Jesus Raises the Dead: The Widow’s Son and Jairus’ Daughter

Throughout His 30-plus years of life, Jesus would have seen many people die. It’s likely that His stepfather Joseph died during Jesus’ young adult years. While He could have intervened or prevented every death, He didn’t.

But as Messiah He did demonstrate His power to raise the dead (Matthew 11:5). The Gospels detail three resurrections Jesus performed.

We will focus on the first two in this article, since both occurred in the earlier portion of His ministry. We’ll cover the third—the resurrection of Lazarus—in a future article.

These resurrections not only show God’s power over the grave but also underscore important elements of Christ’s character and foreshadow what He will do on a much larger scale in the future.

Jesus encounters a funeral at Nain

After healing the centurion’s servant in Capernaum, Jesus traveled about 30 miles south to the small Galilean village of Nain, known today as Nein. This small town was only a short distance southeast of Nazareth, so He had likely visited it before. 

By this time, news of His astounding healings and miracles had spread, and He now had a sizable crowd following Him from place to place (Luke 7:11). Not all were committed disciples; many would probably be better described as interested and curious onlookers. 

As Jesus and His followers approached Nain, they encountered a funeral procession. Luke described the situation: “Behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her” (verse 12). 

Luke is the only writer to record this event. Luke’s Gospel puts a special emphasis on Jesus’ deep concern for those who were often overlooked and ignored.

Widows were, and still are, among the most vulnerable people in society. In addition to losing her only son, this widow had also just lost her protector and provider. She now faced an uncertain future in a society that didn’t have a public safety net for people in her situation. 

A window into Jesus’ character 

Upon seeing her, Jesus gave her His focused attention. He deeply understood the grief, fear and uncertainty she was feeling. “When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her” (verse 13).

Luke’s words open a unique window into Christ’s mind, allowing us to see not just what He did, but how He thought and felt. Compassion is a deep level of mercy and tenderness for others. It’s empathy, genuine concern and a sincere desire to help. Jesus was profoundly sensitive to human suffering.

Compassion is one of God’s core characteristics—highlighted in both the Old and New Testaments (Exodus 33:19; Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalms 86:15; 145:8; James 5:11). It was a characteristic that Jesus displayed consistently (Matthew 9:16; 14:14; Mark 1:41). He even included it as a central lesson of some of His most famous parables (Luke 10:33; 15:20). 

God specifically has deep compassion and concern for the vulnerable—especially widows and orphans (Psalm 68:5). In order to walk as Christ walked, we should show the same concern (James 1:27). 

Jesus raises the widow’s son

Upon coming face-to-face with this grieving mother, Jesus gently instructed her, “Do not weep” (Luke 7:13). 

Jesus wasn’t scolding her for grieving. He was gently preparing her for what He was going to do. He was about to reverse the cause of her tears. 

“Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise’” (verse 14).

Jesus, showing the same authority that the centurion had recognized, commanded the restoration of life. Instantly, the spark of life reentered his limp body—breath was restored, his heart jolted back into action and whatever had caused his death was healed. God enabled him to spring up and speak (verse 15). 

Jesus then presented him to his mother, alive and healthy. 

Luke does not describe the reunion between this mother and son, but it was undoubtedly a strikingly emotional sight to see. 

The news of this miracle spread quickly, even to John the Baptist, causing some to recognize Jesus was a prophet and others to ponder His divine identity (verses 16-20). 

Jairus meets Christ 

Not long after resurrecting the widow’s son in Nain, Jesus restored life a second time. 

After Jesus returned to Galilee from the Gadarenes, a man named Jairus, “a ruler of the synagogue” (Luke 8:41) met Him. Jairus was responsible for the order and structure of Sabbath gatherings in the local synagogue. 

But he was also the father of a terminally ill child. 

His 12-year-old daughter—his only daughter—was on her deathbed. Instead of staying by her bedside during her final hours, he had torn himself away to seek healing from Jesus. Upon seeing Him, the distraught father “fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house” (verse 41). 

All three synoptic Gospels indicate that Jesus did not hesitate but immediately set out for Jairus’ home. 

Though it’s not our focus in this article, on the way to Jairus’ home, Jesus encountered a woman who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for 12 years. She didn’t ask for healing but merely touched His garment and was immediately healed (Mark 5:29). We should note the gentleness Jesus showed when speaking to this frightened and nervous woman (verses 33-34). 

Jesus had concern for both critical and chronic health situations. His healing allowed this woman to live without the ongoing impacts of this health issue. 

Jesus raises Jarius’ daughter

As they continued toward Jairus’ home, they were met by a messenger with the news that the child had died. However, this did not deter Jesus from continuing to the house. He helped Jairus stay hopeful, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe” (verse 36).

Upon arriving, Jesus took the girl’s parents, as well as Peter, James and John, into the home to find a household in mourning. 

He then said, “The child is not dead, but sleeping” (verse 39). 

By referring to her as asleep, Jesus was emphasizing that the child was not suffering but was peacefully unconscious. Like all who have died, she was not conscious elsewhere but sleeping the sleep of death.

His primary focus, however, was on the fact that He had the power to wake her up—and would.  

After going into the room where the child was, accompanied by her parents and the three disciples, “He took the child by the hand, and said to her, ‘Talitha, cumi,’ which is translated, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise’” (verse 41). 

Just as Jesus deeply cared about and showed compassion to the widow’s son and Jairus’ daughter, He will extend the same profound care and compassion to the entire world upon His return.  His gentleness was a striking demonstration of His perfect balance. When needed, Jesus could act with the boldness of a lion. But, at other times, He could be as gentle as a lamb. Speaking in Aramaic, the child’s first language, Jesus softly told her in essence: 

Little girl, it’s time to wake up. 

Like the man He had raised a few weeks earlier, the young girl had her life restored instantaneously. “Immediately the girl arose and walked” (verse 42). Both the man and the girl were not only brought back to life but also healed of their sickness and provided an extra jolt of energy to make it unmistakably obvious. 

Again, we’re left to imagine the overwhelming emotion and joy of the parents’ reunion with their daughter. 

Before leaving, Jesus instructed the parents to give her something to eat (verse 43). Eating would have been powerful evidence she was fully healed, and, after such a traumatic experience, the child needed nourishment.

He wasn’t just concerned about restoring her life, but also about her ongoing recovery.  

Lessons from these resurrections

These two miracles are among the most inspiring and dramatic of those Jesus performed. They not only display God’s absolute power over the grave but also foreshadow what will occur on a much grander scale after Jesus’ second coming. 

In both instances, Jesus transformed situations marked by death, chaos and grief into moments of life, calm and joy. When He returns to earth, Jesus will find a dying, chaotic and traumatized world—and begin the process of transforming it into a peaceful, joyful and life-filled paradise. 

That transformation will be marked by the restoration of life—first for His faithful saints and later for “the rest of the dead” (Revelation 20:4-6).

Just as Jesus deeply cared about and showed compassion to the widow’s son and Jairus’ daughter, He will extend the same profound care and compassion to the entire world upon His return. 

Though only God can miraculously restore life to the dead, we can emulate the compassion and concern Jesus exhibited in both situations. Genuine compassion and concern for those suffering physically and emotionally are necessary characteristics for anyone striving to . . .

Walk as He walked.