Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF BELIEVERS
This is the second in a new series of articles reflecting on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-12. What kind of people are we to be? What attitudes should mark those who have been truly born again? Jesus calls each of the beatitudes “blessed.” To be blessed like this is to be in a state of well-being with God.
THOSE WHO MOURN
We do not gravitate to mourning. Our world places a high value on laughter, comedy, entertainment, and above all – fun. Mourning is not fun. The mourning Jesus has in mind is possessing grief over our personal sins and that of the world around us. As individual believers we recognize that our sins are wicked and shameful. Like Isaiah, when we appreciate the glory and holiness of the Lord, we confess our uncleanness (Isa. 6:1-5). We mourn now as we anticipate being fully and finally conformed to the image of God the Son (Rom. 8:29). Beyond our personal sins, we are also grieved by the sins of our church, our community, and all humanity. When we hear reports, or experience firsthand, sins like cruelty, murder, theft, prejudice, unbelief, injustice, immorality, blasphemy, or pride - we mourn.
SHALL BE COMFORTED
Those in Christ who carry this burden of grief for sin have this hope – they shall be comforted! One day the weeping will come to an end. This comfort begins with the certain promise that Jesus’s death fully satisfies God’s wrath toward the sins of all who receive him by faith. This truth germinates our comfort and joy as we hope in God. In Christ we are given the power to wage war against the very sins over which we grieve. Without mourning our sin and believing that Christ has paid for it, we will never resist any sin. We are comforted as we see the fruit of the Spirit growing in us as we make progress in the pursuit of holiness. Then the day will come when all mourning will end in the new heaven and earth: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4).
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Is mourning a characteristic element of your life? In the last few hours or days, what sin, in your life or in the world around you, has caused you to grieve? A regular part of our weekly worship gathering is a time of recognizing sin in our own lives and in the world around us. This steady regimen of lament should not be limited to Sundays but should infiltrate our days. Mourning weans us from the titillation of the world and cultivates a hunger for the true comfort promised by our Lord.
For His Glory,
Pastor Thomas