It is Easter, the glorious season when we celebrate the event that changed the course of history - the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. We rejoice in the fact that not only is He life, but He also brings life!

We are only human, and all of us will, at one time or another, come face-to-face with death. It may not be the death of a loved one – it may be the death of a dream, a hope, a love. Anything we hold dear or precious can vanish in the blink of an eye, and we are left aching with loss. In Luke 7:11-17 we read of just such an event.

Capernaum and His ministry there lay behind Jesus, and He must already have been truly weary by the time he set out for the next little town. The crowds did not give up easily, eager to see what other miracles He might do, so they gave Him no rest but tagged along behind the disciples.

As He approached the gates of Nain, the sound of weeping and wailing filled the air. A funeral procession, led by a heart-broken mother, was making its way to the burial site. Her only son lay on that bier, and she wept in absolute despair for the bleak future ahead of her. I doubt she even saw Jesus. Certainly, it is clear she never called out to Him for help. We are not told how long she had been a widow, but her son was all she had to take care of her in her old age. She was helpless and hopeless until the One who would Himself confront death on the Cross met her outside that gate! The Bible says when Jesus saw her tears, He was moved with compassion.

“Do not cry,” he said. Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. (Luke 7:14,15)

What happened next does not take much imagination – in a moment, mourning was turned into dancing! “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”
(1 Corinthians 15:55)

The Gospels have many accounts of the dead being raised and surely, each time brought an explosion of joy and fresh hope for the future. But nothing compares with the magnificence of His resurrection from His own death. Like the two Mary’s, we have looked into that grave and have heard the words of the angel:

“Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.  And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”
(Matthew 28:5-7)

I am willing to bet they not only ran, but leapt and danced with joy as they hurried to share the wonderful news!

Because He lives, we shall live also, not only in eternity, but right now. He breathes His victorious life into our lives when we are dead in trespasses and sin, and He restores to us what has been stolen and destroyed by the enemy of our souls. In fact, He has promised us not only life, but life more abundantly. Christ has forever changed our mourning into dancing!