Something we should never say to someone in acute grief is, "Don't cry!"
Yet Jesus says this to a widow who is about to bury her only son. As mourners in Luke 7:11-17 make their way to a burial site, Jesus intervenes and says with compassion, "Don't cry!"
Then, with one touch, Jesus brings the boy back to life.
Here Jesus reminds us of life—eternal life. He says to us what he said to her. “Don’t cry.”
The Son of God was born with a human heart. He knows we are going to cry when a loved one dies. But Jesus reminds us that as he touched that coffin, he also touches (and changes) our grief.
APPLICATION: When we listen to Jesus, we realize he doesn’t just touch our grief, he changes it. His death to life changes all death to life for us.