Soon after, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd were with him. As he approached the town gate, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the town was with her. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said: “Do not weep.” Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stopped. He said,: “Young man, I say to you, get up!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. Fear seized all of them, and they praised God, saying: “A great prophet has appeared among us” and “God has come to help His people.” (Luke 7,11–16)

The resurrection of the widow’s son at Nain is an episode included only in the Gospel of Luke, an author who highlights how God works wonders in favor of the poor and those in need. The text recounts how Jesus and his disciples arrive at the town of Nain, where they encounter a funeral procession carrying the only son of a widow to be buried. This woman, having lost both her husband and her only son, was left in a state of utter vulnerability; unable to inherit land or conduct business, she became dependent on the charity of relatives and neighbors. That is why the text says that when Jesus saw her, he was moved with compassion, and unlike other accounts where faith is emphasized as a condition for healing or miracles, here the focus lies on Christ’s compassion, which led him to raise the young man from the dead.

Nieva represents this scene in the precise moment of the resurrection of the young man; all those present display some gesture of astonishment, while the mother kneels, opening her arms to her son who has just returned to life and is still partially wrapped in his shroud. Jesus looks at the mother with deep compassion, as if wishing to comfort her by gently placing his hand over her back.