Blessed are Those Who
Mourn
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, says Jesus, and the image
that comes to mind for most of us is that of a funeral, of loved ones mourning
and grieving over the loss of their husband or wife, mother or father, son or
daughter. And if you are like me, you have to ask, how is that a blessing? Am I
missing something here?
As it turns out, we are missing something, and it got
lost in the translation. In New Testament Greek, there are at least nine
different words that are used to describe mourning or crying. Different words
were used to describe different types of mourning – mourning the loss of a
loved one was one word, crying with tears another, crying with wailing and
ritualized mourning was yet another. The word that Jesus used for mourning, pentheo, referred to a specific type of
mourning, which is to experience sadness or grief as a result of
depressing circumstances or the condition of persons.
So
then, Jesus is saying that we will be blessed – happy – when we mourn over and
are sad about the condition of a person’s soul or the circumstances of his or
her life. We will be blessed and happy when we care about them, grieving over
the sin in their lives and the damage that sin has brought into their
personalities and life circumstances.
Here
are a few examples of this type of mourning and grieving, of how pentheo is used:
2 Cor. 12:21 I am afraid that when I come
again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many
who have sinned earlier and have not repented...
1 Cor. 5:1-2 It is actually reported that there is sexual
immorality among you… And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled
with grief…
James 4:8-10 Come near to God and he will
come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you
double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning
and your joy to gloom.
The picture painted in Scripture is quite clear – we are
to mourn over people’s sin, over the sin-scarred world that we live in, and even
over our own sin. The condition of a sinner’s soul and the behavior that goes
with it is not something to be proud of nor should it be tolerated or excused.
It is to be mourned and grieved over by those who are true Christ-followers.
And once again, Jesus is our example. As he approached Jerusalem Jerusalem ,
the City of Peace
Jesus wept over the sin of the world and so should we.
Our hearts should break when we see the broken lives scattered across the
landscape of promiscuity, easy divorce, and confused kids. We should cry over
much of what we see on TV and in the movies rather than just shrugging our
shoulders and saying, “Well, that’s the world we live in now.” We need to mourn
over our selfishness, our sinful desires, and every other thing that keeps us
apart from God.
For when we mourn over our sin and the sins of others and
even the sin of the whole world, we will be comforted. For Jesus died for that
very reason – that our sin and the sin of the whole world might be forgiven: “For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)
So don’t be afraid; don’t hold back; don’t harden your
heart towards this world in which we live. Open your heart to God; let the
things that break His heart break yours; allow yourself to feel the pain of
others and mourn for them just as Jesus does. It might be heart-breaking for a
moment, but in the end it is the path to blessing, to living in that place of
blessedness and happiness that Jesus promises those who mourn.
And the comfort that He promises us is not just in the
age to come, but also in this present age. For even right now, as we pray, the
Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will come and comfort us as we mourn over sin and
all the damage that sinful behavior has caused. Plus, as if that were not
enough, God is already moving in the hearts and lives of people to bring them
to salvation in Christ and to begin the restoration and healing that only He
can bring.
Pray with me: Lord, you know
me better than I know myself. And I know that you have cried over me and wept
over many of the bad choices I have made. Forgive me for the times I didn’t
mourn over my sin but instead continued to embrace it and even pursue it.
Forgive me also for not mourning over the sins of others. Give me your heart
for people and your attitude towards sin. Help me to grieve over their sin and
the circumstances of their lives, just as you do. I lift before you now these
people who are heavy on my heart today…continue praying as you are led…
For further study, meditate on these Scriptures:
1
Cor. 5:1-2 It
is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind
that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are
proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of
your fellowship the man who did this? (NIV)
2 Cor. 7:8-11 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not
regret it. Though I did regret it -- I see that my letter hurt you, but only
for a little while -- yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but
because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God
intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings
repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow
brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness,
what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing,
what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have
proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. (NIV)
2
Cor. 12:21 I
am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will
be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented... (NIV)
James
4:8-10 Come
near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and
purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your
laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord,
and he will lift you up. (NIV)
John 14:25-27
These things have I spoken unto you,
while (yet) abiding with you. But the Comforter, (even) the Holy Spirit, whom
the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring to
your remembrance all that I said unto you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I
give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be fearful. (ASV)
Please use this blog for
personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family.
However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of
this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy
Brockett of New Song
Foursquare Church
in Colorado Springs , Colorado
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