Blessed are Those Who Mourn
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Matthew 5:4
Last week we looked at verse 3 which says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” We noted that poor in spirit was not referring to physical poverty but was talking about a recognition of our true bankruptcy before God in ourselves. Last week I commented, “When one is truly poor in spirit, he realizes that he is hopeless and helpless. He realizes he can’t dig his way out of his problem. He is spiritually bankrupt. But in his spiritual poverty, he cries out to the One who owns it all. He turns to the Lord of heaven and earth who died to pay the full penalty for his sins.”
Recognizing what Jesus is saying in context of verse 3 is important to understanding what he is communicating in this verse. Like we had to question what he meant by the word, “poor,” last week, it is important for us to consider what the type of “mourning” Jesus is considering here. Is he talking about mourning over the losses we experience in life in general? We certainly have many losses living in this fallen world. We grieve the loss experienced through the death of a loved one, perhaps none more difficult than the loss of a child. When Jesus’ dear friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept over the pain and sorrow caused by death as a result of this fallen world (John 11:35). It is true that there is coming a day when “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)”
In this context I think he is addressing of one particular kind of mourning, mourning or grieving over our sin. Those who are poor in spirit see their desperate need and the riches of Christ’s offer in the gospel. Moreover, they see their sin which is the cause for our alienation from God. Our sin is the reason Christ died on the cross. Those who are truly repentant grieve and mourn over their sin. We use the word “brokenness” much today. Often, we talk of people being broken over the results of their sinful actions or attitudes. We feel sorry for ourselves because of the situations we find ourselves in even if it is the consequence of our own choices. We grieve over our loss of reputation, our loss of position, or the shame of our sin being found out. We don’t want to face the humiliation of our sins being discovered. This is not the type of mourning Jesus is discussing here.
There is a difference between being broken over the circumstances of our sins and being broken because we have offended a holy God because of our sins. Being broken over our situation and feeling sorry for ourselves is not the point. Our grief is directed toward ourselves and our circumstances. We must be broken and grieved that we have offended our Heavenly Father. We are grieved over the fracture that our sin has caused to our love relationship with him. Mourning is the subjective, emotional response of truly recognizing our sin before God. Those who mourn will find the comfort of salvation and the settled peace of God.
