Blessed are Those Who Mourn
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. The sun was shining. Everyone was going about their daily business, pretty much oblivious to what was going on. Didn’t they know that my friend Ian had died that day? Didn’t they know that everything had changed, that we’d never be the same?
If you’ve lost a loved one, you probably know that feeling. It seems like everything should stop and stand still in honor of your loved one, but things don’t stop. The sun still shines. The earth still turns. Still, it seems like there is no comfort available, that the best you can feel is numb.
The good news, as Jesus proclaims, is that those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted.
Last week, we looked at what it means to be "blessed." This term means Shalom – complete wholeness in everything: mind, body, soul, and spirit. True Shalom only happens through the character and action of God. We also established that God’s heart is for the poor in spirit – those who realize their utter dependence on Him for everything. God rewards them with everything: namely, Himself.
Today’s beatitude is similar to last week’s. Blessed are those who mourn. This is a hard subject, simply by counting the cost. People generally mourn when someone dies, and what kind of comfort do we experience then?
Some people tell us things that in other circumstances would be comforting, but they just don’t ring true. Others who just should have kept quiet, say things that are downright hurtful.
Sometimes the best comfort that we can get is that in time, the pain subsides. I don’t know of anyone who has lost a loved one who can say that the pain is completely gone.
So, when Jesus pronounces that mourners are blessed by "comfort" on the surface, it kind of rings hollow.
However, this is simply a matter of us judging God by human standards. This is the same logic that says, "I don’t feel loved by my parents, so God must not love me either." It’s like if you watch me run a 5K race and determine from watching it that no American can run fast.
In this beatitude, Jesus is not just saying that comfort will just "happen" to those who mourn; he is using a verb (paraklethesontai) that specifically states that God will do the comforting.
Last week I read from Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
In the next verse, we find that the Spirit of the Sovereign LORD has called him "to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn."
Jewish Rabbis referred to the coming Messiah as the Comforter – now here He was, in person, ushering in this Messianic age, bringing comfort. But how does he bring comfort?
To understand how the Messiah brings comfort, we have to know exactly what is being mourned. As I mentioned, we identify mourning most closely with death and separation, and the ultimate comfort would be reconciliation. Even those whose loved ones have died receive comfort when they’re reminded of the heavenly reunion that awaits them. When we sin, we estrange ourselves from God.
While we mourn our sinful state, God sends this comfort: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, wiping away our sins, reconciling us to the Father, comforting us.
However, this is only part of the story. We, as Christians who have been freed from the guilt and power of sin, mourn for the seeming slowness of God’s justice. We see innocent children suffer and die. We see horrendous atrocities like in Darfur. We see brazen sinners acting with impunity, and we wonder how long this will go on. When we see sins wreck marriages and families, we mourn the sinful fallen state of the world. Revelation 6 shows a picture of those who had been martyred for the word of God and the testimony they had given. "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer.
We who are in the Kingdom also mourn for the lost. There’s a wonderful passage in Acts 17 where Paul comes to Athens. This passage is famous for Paul’s reasoning and debating with the Athenian philosophers, but did you know how it started? Listen to Acts 17: 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. Did you notice that? Paul was "greatly distressed." Paul mourned for the lost, even though he had just come to Athens, he had a heavy burden for the people.
There are people in our lives who don’t know Jesus Christ. We all know people who are bound for Hell. We know people who are great people and do all sorts of neat stuff, but they’re far from Jesus. They’re all over this town. Maybe some of you are far from Jesus, too. Does that break your heart? Or do you just accept that they can do whatever they want and it doesn’t matter to you? I’ve got something for you to try this week: pray to have God’s heart for people.
See if you mourn for the lost then.
Here’s the deal: we’re in the in between days. The Kingdom broke into our existence in the person of Jesus Christ, but hasn’t come in its fullness. It can be compared to D-Day, at which time the Allies won the decisive battle in World War 2. This battle was the turning point of the war, but the war wasn’t yet over.
Jesus proclaims that the mourners can now rejoice, b/c the kingdom has arrived & salvation is at hand. He already won the war… but the individual battles still need won. This is our part. We can’t be expected to change the world if we don’t care about the lost.
If you really care about the lost – if you mourn their lostness, there is one great comfort that is available. The lost don’t have to stay lost, and you can do something about it! Here’s what to do.
First of all, open yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He might put someone or a specific
part of town on your mind.
Then pray for that person or part of town. If it’s a part of town, prayer walk it – walk around the place praying! If it’s a person, pray for him or her every day. Write down their name somewhere you’ll see it – so you’ll remember to pray.
Finally, do something. As you listen to his voice, the Holy Spirit might have something for you to do, something concrete, something that says to someone that church people aren’t so bad, something that says to someone that God isn’t so bad. He might have you tell someone about Jesus – to be open about your faith.
Seeing our loved ones join Jesus Christ is the greatest comfort we can receive.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:1-12
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. The sun was shining. Everyone was going about their daily business, pretty much oblivious to what was going on. Didn’t they know that my friend Ian had died that day? Didn’t they know that everything had changed, that we’d never be the same?
If you’ve lost a loved one, you probably know that feeling. It seems like everything should stop and stand still in honor of your loved one, but things don’t stop. The sun still shines. The earth still turns. Still, it seems like there is no comfort available, that the best you can feel is numb.
The good news, as Jesus proclaims, is that those who mourn are blessed, for they will be comforted.
Last week, we looked at what it means to be "blessed." This term means Shalom – complete wholeness in everything: mind, body, soul, and spirit. True Shalom only happens through the character and action of God. We also established that God’s heart is for the poor in spirit – those who realize their utter dependence on Him for everything. God rewards them with everything: namely, Himself.
Today’s beatitude is similar to last week’s. Blessed are those who mourn. This is a hard subject, simply by counting the cost. People generally mourn when someone dies, and what kind of comfort do we experience then?
Some people tell us things that in other circumstances would be comforting, but they just don’t ring true. Others who just should have kept quiet, say things that are downright hurtful.
Sometimes the best comfort that we can get is that in time, the pain subsides. I don’t know of anyone who has lost a loved one who can say that the pain is completely gone.
So, when Jesus pronounces that mourners are blessed by "comfort" on the surface, it kind of rings hollow.
However, this is simply a matter of us judging God by human standards. This is the same logic that says, "I don’t feel loved by my parents, so God must not love me either." It’s like if you watch me run a 5K race and determine from watching it that no American can run fast.
In this beatitude, Jesus is not just saying that comfort will just "happen" to those who mourn; he is using a verb (paraklethesontai) that specifically states that God will do the comforting.
Last week I read from Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
In the next verse, we find that the Spirit of the Sovereign LORD has called him "to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn."
Jewish Rabbis referred to the coming Messiah as the Comforter – now here He was, in person, ushering in this Messianic age, bringing comfort. But how does he bring comfort?
To understand how the Messiah brings comfort, we have to know exactly what is being mourned. As I mentioned, we identify mourning most closely with death and separation, and the ultimate comfort would be reconciliation. Even those whose loved ones have died receive comfort when they’re reminded of the heavenly reunion that awaits them. When we sin, we estrange ourselves from God.
While we mourn our sinful state, God sends this comfort: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, wiping away our sins, reconciling us to the Father, comforting us.
However, this is only part of the story. We, as Christians who have been freed from the guilt and power of sin, mourn for the seeming slowness of God’s justice. We see innocent children suffer and die. We see horrendous atrocities like in Darfur. We see brazen sinners acting with impunity, and we wonder how long this will go on. When we see sins wreck marriages and families, we mourn the sinful fallen state of the world. Revelation 6 shows a picture of those who had been martyred for the word of God and the testimony they had given. "How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?" Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer.
We who are in the Kingdom also mourn for the lost. There’s a wonderful passage in Acts 17 where Paul comes to Athens. This passage is famous for Paul’s reasoning and debating with the Athenian philosophers, but did you know how it started? Listen to Acts 17: 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. Did you notice that? Paul was "greatly distressed." Paul mourned for the lost, even though he had just come to Athens, he had a heavy burden for the people.
There are people in our lives who don’t know Jesus Christ. We all know people who are bound for Hell. We know people who are great people and do all sorts of neat stuff, but they’re far from Jesus. They’re all over this town. Maybe some of you are far from Jesus, too. Does that break your heart? Or do you just accept that they can do whatever they want and it doesn’t matter to you? I’ve got something for you to try this week: pray to have God’s heart for people.
See if you mourn for the lost then.
Here’s the deal: we’re in the in between days. The Kingdom broke into our existence in the person of Jesus Christ, but hasn’t come in its fullness. It can be compared to D-Day, at which time the Allies won the decisive battle in World War 2. This battle was the turning point of the war, but the war wasn’t yet over.
Jesus proclaims that the mourners can now rejoice, b/c the kingdom has arrived & salvation is at hand. He already won the war… but the individual battles still need won. This is our part. We can’t be expected to change the world if we don’t care about the lost.
If you really care about the lost – if you mourn their lostness, there is one great comfort that is available. The lost don’t have to stay lost, and you can do something about it! Here’s what to do.
First of all, open yourself to the leading of the Holy Spirit. He might put someone or a specific
part of town on your mind.
Then pray for that person or part of town. If it’s a part of town, prayer walk it – walk around the place praying! If it’s a person, pray for him or her every day. Write down their name somewhere you’ll see it – so you’ll remember to pray.
Finally, do something. As you listen to his voice, the Holy Spirit might have something for you to do, something concrete, something that says to someone that church people aren’t so bad, something that says to someone that God isn’t so bad. He might have you tell someone about Jesus – to be open about your faith.
Seeing our loved ones join Jesus Christ is the greatest comfort we can receive.
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