What does Luke 7:16 mean?
Two crowds met at the gates of Nain. One was entering; the other was leaving to bury the only son of a widow. Traditionally, anyone meeting a funeral procession would join out of respect. This time, however, the first crowd included Jesus. He raised the dead man, and the two crowds join in celebration (Luke 7:11–15).Responses to Jesus' miracles vary but often include fear. That's a natural response when something extraordinarily powerful happens. Here, the people fear Him and glorify God. When He calms the storm, the disciples fear Him (Luke 8:25). When He expels the Legion of demons from a man, the man begs to be allowed to stay with Him, but his neighbors react in fear (Luke 8:37).
The quotes from the people strengthen Luke's association between Jesus and the Old Testament prophets even more. They call Jesus "a great prophet." Once again, specific words imply key details. The people refer to Jesus without using the article "the," meaning they see him as "a" prophet among many. They perceive Him like Old Testament prophets, but not as the Messiah promised by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). They associate Jesus with Elisha who raised the dead (2 Kings 4:32–37; 13:20–21) but particularly Elijah who raised the only son of a widow (1 Kings 17:17–24) (Matthew 16:13–14).
"God has visited his people" also ties into the words of Zechariah, John the Baptist's father. After John is born, Zechariah becomes filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies. He begins, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people" (Luke 1:68). The people of Nain don't realize Jesus is the Messiah, but Luke's readers should.
