Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus doesn't just speak life into the dead man; he actively touches the bier, symbolically engaging with death itself and showing that even the ceremonial defilement of touching the dead is no barrier to his life-giving power. His direct command, "Young man, I say to you, arise," isn't a hesitant plea but a powerful decree, demonstrating his authority over death that is far beyond the efforts of prophets before him.
Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is on his way to the town of Nain, accompanied by a crowd, when he encounters a funeral procession. He sees a widowed mother grieving for her only son, and his heart goes out to her. Jesus intervenes directly, touching the bier and commanding the dead young man to rise.
Jesus encountered a funeral procession, and instead of stepping away out of concern for ritual purity, He stepped in. What does this tell us about God's heart?
The scene in Luke 7 is incredibly moving. A grieving widow, her only son dead, a crowd following. Jesus, seeing her pain, is moved with compassion. Notice what He does next: He walks up and touches the bier. In Jewish law, touching a dead body or anything associated with it made a person ritually unclean. But Jesus, the source of all purity, intentionally crossed that line.
With a simple word, Jesus confronted death itself. How can spoken words hold such immense power?
After touching the bier and causing the bearers to stop, Jesus speaks directly to the deceased: 'Young man, I say to you, arise.' This is not a hesitant plea or a hopeful suggestion. It's a command, spoken with absolute authority.
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Understand the original words
soros · Greek Noun
The wooden frame or platform upon which a corpse was carried to the burial site. Touching it in Jewish law would typically render a person ceremonially unclean, showing Jesus' willingness to override ritual boundaries to bring life.
egeirō · Greek Verb
To be raised from the dead or to stand up from a position of lying down. In the New Testament, it is frequently used to describe both physical resurrection and the spiritual awakening of those dead in sin.
This event occurred during Jesus' active ministry in Galilee, a period marked by His compassion for the suffering and His demonstration of authority over all of life's challenges, including death. The public nature of the funeral procession and the presence of crowds underscore the impact and witness of His miracles.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus' Ministry in Galilee
Jesus travels throughout Galilee, teaching, healing, and performing miracles, gathering disciples and drawing crowds.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Compassion for the Needy
Jesus consistently shows deep empathy for those suffering, particularly the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.
Early 1st century AD
Public Funerary Customs
Jewish custom involved a public procession to the burial site, often outside the city walls, with mourners accompanying the deceased.
Early 1st century AD
Jesus' Authority Over Life and Death
Jesus demonstrates unparalleled power not only over sickness but also over death itself, raising the dead.
Early 1st century AD
Witnesses to Jesus' Miracles
Many miracles were performed before crowds of witnesses, leading to widespread reports of Jesus' power and fame.
This passage shows Elijah, another prophet, raising a widow's son by stretching himself upon the child and praying for life to return, highlighting a similar theme of compassion and divine power over death.
2 Kings 4:35Here, Elisha also raises a child to life by lying upon the child three times and praying, demonstrating a recurring pattern of prophetic intervention in the face of death and grief, akin to Jesus' direct command.
John 5:25Jesus states that 'the hour is coming, and is now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live,' directly paralleling His command to the young man and pointing to His authority over spiritual death.
John 11:43In the raising of Lazarus, Jesus cries out with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out,' echoing the powerful, authoritative command He gives in Luke 7:14 to overcome the reality of death.
Romans 4:17Paul quotes God as 'the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist,' which underscores the divine authority Jesus exercises when calling the dead man to life.
calvinLuke 7:11-17: "And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people."
- And it happened, when he departed, that he went into a city, which was called Nain, and many of his disciples, and a great multitude, went along with him. 12. And as he was approaching to the gate of the city, there was carried out a dead man, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and a great multitude from the city was with her. 13. A…
jfbLuke 7:11-17: "And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people."
Lu 7:11-17. Widow of Nain's Son Raised to Life. (In Luke only).11. Nain—a small village not elsewhere mentioned in Scripture, and only this once probably visited by our Lord; it lay a little to the south of Mount Tabor, about twelve miles from Capernaum.
Jesus doesn't just speak life into the dead man; he actively touches the bier, symbolically engaging with death itself and showing that even the ceremonial defilement of touching the dead is no barrier to his life-giving power. His direct command, "Young man, I say to you, arise," isn't a hesitant plea but a powerful decree, demonstrating his authority over death that is far beyond the efforts of prophets before him.
Jesus is on his way to the town of Nain, accompanied by a crowd, when he encounters a funeral procession. He sees a widowed mother grieving for her only son, and his heart goes out to her. Jesus intervenes directly, touching the bier and commanding the dead young man to rise.
Jesus is on his way to the town of Nain, accompanied by a crowd, when he encounters a funeral procession. He sees a widowed mother grieving for her only son, and his heart goes out to her. Jesus intervenes directly, touching the bier and commanding the dead young man to rise.
"Then he came up and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”" — Jesus doesn't just speak life into the dead man; he actively touches the bier, symbolically engaging with death itself and showing that even the ceremonial defilement of touching the dead is no barri…
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Last reviewed October 2026