Getting Out of the Coffin

Getting Out of the ..Coffin ..Coffin Loud wails filled the air as the funeral procession slowly walked out through the gate of the city of Nain. Though most of the wailing was being produced by paid mourners the pain in the hearts of the crowd following the coffin was real. There walking just behind the pallbearers was the deceased’s poor, widowed, mother. Her only son lay in the traditional open coffin (or bier) made of wickerwork shrouded in folds of linen. After her husband had died he had been all she had left. Now he was gone too. It seemed that sorrow must be her lot for the rest of her life. It is unclear why such a large crowed attended the casket. Perhaps this young man had been well loved and respected in his town. Or maybe they just felt sorry for his widowed mother since, in her culture, women just had to have a man to care for them and now she had none. Whatever the reason this funeral was a large event and now the sad procession made their way to the burial ground to lay their loved one to rest. The city of Nain “is not mentioned elsewhere, either in the Bible or in secular sources, but is generally identified with the modern Nein, on the northern slopes of a mountain overlooking the broad plain of Esdraelon to the north. Nein is situated about 25 mi. southwest of the site of ancient Capernaum and about 5 mi. south of Nazareth. There is but one approach to the village, along a steep and rocky path (see DA 318) [sic] that comes in from the east. About half a mile east of the village is a rock-hewn burial ground still in use today.—SDA Bible Commentary Vol. 5, p.757 As the funeral procession traversed that rocky path to the burial ground they met up with another large group of people coming from the other direction. At the head of this crowd was a rabbi (or spiritual teacher) named Jesus. When the two groups met Jesus saw the widow and knew her situation. He knew that her heart was breaking. And not only hers, It seemed that the only one in the group that wasn’t sad was the dead man, who obviously didn’t know anything was going on. Luke 7:13, 14a—After comforting the mother Jesus touched the coffin. The pallbearers stopped short in astonishment. By touching the coffin Jesus risked ceremonial uncleanness (see Numbers 19:11). But Jesus was about to do a lot more than become ceremonially unclean to bring eternal life to mankind. He was about to take on all the guilt and sins of the whole world—become “sin for us”— bearing our guilt and uncleanness to the cross so a little ceremonial uncleanness wasn’t a big deal to Him. Luke 7:14b-17—Although this man was dead and had no clue what was going on Jesus spoke to him commanding him to arise. Even death itself cannot defy God’s word so the man sat up in the coffin fully alive and started talking as if nothing had happened. I imagine that Jesus helped the man out of his coffin as He presented him alive to his mother. After their original shock at this experience the crowd recognized that they had had supernatural power visit their town and their wailing turned into joyful praises, glorifying God.

The Bible tells us another story about people who got out of their coffins filled with new life. But unlike the above story this is a continuing story with chapters still being written to this very day. We find it in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians 2:1-3—Here we find people who are dead in trespasses. Paul tells us about how the spiritually dead are subject to the devil’s power. He says these spiritually dead people are “by nature children of wrath.” The sad truth is that every one of us either is dead in trespasses or was at some time. The state of an unsaved person has a close analogy to physical death. A dead person lacks the living principle, or the spirit, which is essential to growth, energy and just plain life itself (Ecclesiastes 12:7; Luke 23:46; James 2:26). The unsaved person (dead in trespasses) lacks the Holy Spirit who helps us grow, gives us power and, most importantly, seals us for eternal life. They are really living in a coffin—appointed for wrath. Ephesians 2:4, 5—The good news is that just as Jesus touched the coffin taking upon Himself the defilement of the dead man from Nain Jesus touched our coffin of sin and took our defilement to the cross so that He could make us alive, really, truly alive! 2 Corinthians 5:21—Jesus visited our “coffin.” The totally righteous savior “became sin” for us. So that we could be free from death. 1 Peter 2:24, 25—Jesus bore our sins in His own body to the cross so we could live for righteousness. Because He took our defilement we can be covered with His righteousness. Ephesians 2:6, 7—When we accept God’s substitutionary gift of salvation He will take us into Heaven someday where we will “sit together in the heavenly places.” We will be a picture to all in the universe of God’s great grace and kindness. Ephesians 2:8-10—By grace…through faith. Grace on God’s part faith on our part. Our faith doesn’t save us. Only God’s grace can do that. Faith is just the conduit through which we accept God’s saving grace. If our faith could save us than we would have something to boast about. Titus 3:3-6—Our own works of righteousness do not save us. We are saved because of God’s mercy given to us through the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. Like the dead man from Nain Jesus has taken your defilement and called you to get out of the coffin. Will you! How do you accept Jesus’ salvation? In prayer simply confess that you are a sinner dead in your sins and ask Jesus to forgive you. Give Him all your guilt, and pain, give Him all the good things too! Accept Jesus as your personal savior. And ask Him to be your leader from now on. Ask for the Holy Spirit to come and direct your ways. He will answer that prayer and you will be saved out of the coffin. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”—Romans 8:1, 2