by allowing me to be born again. Thank you for calling out to me when I was spiritually dead and for opening my eyes to the beauty of life with you.