What does Luke 7:15 mean?

Jesus said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself" (John 5:25–26). Now, He proves it. While entering the town of Nain, Jesus comes across a funeral procession. When He realizes the only son of a widow has died, He first comforts the widow, then goes to the bier and tells the dead man, "Young man, I say to you, arise" (Luke 7:11–14). To the astonishment of the crowd, the man obeys.

"Sat up" is biblically uncommon term, from the Greek word anakathizō. It seems to narrowly refer to a severely debilitated person becoming well and sitting up from their bed. The only other occurrence of this word in the original New Testament is when Peter raises Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:40).

The phrase "gave him to his mother" is identical to the Septuagint version of 1 Kings 17:23. In that passage, Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath and returned him to her. Again, Luke identifies Jesus with the prophetic and miraculous ministries of the Old Testament prophets.

Luke mentions that the young man immediately speaks. He may mention this as proof that the man is truly alive. According to Jewish folklore, a particularly powerful magician could make a golem out of clay. The golem would have a soul and could move, but it could not speak. Tractate Sanhedrin 38b.1, part of an ancient Jewish treatise on interpreting the Old Testament, says Adam was first formed as a golem: animated dust (Genesis 2:7). Only afterwards was he given real life, available only through the power of God.