Second Sunday after Pentecost
6 June 2010
Proper 5C (RCL)
1 Kings 17:8-24
Psalm 146
Galatians 1:11-24
Luke 7:11-17
I’mnot entirely satisfied with the story of the raising of the son of the widow of Nain. It bears all the hallmarks of a healing story, and in Greco-roman literature, healings stories serve as propaganda: see how powerful our guy is. Usually in the Gospels, healings carry other meanings as well. Not so sure about this one. A couple of tantalizing details about this story. Luke is clearly modeling this story on the widow of Zarapheth. Jesus/Elijah meets the woman at the gate. Jesus/Elijah “gave the boy to his mother.” The widow of Zarapheth acknowledges Elijah to be a prophet. The crowd acknowledges Jesus to be a prophet. Luke had Jesus cite the story of the widow of Zarapheth in his sermon at Nazareth, saying Elijah went only to an outsider. And yet, the widow of Nain is not an outsider Continue reading “God’s future”