Nain

NAIN

Now from Capernaum, where faith’s reward
Was granted to Roman centurion
To heal his servant, Christ the Lamb of God
Himself removed to destination far
With His disciples and a gathering
Of souls who marvelled at His mighty acts
And teaching of the Kingdom close at hand.
A long and dusty road near to the coast
Of Sea of Galilee, the livelihood
Of fishermen such was the former life
Of Peter and his kindred now employed
To one day bring good news of distant shore
Of Paradise, the Kingdom of Yahweh
And of His Son who, with the Spirit, dwell
In unbroken unbridled harmony.
Yet now the Son, now fashioned as a man
His journey took with human company
Through Magdala, past Cana, past the road
To Nazareth his home of boyhood past,
Through Jezreel’s valley and past Tabor’s mount
Where Jabin and his Canaanite army
Were routed by Yahweh at Deborah’s hands
To free the Israelites and thus return
To Yahweh’s ordinances and freedom,
And peace within the land for forty years.
Of these events would Christ have knowledge of
Before His incarnation, now must He
In present time bring forth a victory
O’er death, for now the town of Nain before
His eyes did now present itself, a place
Of little or no reputation, save
For what the Lamb of God was sent to do
For from the gates of that town came a sound
Of weeping and lament for one young man
Now taken from his mother, she who now
Was doubly bereft of husband and son.
Two processions now coming face to face:
Of one, those following the Lamb of God
The source of life and fountain of all grace,
The other, scene of death and Sheol’s grip
To take away the life of that young man
And of his mother, she who once could rest
Assured of life without necessity
To wonder what would now become of her
In such a dreadful happening as this.
Life and death now have met, now must Yahweh
In His Son Jesus be now glorified,
To overcome the grip of death and free
The dead man from the underworld of Sheol.
Since from beginning, blessed conjunction of

Yahweh, the Christ and Holy Spirit did
Life come to be in all its completeness
In the created order in its vast
And seeming limitless arena that
The universe to human eyes and minds
Must be, yet now to this poor sight where life
Has been taken must now be given back.
For in her grief the widow mourns her son
Now taken, yet for herself also weeps.
For patriarchal culture now constrains
Necessity to work just to survive,
Penniless would she be, dependant on
The mercy and forbearance of neighbours
And friends who of their charity would for
A time limited deign to offer her
Subsistence until destitution called
To make unwelcome lodging in her life
And homestead, how the weight of her poor lot
Bore down upon her shoulders and her tears
As streams of grief did flow upon the ground.
Her only source of livelihood now lay
Upon the funeral bier with linen shroud
To symbolise the life no longer there,
And on its journey to the grave it went,
The widow closely following behind
And townsfolk after her, to offer up
What little comfort that they could afford
To give her in her hour most desolate.
What hope was there in this most forlorn state
To give solace and comfort and real hope
To one bereft of everything that gave
Security and hope in daily life?
To marry once again was not certain
And timing would not offer any hope
Of instant release from her woes that bound
Her up in desolation and despair.
Slowly the procession moved on ahead
To burial place to lay the son to rest,
The Lamb of God with overflowing heart
Filled with compassion now came unto her
And spoke these simple words to her: “Don’t cry.”
The Lamb of God approached the funeral bier
And with his hand did touch the linen shroud
Which held the dead man in its grasp to bring
Him unto Sheol’s underworld, no more
To see the light of day in this poor world
As it would seem to all those that did watch
The sad procession, who now struck with fear
Did stop with anxious countenance for now,
According to the Law of Moses, Christ
To them was ritually unclean, in view
Of His actions. Much murmuring was there
Among the crowd who now kept their distance,
The bearers of the funeral bier now stood
As if paralysis had gripped their limbs
And fear and loathing had entered their minds
Being so near to one who now unclean
Should dare to touch them also, stood they still,
Unable and not daring to attempt
To move away lest some calamity
Unseen should come upon them. Now the Lord,
The Christ whose mission was to bring true life
In great abundance, with authority
Unto the corpse congealing on the bier
Did speak: “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
The widow, funeral bearers and the crowds
Who followed Jesus to the town and those
Who proceeded from it could not believe
The words now uttered, gasps came from their throats
Yet now their eyes were drawn unto the bier
As movement slowly came forth from under
The linen cloth now slipping slowly down
Revealing the dead man whose eyes opened.
Regaining consciousness, he now sat up
And, turning to his mother, now began
To speak to her, and saying unto her:
“Mother, what sleep have I taken till now,
Which brings me here, it seems that I did dream
Of Sheol and its dark and forlorn state
Where countless souls do yearn for life once more
And from the shadows doleful cries to heaven
Do make their journey but it seems there comes
No response from the Blessed One who sits
In splendour from the shores of Paradise.
Tell me, Mother, what am I doing here,
Confused am I, to see these lingering souls
Around and about me. I beg you, speak.”
And in response, his mother said to him:
“My son, my son! Into my loving arms
Do I embrace you back into my life,
For a short time it seemed as though I had
For all time lost the only son of mine,
And with you, everything that made my life
Secure and happy, even in my state
Of widowhood. These past few days have been
Of greatest sorrow since the circumstance
Which took you from me, but for this man here
Whose voice which sounded like a blissful chime
Yet with authority unknown did raise
You back to life, to reunite us back
To our former and happy state which death
Did try to cheat us of. Behold this man,
Behold this prophet great who was sent by
The Blessed One in Paradise who heard
Your cries from Sheol and has brought you back.
O blessed is this day, darkness dispelled
And light enters our souls once more to stay!”
Jesus, the Lamb of God, approached them both
And with his arms outstretched gave him to her
Who now with joy within her heart rejoiced
With happiness unbridled and with tears
Though not of sadness, yet like sparkling jewels
Did glisten on her cheeks and softly rolled
Onto the shoulders of him who did now
Stand on the ground, the bier now empty of
Its prize, and death now robbed of victory.
From both the crowds a mighty shout went up
In praise of Yahweh for the miracle
Which their eyes never had before beheld,
Their praises, golden chimes that stormed the gates
Of Paradise in praise of Yahweh who
In His Son wrought this act of mercy to
The widow poor, now rich beyond compare.
“A great prophet has appeared among us!”
Yet more: “God has come to help His people.”
No more the thoughts of uncleanness to cloud
The minds of those who witnessed this event
Unparalleled and which did signify
The acts of Yahweh as opposed to what
Was laid down in past ages which would now
Find their fulfilment in the Lamb of God.
The funeral procession now was turned
Into a celebration of new life
Restored by Jesus, Lamb of God, who gives
New life to all who come to him and who
Do turn their backs on sin and repent of
Past misdeeds and accept Him as their Lord
And Saviour and whose lives do now become
An earthly pilgrimage until that time
When they shall be called home when it is time
To place their feet on shores of Paradise
To be with Yahweh God for evermore.
The news of this event spread far and wide
Throughout Judea and country surrounding,
For miracles like these at the will of
Yahweh do come only when it is time
When glory that is His most rightfully
Will be accorded to His majesty
And praise and honour unto His name given.
Praised be Yahweh, the Son and Spirit blessed
The Trinity Divine who bring new life
From death’s domain to give new hope to all
Who put their faith in God, the Three in One.