Super Natural is a sermon series on the miraculous works of Jesus in the Bible. The Gospel is Preached to the Poor — God’s heart is moved by our needs. God’s only Son was given for our greatest need. The poor respond in worship and witness. Recorded on May 16, 2021, on Luke 7:11-17, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’ve been focusing on the Person and Work of Jesus. And today, we’re finishing a series called Super Natural. As we’ve said, everywhere Jesus went, he did three things: he preached about the kingdom of God, he called men/women to follow him, and he did miracles. Jesus said about his ministry, “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” And we’ve looked at each of these miracles in turn, as signs authenticating the person/work of Jesus. But also, as living parables teaching us about the character of God and his desire for us, his people. So today, we’ll finish this series by considering the statement, “and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.” What does that mean? Why would that matter? Well, if you have a Bible/app, please open it to Luke 7:11.

Luke 7:11-17, “11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 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. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.” 14 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!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 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.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.”

Now, at first reading, this might not seem like the best example of preaching good news to the poor, but I think you’ll understand more after we unpack this text together. So first, Luke was a physician and a historian who became a Christian through the ministry of the Apostle Paul around the city of Ephesus. Luke didn’t follow Jesus in Palestine but rather did a careful investigation into the person/work of Jesus by interviewing eyewitnesses who had followed Jesus. v. 11.

Luke 7:11, “Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him.” Ok, so Nain, right? We all know where that is. Well, let’s look at a map here. Nain was in the region of Galilee near Nazareth and southwest of the Sea of Galilee where Jesus did much of his early ministry. Luke says that his disciples are with him and there’s a large crowd of people following as well. Perhaps they had heard about Jesus and wanted to hear him preach. Or perhaps they had a need and were hoping for a miracle from him. But either way, Jesus is very popular at this point. Let’s keep going with v. 12.

Luke 7:12, “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.” Let’s pause here. So the crowd following Jesus meets with another crowd, one who is part of a funeral procession. And who died? Luke says that it was the only son of a mother who was also a widow. Now, this is significant. Why? Because in this day, in this time/place, a woman’s security was found in her family. There were few social safety net programs, no government aid. You either had a family who could work and provide and take ...