Jesus, kids with special needs, and their parents form a popular trio in the gospels. As parents raising children with disabilities, we can learn a great deal by studying their interactions. Today guest blogger Mark Arnold returns for part 2 of his series about Jesus, kids with special needs, and their parents to help us study the story of Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead in Nain.

What Happened in the Story

The story of Jesus raising the widow’s son is recorded in Luke 7:11-17. Jesus travelled to Nain and encountered a funeral procession for the only son of a widow has died. The sight breaks Jesus’ heart and he tells her “Don’t cry.” He approaches the dead son and commands him to get up. Life returns to the boy. He sits up and talks before Jesus reunites him with his mother. The observers are filled with awe and praise God.

How the Mom and the Crowd Acted and Reacted

Grief: The mother is filled with grief because her only son is dead. She is already a widow, she knows grief, and she is now alone.

Respect: The passage says a large crowd is with her. She must have earned the respect of her community for them to turn out in such numbers.

Confusion: The widow was a bout to bury her only son when Jesus approached her. When he told her “Don’t cry,” she must have been troubled and confused. She must have wondered what was going to happen?

Transformation: In the first miracle of his ministry, Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead. He went on to bring life back to others, but this was the first. Not only was her beloved son restored to life, but the mother’s future was transformed into a more secure and stable one.
What We Can Learn from Jesus, Kids with Special Needs, and their Parents

There are two key messages for us here. The first is that the mother, in her grief, was surrounded by her community. This should lead us to ask who is in our community. Who can we reach out to when we are facing tough times? Who will journey with us? The second message is that sometimes Jesus commands us to do something unexpected in tough times when we feel overwhelmed. Will we obey, listen, and wait to see what he does? Or will we ignore him, dismiss his words, continue in our grief and sorrow? If we do the second, we risk missing out on the good he intended to do.

To read more of this series, check out the links below:

Jesus, Kids with Special Needs, and Their Parents, Part 1

Jesus, Kids with Special Needs, and Their Parents, Part 2

Jesus, Kids with Special Needs, and Their Parents, Part 3

Jesus, Kids with Special Needs, and Their Parents, Part 4

Jesus, Kids with Special Needs, and Their Parents, Part 5

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