Matthew 5v3-12
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (ESV)
The world laughs at and scorns this. It is not the way the world works – the world says:
“Blessed are the bold and assertive, those who are always frolicking, who are aggressive, who hunger and thirst for power, the merciless, those who are vile in heart, the rabble-rousers and war mongers, the persecutors who revile and persecute those who speak Christian truth.”
Now the Lord says: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” His words reflect the understanding that those who mourn over their sinfulness, their separation from God and the suffering as a consequence of the Fall in this world and their mortal bodies will find comfort in the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ. This mourning is not merely sorrow for loss or misfortune or for suffering, but it’s a recognition of the spiritual poverty and of our need for redemption and our own inadequacy and powerlessness to bring about that redemption.
Comfort comes through the forgiveness of sins, the presence of the Holy Spirit and the hope of eternal life in Christ.
To mourn means to weep, to grieve or to lament – to sound like the author of the book of Ecclesiastes. It implies a deep sorrow or sincere mourning in the heart over something very significant, such as the recognition of our own spiritual poverty or the suffering of other people.
Our Lord does not say blessed are those who moan, but “blessed are those who mourn.”
The benefits of the citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven:
- Their Calamities:
It means damage, loss, or misfortune. We have reasons to mourn. If our hearts don’t mourn, we either don’t get it, or we don’t care.
We should mourn for:
a) Sinfulness (Rom. 6:23).
Paul says in Eph. 4:31-32 “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Prov. 14:34 speaks of societal sins.
b) Separation from God and from each other
Sin creates a barrier between man and God (Is. 59:2 Col ?).
c) Suffering due to sin which causes various forms of suffering, like sickness that came into the world because of sin. We even see it in the animal world.
Do we weep and mourn over emotional suffering?
Sin leads to guilt, despair, and distress (Ps. 32).
Sin causes spiritual suffering because of separation from God.
Sin leads to a lack of justice (Is. 59:1-16).
The cause of quarrels are the passions within us (James 4) for which we need to mourn.
Corruption and decay of societal and social structures (Micah 7:3).
The Lord says that those who mourn over these things are blessed.
The living should take to heart what is written in Ecclesiastes 7:2-4: “t is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.”
As sons of Adam we all contribute to sorrow due to sin.
We must embrace the paradox of mourning and joy.
We rejoice at the opportunity to bring comfort to someone in distress. - Their Cries
Mourning can manifest in various ways:
a) Grief and sorrow arising from the distance between our sinful state and God’s holiness.
b) Humility and self-reflection – examine our behaviour in the light of Scripture.
c) Contrition and repentance – seek reconciliation with our neighbours. Heart-felt sorrow for our character – we need to have a godly creed, character and conduct.
d) Lamentation and sorrow for the pain in the world – yearning for restoration and healing.
e) Intercession and compassion for others – embrace people rather than pushing them away.
f) Seeking reconciliation and restoration – extending forgiveness and making amends in our society and personal relationships. - Their Comfort
It springs from hope and trust in God’s redemption and restoration in Christ, who saved us from the penalty of sin through Justification, are saving us from the power of sin through Sanctification and will save us from the very presence of sin through Glorification.
Jesus’ wisdom challenges conventional wisdom by pronouncing blessings on those who mourn – not merely over personal loss, but the brokenness of the world caused by sin and our own contribution to it. This mourning is not just passive despair, but an active engagement with the reality of sin that leads to repentance, to humility, to a longing for reconciliation.
Jesus promises comfort and redemption for those who mourn, and He always keeps His promise.
There’s a transformative power in godly sorrow, which leads to repentance, salvation and ultimately the experience of God’s comfort and grace.