A Postcolonial Perspective of the Compassion of Jesus in Luke 7:11-17

In the record of the miracle of Jesus in Luke 7:11-17, the young fellow who has passed on is the only child of a widowed mother. His passing is twice as painful for the lady who already lost her husband, hence losing her identity as well. It was Jesus who initiated the act because He was moved by his compassion. In Jesus’ gesture, what was the true reason why Jesus did such miracle? What was the intention of Luke in this narrative? What is the significance of the characters in the story (the son and the son’s widowed mother, the crowd with Jesus and the crowd with the young man)? How is this story parallel with other stories from the scriptures, particularly with the widow from Zarephath? This paper aims to reconstruct the exegetical analysis and provide a postcolonial perspective of the narrative where Jesus resurrect the dead son of the widow in Nain. Specifically, the paper intends to answer the following questions: What is the author’s world view, presuppositions, cultural disposition, and values, in relation to Luke 7:11-17? Second, how is this narrative understood in its literary and socio-historical context? Lastly, what is the theological implication of the narrative in the postcolonial perspective? Exploring the narrative will give a new understanding on the compassion of Jesus.