WIDOW’S SON RAISED TO LIFE (10th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C)

Homily for the 10^thSunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C)

Based on Lk 7:11-17 (Gospel), 1 Kgs 17:17-24 (First Reading) and Gal 1:11-19 (Second Reading)

From the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”

WIDOW’S SON RAISED TO LIFE

The Gospel narrative for this 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C) is Lk 7:11-17. This narrative is about the son of a widow restored to life^d. Footnote  ^d says “Luke only. The episode leads up to the reply of Jesus to John’s disciples, 7:22”.

Verses 11 to 16 say:  Now soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the gate of the town, it happened that a dead  man was being carried for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number  of the townspeople was with her. When the Lord^e saw her, he felt sorry for her and said to her, “Do not cry” he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still,  and he said, “Young man, I tell you to get up!” And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled with awe, and praised God saying, “A great prophet appeared among us; God has visited his people.” Footnote ^e says  “For the first time in the gospel narrative, Jesus is given the title hitherto strictly reserved for Yahweh himself. Cf Ph 2:11+; Ac 2:36+”.

Parallel texts of verse 16 are:

1.       Mt 8:3 - Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, ‘Of course I want to! Be cured!’  And his leprosy was cured at once.^a Footnote ^a says “By his miracle Jesus his power over nature (8:23-27; 14:22-33p),  especially over sickness (8:1-4,5-13, 14-15; 9:1-8, 20-22, 27-31; 14:14,36; 15:30; 20:29-34 and p; Mk. 7:32-37; 8:22-26; Lk. 14:1-6; 17:11-19; Jn. 5:1-16; 9:1-41), over death ( Mt 9:23-26p ;Lk 7:11:19; Jn 11: 1-44), over devils (Mt 8:29+). Christ miracles are not elaborate: in this they differ from the fantastic prodigies reported of the Hellenistic world of from those attributed to the Jewish rabbis, but they are most notably different by reason of the spiritual and symbolic significance that Jesus attaches to them. They declare the judgments of the messianic age (21:18-22p) as also privileges  it brings (11:5+;14:13-21;15:32 -39p; Lk 5:4-11; Jn 2:1-11 ; 21:4-14); they are the first signs of the triumph of the spirits over Satan’s empire (8:29+) and over all the powers  of evil whether  sin passion (20:34; Mk 1:41; Lk 7:13) butt  they are directed principally to the Strengthening of faith (8:10+; Jn 2;11+). This it is only with great deliberation that Jesus works any miracles at all, demanding secrecy for any he does agree to work (Mk 1:34+), and leaving it for force decision (12:39-40). When he sent his apostles to preach the kingdom he gave his own healing power (10:1,8p) and for this reason Matthew recounts before the missionary Discourse (ch. 10) a series of ten miracles (ch. 8-9 as sign accrediting the missionary (Mk 16:17f; Ac 2:22;cf. 1-8+). 

2.       Ac 9:41 - Peter helped her to her feet, then he called in the saints and widows, and showed the she was alive.

3.       1 K 17:23 - Elijah  took the child, brought him down  from the upper room  into the house and gave him to his mother. ‘Look! Elijah said, “Your son is alive.”

4.       Lk 1:12 - The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear.

Verse 17 says:  And this opinion of him spread throughout Judea and all the countryside.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 2:20 - And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God^f for all they had heard and seen, it was exactly as they had been told to them. Footnote  ^f says “A favorite theme of Lk: 1:64; 2:28,38; 5:25-26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15,18; 18:43; 19:37; 23:47; 24:53. Cf Ac 2:47+”.

2.       Mt 16:14 - And they said, “Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

3.       Lk 1:68 - Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited^bb   his people, he has come to their rescue. Footnote  ^bb  says “God is said to ‘visit’ when he intervenes notably in history, Ex 3:16+.”

4.       Lk 4:14+,44 - Jesus, with the power of the Spirit in him, returned to Galilee; and his reputation spread  throughout the countryside^e (v. 14).  And he continued his preaching in the synagogues of Judaea.^l (v. 44). Footnote ^e -says “One of Luke’s recurrent motifs: 4:37; 5:15; 7:17; cf. for similar examples. Ac. 2:41+; 6:7; Lk. 1:80+; and Footnote ^l says “Mk reads ‘Galilee’. Lk uses ‘Judaea’ in the wide sense: the land of Israel. So also in 7:17; 23:5 (?); Ac. 10:37; 28:21”.

The First Reading is taken from 1 Kgs 17:17-24. The title is this episode is “Widow’s son raised to life”. Parallel texts are:

1.       Lk 4:18-37 - The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor,^j to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free (v. 18), to proclaim the Lord’s year of favor (v. 19). He then rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all eyes in the synagogue were fixed on him (v. 20). Then he began to speak to them, ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen’ (v. 21). And he won the approval of all, and they were astonished by the gracious words that came from his lips. They said, ‘This is Joseph’s son, surely? (v. 22). But he replied, ‘No doubt you will quote me saying, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ and tell me, ‘We have heard all that happened in Capernaum,^k do the same here in your own countryside’’ (v. 23). And he went on, ‘I tell you solemnly, no prophet  is ever accepted in his own country (v. 24). ‘There were many widows in Israel, I can assure you, in Elijah’s days, when heaven remained shut  for three years and six months and a great famine raged throughout the land (v. 25), but Elijah was not sent to any one of these: he was sent to a widow at Zarephath, a Sidonian town (v. 26). And in the prophet Elishah’s time there were many lepers in Israel, but none of these were cured, except the Syrian, Naaman (v. 27).’ When they heard this everyone in the synagogue was enraged.  (v. 28). They sprang to their feet and hustled him out of the town; then they took him up to the brow of the hill their town was built on, intending to throw him down the cliff (v. 29), but he slipped through the crowd and walked away (v. 30). He went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath (v. 31). And his teaching made a deep impression on them because he spoke with authority (v. 32). In the synagogue there was a man who was possessed by the spirit of an unclean devil, and it shouted at the top of its voice (v. 33) “Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?* I know who you are: the Holy One of God!” (v. 34). But Jesus said sharply, “Be quiet! Come out of him!” And the devil throwing the man down in front of everyone, went out of him without hurting him at all (v. 35). Astonishment seized them and they were all saying to one another, “What teaching! He give orders to unclean spirits with authority and power and they come out.” (v. 36) And reports of him went all through the surrounding countryside. Footnote ^j says “Add. ‘’to heal the broken-hearted’, cf. LXX”; and Footnote ^k says “i.e., the miracles of which Lk does not speak until after the visit to Nazareth, 4:33, etc”.

2.       Lk 7:11-17 - The son of a widow restored to life^d Now soon afterward he went to a town called Nain, accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people (v. 11). When he was near the gate of the town, it happened that a dead  man was being carried for burial, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of the townspeople was with her (v 12).  When the Lord^e saw her, he felt sorry for her and said to her, “Do not cry” he said (v. 13). Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers stood still,  and he said, “Young man, I tell you to get up!” (v. 14). And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother (v. 15). Everyone was filled with awe, and praised God saying, “A great prophet appeared among us; God has visited his people (v. 16)”. And this opinion of him spread throughout Judea and all the countryside (v. 17).

Verse 17, 18 and 19 says:  It happened after this that the son of the mistress of the house fell sick, his illness grew was so severe that in the end he had no breath in him. And the woman said to Elijah, “Why quarrels have you with me, man of God? Have you come here to me to bring my sins to me and to kill my son?^d “Give me your son.” He said, and taking him from her lap, carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. Footnote  ^d says “The woman attributes her misfortune to Elijah’s visit: a man of God is like a hostile witness, at his presence secret or unconscious sins are brought to light and draw down retribution”.

Parallel texts for verse 17 are:

1.       2 K 4:20 - The servant picked him up and carried him to his mother; he sat in her lap until noon, and then died.

2.       Si 48:5 - You brought a dead body back to life from Sheol, by the will of the LORD.

Verse 20 says: He cried out to Yahweh: “Yahweh, Yahweh, my God, do you mean to bring grief to the widow who is looking after me by killing her son?”

Parallel text for verse 20 is from  Ac 9:37 that says: Now during those days she fell sick and died, so after washing her, they laid [her] out in a room upstairs.

Verse 21, 22 and 23 say: He stretched himself on the child three times and cried out to him again “Yahweh, my God, may the soul of this child, l beg you, come into him again!” Yahweh heard the prayer of Elijah and the soul of the child returned to him again and he revived. Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper room into the house and gave him to his mother. “Look! Elijah said “Your son is alive.”

Parallel text for verse 21 are:

1.       2 K 4:33-36 - He went in, and shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to Yahweh (v.33) Then he climbed on the bed and stretched himself on top of the child, putting his mouth on the his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and as he lowered himself on him, the child’s flesh grew warm (v.34). Then he got up and walked to and fro inside the house, and then climbed on to bed again and lowered himself on the child seven times in all, the boy sneezed^g and opened his eyes (v.35). He then summoned Gehazi. “Call the Shunammitess.” he said, and he called her. When she came to him, he said, “Take up your son (v. 36).” Footnote ^g says “Following the order of the Greek and Vet. Lat. God breathes the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils, Gn 2:7, and it is through the nostrils that man breathes, Is. 2:22. The sneeze shows that life has returned”.

2.       Ac 20:10 - Paul went down, and stooped to clasp the boy to him, ‘There is no need to worry’ he said ‘there is life in him.’

Verse 24 says: And the woman replied, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and the word of Yahweh is truth indeed.”

Parallel text is from Heb 11:35 that says: Some came back to their wives from the dead by resurrection and others submitted to torture, refusing release so that the would rise again to a better life.

The Second Reading is from Gal 1:11-19. Verse  11 says: The fact is^g brothers, and I want you to realize this, the Good News I preached is not a human message. Footnote ^g  says: “Var. ‘But’ or ‘Now’”.

Parallel text is from Ga 1:1 that says: From Paul to the churches of Galatia, and from all the brothers who are here with me, an apostle who does not owe his authority to men or his appointment to any human being but who had been appointed by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead.

Verse 12 says: That I was given by men, it is something I learnt only through a revelation of Jesus Christ.^h Footnote ^h says “The two aspects of revelation, i.e. ‘as made by Christ’ and ‘about Christ’, v. 16. This should not be taken as meaning that Paul received all his doctrine without human intermediaries, as much less that on the Damascus road all was revealed to him at once. He is referring to the doctrine that it is not obeying the Law that saves, but having faith: this is the only topic of discussion here”.

Parallel text is Mt 16:17 that says: Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood^e that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. Footnote ^e says “The expression indicates man, emphasizing his material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12;  Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13.”

Verses 13 and 14 say: You must have heard of my career as a practicing Jew, how merciless I was in persecuting the church of God, how much damage I did to it, how I stood out among other Jews of my generation, and how enthusiastic I was for the traditions of my ancestors.

Parallel text are:

1.       Ac 8:1-3 - ^aSaul entirely approved of the killing. That day, a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and evryone^b except the apostles fled to thy the country districts of Judea and Samaria^c (v. 1).  There were some devout people, however, who buried Stephen and made a  great mourning for him (v. 2).  Saul then worked for the total destruction of the Church; he went from house to house arresting both men and women and sending them to prison (v. 3). Footnote ^a says “Vv. 1-4 are made up of a number of brief remarks: Stephen’s burial (v. 2), the natural conclusion of the foregoing narrative; Saul’s campaign against the Christians (vv. 1a and 3) which links the account of the stoning of Stephen, cf. 7:58b, with what appears to be its sequel, namely Paul’s conversion, 9:1-30; finally a note on the Church persecuted and scattered (vv. 1b-4) which introduces the narrative of Philip’s mission, 8:5-40, and that of Peter, 9:32-11:18; v. 4 is found again in 11:19. We have here, therefore, a preliminary sketch of the various themes developed in the following chapters up to ch. 12”; Footnote ^b says “‘everyone’: a very general statement. The persecution in fact seems to have been directed principally against the Hellenists, cf. 6:1,5, and it was this group, scattered by persecution, that gave the church its first missionaries, cf. v. 4; 11:19-20”; Footnote ^c says “Second stage of the church’s expansion, cf. 1:8. The third begins with the foundation of the church of Antioch, 11:20”.

2.       2 Co 11:12 - I intend to go on doing what I am doing now – leaving no in opportunity for those people who are looking for an opportunity to claim^d  equality with us in what we boast of. Footnote ^d says “Paul’s selflessness is a guarantee of his apostolic mission; his opponents dare not claim the same for themselves.

3.       Mk 7:3 - For the Pharisees and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without carefully washing their arms as far as the elbow.

4.       Ac 26:4-5 - My manner of life from my youth, a life spent from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem, is common knowledge among the Jews (v. 4)  They have known me for a long time and could testify, if they would, that I followed the strictest party in our religion and lived as a Pharisee (v. 5).

Verse 15 says: Then God, who had especially chosen me while I was still in my mother’s womb, called me through his grace and chose…

Parallel texts are:

1.       Is 49:1 - Second song of the servant of Yahweh^a Islands, listen to me, pay attention, remotest people. Yahweh called me before I was born, from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name. Footnote ^a -says “Some reckon v 7 or 7-9a as part of this song”.

2.       Jr 1:5 - Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;^e before you came to birth I consecrated you; I have appointed you as prophet to the nations. Footnote ^e says “To ‘know’ means for God, to choose and predestine, cf. Am 3:2; Rm 8:29. On man’s ‘knowledge’ of God, cf. Ho 2:22”.

3.       Lk 1:15 - for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink.^j Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. Footnote ^j says “Several OT texts lie behind this remark, especially the law of the nazirite, cf. Nb 6:1+”

Verse 16 and 17 say: to reveal his Son in meⁱ, so that I might preach the Good News about him to the pagans. I did not stop this with any human, nor did I go up^j to Jerusalem to see those who were already apostles before me; but I went off to Arabia^k at once and later straight back from there to Damascus. Footnote  ⁱ says   “Others translate ‘reveal his Son to me’. Paul is not denying that his vision was real, 1 Co 9:1; 15:8; cf. Ac 9:17; 22:14; 26:26, he is stressing the inwardness of this real vision and relating this inwardness to his call as apostle of the gentile”; Footnote ^j says “Var. ‘leaver for’, ‘go to’; and Footnote  ^k says “Probably the kingdom of the Nabataean Arabs to the S. of Damascus, 1 M 5:25+, where Paul took refuge from Aretas, 2 Co. 11:32”.

Parallel texts for verse 16 are:

1.       Mt 16:17 - Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood^e that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. Footnote ^e says “The expression indicates man, emphasizing his material, limited nature as opposed to that of the spirit world, Si 14:18; Rm 7:5+; 1 Co 15:50; Ga 1:16; Ep 6:12;  Heb 2:14; cf. Jn 1:13”.

2.       Ac 9:3-19 - Suddenly, while he was travelling to Damascus and just before he reached the city, there came a light from heaven all round him. (v. 3) He fell to the ground and then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul,^d why are you persecuting me?” (v. 4). “Who are you, Lord?” he asked, and the voice answered, “I am Jesus, and you are persecuting me^e (v. 5). Get up now and go into the city, and you will be told what you have to do (v.6).” The men traveling with Saul stood speechless, for though they heard the voice but could see no one (v.7) Saul got up from the ground, but even with his eyes opened he could see nothing at all, so they  had to lead him into Damascus by the hand (v.8). For three days he was without his sight, and took neither food nor drink (v.9).  A disciple called Ananias who lived in Damascus had a vision in which he heard the Lord say to him, “Ananias.” When he replied, “Here I am, Lord (v.10)”, the Lord said, “You must go to the Straight Street and ask at the house of Judas for someone called Saul, who comes  from Tarsus. At this moment, he is praying (v. 11) having had a vision^f of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him to give back his sight (v. 12)’. When he heard that, Ananias said, “Lord, several people have told me about this man and all the harm he has  been doing to your saints^g in Jerusalem (v.13) He has only come here because he holds a warrant  from the chief priests to  arrest everybody who invokes your name (v.14)” The Lord replied, “You must go all the same because this man is my chosen instrument to bring  my name before pagans, pagan kings and before the people of Israel (v 15);^h I myself will show him how much he himself must suffer for my name (v. 16).” Then Ananias went. He entered the house, and at once  laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, I have been sent by the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way here so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spiritⁱ (v.17).” Immediately it was as though scales fell away from Saul’s eyes and he could see again. So he was baptized there and then(v. 18), and after taking some food, he regained his strength (v.19).  Footnote ^d says “Aramaic (‘Hebrew’, 26:14) form of Saul’s name; Footnote ^e  says “Whatever is done to the disciples for the sake of the name of Jesus is done to Jesus himself, Mt 10:40+; Footnote ^f says “Lit. ‘having seen’; var. ‘having seen in a vision’; Footnote ^g  says “Since God is the Holy One par excellence, Is. 6:3, those consecrated to his service are called ‘holy’, Lv. 17:1+. The term, applied originally to the people of Israel, Ex. 19:6+, and in particular to the community of the messianic era, Dn. 7:18+, is especially apt for the Christians who are the new ‘holy race’, 1 P. 2:5,9, called, Rm. 1:7, Col. 1:22, Ep. 1:4, 2 Tm. 1:9, by their baptismal consecration, Ep. 5:26f, to a blameless life, 1 Co. 7:34, Ep. 1:4, 5:3, Col. 1:22, which makes them holy as God is holy, 1 P. 1:15f, cf. 1 Jn. 3:3, and like Jesus himself, ‘the Holy One of God’, Mk. 1:24+. In the early community, it becomes the usual term for the Christians, in Palestine first, Ac. 9:13, 32, 41; Rm. 15:26,31; 1 Co. 16:1,15, 2 Co. 8:4, 9:1,12, and then in all the churches, Rm. 8:27, 12:13, 16:2, 15; 1 Co. 6:1f. 14:33, 2 Co. 12:12, Ep. 1:15, 3:18, 4:12, 6:18, Ph. 4:21f, Col. 1:4, 1 Tm. 5:10, Phm. 5,7; Heb. 6:10, 13:24, Jude 3 (and in the introductory formula of the letters of 2 Co. 1:1, etc.). I(n Rv. 5:8, 8:3, etc. the word is  used more specifically of the Christians who witness by their death. At times, its application may be restricted to the leaders, the ‘apostles and prophets’, Ep. 3:5 and Col. 1:26, Ep. 3:8, 4:12, Rv. 18:20. Lastly, as in the OT, Jb. 5:1+, it may indicate the angels, Mk. 8:38, Lk. 9:26, Ac. 10:22, Jude 14, Rev. 14:10, and in some cases it is doubtful whether the reference is to angels or to the saints in glory, Ep. 1:18, Col. 1:12, 1 Th. 3:13, 2 Th. 1:10; Footnote ^h says “Cf Jr 1:10. Paul’s mission is ‘to all men’, Ac 22:15, to the pagan nations, 26:17; this agrees with what Paul himself writes in Ga 1:16, cf Rm 1:5; 11:13; 15:16-18; Ga 2:2,8,9; Ep 3:8; Col 1:27; 1 Tm 2:7. On the ‘kings’, cf. Ac 26:2+”; Footnote ⁱ  says ‘Son of God’ corresponds to ‘Christ’ in v. 22. Cf. Mt 4:3+. We meet the title ‘Son of God’ only once more in Ac 13:33. It is characteristic of Pauline Christology, Ga. 1:16; 2:20; 4:4,6; Rm 1:3-4,9; 1 Th 1:10; cf Rm 9:5+”.

3.       Rm 1:1 - Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,* called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God

Verse 18 say:  Even after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him for fifteen days.

Parallel text is from Ac 9:23-30 that says: Some time passed,^k and the Jews worked out a plot to kill him (v. 23), but news of  it reached Saul. To make sure of killing him they kept watch on the gates day and night (v. 24) but when it was dark  the disciples^l took him and let him down from the top of the wall, lowering him in a basket (v. 25). Saul’s visit to Jerusalem^m - When he got to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him: they could not believe he was really a disciple (v. 26). Barnabas, however, took charge of him, introduced him to the apostles, and explained how the Lord appeared to Saul and spoken to him on his journey, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus (v. 27).  Saul now started to go round with them in Jerusalem, preaching fearlessly in the name of the Lord (v. 28). But after he had spoken to the Hellenists,ⁿ and argued with them, they became determined to kill him (v. 29). When the brothers knew, they took him to Caesaria, and sent him off from there to Tarsus^o (v. 30). Footnote ^k says “Three years, according to Ga 1:17-18; Paul’s stay in Arabia belongs to this period. Luke’s statement is not detailed; Footnote ^l says “Var. ‘his disciples’”; Footnote ^m says  “Paul mentions this visit, Ga. 1:18-19. He observes that at that time the Churches in Judaea did not yet know him by sight, but says nothing of the part played by Barnabas. He states that, of the apostles,  he saw none but Peter, and James the brother of the Lord: Ac, generalizing, speaks vaguely of ‘the apostles’”; Footnote ⁿ says “Var ‘the Greeks’ (i.e. the pagans); same variant in 11:20. The hellenistic Christians (cf. 6:1+) are the most active proselytizers, just as the hellenistic Jews were(the most active opponents of Christian propaganda,  6:9f, 7:58; 9:1; 21:27; 24:19; and  Footnote  ^o says “Where Barnabas later finds him, 11:25. Compare this Ga. 1:18-21 and with Ac 22:17-21”.

Verse 19 says: But I did not see any of the other of the apostles; I  only saw James, the brother of the Lord,^l Footnote ^l says “Lit ‘ but only James…’ Others translate ‘except for James’, either identifying this James with the son of Alphaeus, Mt 10:3p, and taking him for one of the Twelve, or else understanding ‘apostle’ in the wider sense, cf Rm 1:1+”.

Parallel texts are:

1.       Ga 2:9 - So, James, Cephas and John,^f these pillars, these pillars, shook hands Barnabas and me as a sign of partnership; we were to go to the pagans and they to the circumcised^g  Footnote ^f says “‘James, Cephas and John’; var. ‘James, Peter and John’, or ‘James and John”; Footnote  ^g says “This distinction is not racial but geographical: ‘the circumcised’ (lit. ‘the circumcision’) refers primarily to the Jews in Palestine, and when Paul went among the gentiles the resident Jews were his first concern, Ac 12:5+”.

2.       Ac 12:17 - With a gesture of his hand he stopped them talking, and described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison He added, “Tell James^f and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place. Footnote ^f says “‘James’ without qualification means the ‘brother of the Lord’. At the time of Paul’s first visit to Jerusalem, Ga. 1:19 i.e. in 38-39, cf Ac 1:9+) and afterwards, James was leader of the ‘Hebrew’ section of the Jerusalem Christians. After Peter’s departure he was in charge of the mother church. See Ac 15:13; 21:18; 1 Co 15:7. The Letter to James appears under his name”.

An article “Raising of the son of the widow of Nain”, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

“The raising of the son of the widow of Nain is an account of a miracle by Jesus, recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus arrived at the village of Nain during the burial ceremony of the son of a widow, and raised the young man from the dead (Luke 7:11-17). The location is the village of Nain, Israel, two miles south of Mount Tabor. This is the first of three miracles of Jesus in the canonical gospels in which he raises the dead, the other two being the raising of Jairus' daughter and of Lazarus.

“The raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath, by the Old Testament prophet Elijah, is seen by Fred Craddock as the model for this miracle, as there are several parallels in the details.

“The raising of the son of the woman of Shunem by Elisha is also similar, including the reaction of the people. In particular, the location of Nain is very close to Shunem, identified with modern Sulam. Sinclair Ferguson calls attention to this as an example of a repeated pattern in the history of redemption. He concludes that the pattern repetition "comes to its fullness in the person of Jesus Christ, the great prophet who heals not merely through delegated authority from God, but on his own authority, without rituals or prayers, but with a simple word of power. Here is the great God and Saviour of Israel in the flesh".