Matthew 5:4 4“Blessed are those who mourn, because they shall be comforted.
This beatitude is not simply about general human sadness. Like the first beatitude, this one goes much deeper when read through kingdom eyes. From the world’s perspective, mourning results from losing something or when something is taken away. To lose something important to us is difficult. Everyone has losses in life that bring sorrow and sadness, including the death of a loved one, sickness, bad decisions, accidents, and even the pain we carry for others. God comforts us in these times of sadness (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Mourning from the kingdom’s perspective results from godly sorrow as we reject the false promises of the world and refuse to let the world control us. This rejection may bring heartache and suffering because the way of the cross challenges the broad road many people follow. If Jesus’ followers do not mourn in godly sorrow for their sins, their consciences and hearts may have rejected the voice of the Spirit calling them to repentance. Mourning is an outcome of being poor in spirit. We realize how deeply lost we are without God’s grace. Kingdom mourning is marked by being heartbroken.
Our mourning as disciples is more than the feeling we get from the personal loss of something in this world but comes because we are dependent upon God. This does not mean we ignore pain, sorrow, and sadness, nor that we should seek these so that somehow we experience a blessing. Mourning and sorrow are part of our existence, but they must come from humility. Everyone has lost love ones, had our dreams crushed, and experienced pain and defeat. The difference our faith in Jesus makes is that we have a source of peace that grows stronger as we allow the Prince of Peace to guide us and fill us with his love and hope. We do not go looking for suffering because it will find us. But we bear up under suffering as we follow Jesus. We are not broken by sorrow, no matter what form it takes.
One of the first emotions we may have when we lose something or someone is to feel that God is distant and does not care. We may feel lonely, isolated, and rejected. But as we open ourselves to God’s love, mercy, and grace, we realize that God never left but is always with us to offer peace and comfort. We think of mourning as bad and something to be avoided at all cost. But mourning actually opens us to receive God’s grace in a way we would never experience otherwise.
This beatitude is not about comfort on the outside but on the inside. It is not about having all the luxuries that make life comfortable but having a deep inner joy and peace that comes only when we are part of the kingdom as we confess our sins and experience the forgiveness and cleansing provided by the blood of Jesus. This inside change is not affected by outside circumstances. We find our comfort at the cross where we meet the Comforter.
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