The Blessed Mourners
Matthew 5:1-4
July 24, 2022
Have you ever read something in the Bible and as you were reading it just didn’t make a whole lot of sense? Sometimes the words of Jesus can be confusing. Sometimes we hear statements which don’t really make sense of ones we really just don’t like - - -
We are to love our enemies;
turn the other cheek;
walk a the mile for our enemy;
give up our jackets; OR
passages like Luke 19:26 where Jesus said - - -
26 to every one who has will more be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. - Luke 19:26
And there’s moare as well. We’re in a series of messages which is focusing on the first part of Jesus’ first sermon, called the Beatitudes. It’s found in Matthew 5, and in the first verses we read - - -
1 Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 And Jesus taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Today, we’re looking at this verse, verse 4.
Blessed are those who mourn. Have you ever seen a really happy or blessed mourner? And if someone’s excited about the prospects of mourning and grieving, we’d question their sanity. So, as we continue talking about the Beatitudes, these counter-intuitive, backwards ways of looking at life, let’s look at what Jesus means when He talks about the blessed mourners.
Many people tend to pity those who are grieving. We try to not look them in the eye, we send off a quick note or flowers, and we’re not sure what to say, so we often avoid the blessed mourners.
Yet, when we look at Jesus’ day, mourning and grief weren’t hushed and rushed! Mourners would literally tear their clothes, put on sackcloth, ashes and dirt on top of their heads. They would do this in the open, where everyone could see them. Friends gathered and stayed with them. They didn’t hide their sorrow, they lamented, cried and wailed.
Ever notice how controlled we are when we’re mourning and grieving? We tend to weep in quiet. We don’t want others to see us . . . and we often apologize for our tears and grief.
Why do we apologize? Why do we have to be so stoic? Why can’t we let it out? And it’s healthier when we let it out, than keeping it all bottled in.
So, what’s Jesus’ point in calling mourners blessed? When we think about mourning, we can talk about at least 3 basi types of mourning - - -
1. Mourning our losses;
2. Mourning for the losses of others; and
3. Mourning our sinfulness.
I believe there’s value in all 3 of these. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they don’t know what they would do without their faith when grieving.
We see this in Isaiah 41 - - -
10 Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10
That’s a passage which brings us so much comfort because we trust God is with us. We don’t have to fear, we don’t have to be bewildered, all because God is the One who strengthens us. He holds us.
In Psalm 23:4, David tells us -
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. - Psalm 23:4
Again, it’s the promise of God’s presence in our difficult moments of life. The declaration I AM WITH YOU! Ahh! That’s comforting.
And Jesus tells us - - -
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. - Matthew 11:28
The promise of a blessed rest in Jesus. We can talk about many passages which remind of us of the promise that God will be with us, through the good and the not so good.
As we grow in faith we also come to believe that even when we don’t like what is happening, when we don’t necessarily like God’s plan, we can still count on God. We trust and believe that God has a plan which is bigger and better than our plan, but just not the same. We see that in Isaiah 55 - - -
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55:8-9
As a believer, I trust in God’s plans, even when I don’t like them, even when I would never have chosen that as my plan, I trust that God’s plans are ultimately to bring good in my life.
Another aspect of finding comfort for those who mourn is the promise for many of us in knowing that our loved one who has died is now in eternity with the Lord. We trust that they are no longer in pain. There is no suffering. There are no medications, there’s no heat, no cold. Death has been fully 100% defeated! That’s great news which brings us comfort which is why Paul told the people in Thessalonica in 1 Thessalonians 4 - - -
13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep.
So, we become hopeful grievers. And that gives us so much comfort, even in the midst of loss. So many of you have spoken about how blessed you are, and how blessed your loved one was . . . because they knew Jesus as Lord and Savior.
I also believe that we are called to extend comfort to one another. It’s in many passages in the Bible, but in 2 Corinthians 1, Paul really shows it, when he wrote -
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. - 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Because we’ve experienced suffering and grief and have found comfort from God, we now have the opportunity to bring comfort, empathy and encouragement to others who are moving through difficult times. So, we find comfort as we mourn.
This is a really important aspect of our faith. One we really shouldn’t just gloss over, because it’s part of what the fellowship of believers is all about. It’s all of us, it’s what happens when we put together our shared experiences. Especially the struggles, the losses, the grief. We share that with one another. As we’ve found comfort from God, we now have the opportunity to return that blessing to others who are in similar situations.
One word of caution, don’t ever say, “I know how you feel.” Even though your situation may be almost identical, we all have different backgrounds and circumstances. Different thoughts and feelings, so not every situation is the same. Our call is to walk along side and seek to bring comfort.
I believe Jesus has another idea for us in this statement about being a blessed mourner. When Jesus used the word to MOURN, He’s using a very strong Greek word. It’s a word which is used to describe those who are grieving for the dead.
There are many Greek words in the New Testament for sorrow or mourning, and the word Jesus used, “pentheo” is the strongest one.
pe????
It’s used to describe the most heart-felt grief a person could experience — a deep sorrow which causes your heart to break. It describes a deep inner agony which can’t be held in — grief which in many respects is uncontrollable.
It’s a grief which is so severe that it can’t be hidden. It’s visible to everyone around them. Maybe we’ve been there or we’ve seen others who are so filled with grief that they cannot be contained in their sorrow at that very moment.
That’s the type of grief Jesus is talking about. He’s not talking about just feeling sad about something, this is uncontrollable grief.
Now, Jesus goes on and it’s really important just like last week when I spoke about the poor in spirit as being those who are destitute of everything as they admit their spiritual brokenness, it’s the same with today’s words. We need to know the depth of what Jesus is teaching us.
So, as we continue we also see another word Jesus used is that we are COMFORTED!! The word for comfort is also a strong one. It’s par-a-ka-lay-ho
pa?a?a???
It’s the same word Jesus used when He told the disciples that He was leaving and He would send a helper in His place. The one who would be sent is the Holy Spirit, who was called, the helper or comforter, by Jesus, and it means “one who will walk alongside, or one who is called to the side of another.”
It’s also a legal term which means ‘one who will give evidence on your behalf that will stand up in court.’
So, the comforter is one who walks alongside of you and also speaks up for you, in a sense they’re a character witness on your behalf.
Do you see the word, they are very similar and have identical root words.
pa?????t??
Too often, we think of comfort as a cuddly blanket we wrap ourselves in, however, that is not how comfort is portrayed in the Bible. It’s an image of someone coming to us with a transfusion of strength.
Jesus wants us to look deep within ourselves. This is also about grieving and mourning our sinfulness. He wants us to look at our old self, our sinful self, maybe even our true self, and experience the grace which is offered us by Jesus.
And when we meet Jesus and receive the grace and forgiveness He offers, we recognize our sinfulness. We also come to admit how much we need Jesus. That becomes a daily event for us. We believe we need Jesus, so if we’re willing, we draw closer and closer to Jesus. We seek to experience His presence, His power, love, grace, peace, encouragement and more. We can only get this through Jesus, when we admit our need for Him. This revelation will lead us to grieve and mourn our own sin, which will guide us into God’s accepting and comforting arms.
If we were to be really honest, we all have that dark side, that part of us that doesn’t want to admit our sinfulness. Yet, Jesus wants us to grieve that very sinfulness and to know when we come to Him, He will not turn His back on us, but instead reaches out His arms to bring us comfort.
It’s what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - -
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17
You see, this is the only way to become that new creation. When we can admit our sinfulness, when we can admit that we’re not the one’s in control, we now have the opportunity to become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Because He is the One we’ve placed our trust in.
This should lead us to confess our sinfulness. But confessing isn’t easy, and that’s why when John wrote 1 John 1:9, he started with the key word . . . IF.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Who wants to admit their sinfulness? Because when we confess, in essence we’re admitting failure, or a shortcoming in some part of our lives. It’s hard for our pride to let go of that. Yet, what John offers us is so huge. It’s actually relieving, and freeing, and in fact should lead us to cry and weep like babies at the feet of a God who is so grace-filled that He would give us this offer.
So, “IF we confess our sins, God is faithful, but not only is He faithful, He is just, and in His faithfulness and justice, He is not going to rip into us and beat us down, instead, His great desire is to forgive us, to release us from the burden of carrying our sin and pride to the grave.
Then on top of all that, not only are you forgiven, but now God says, “I’m going to give you a bath.” It’s going to be that spiritual bath which is going to cleanse you, it’s going to take all of the dirt off of you, and in God’s eyes, you will be perfectly cleansed, you will be whiter than snow. That is the offer from God. He desires to release each one of us.
When we repent, when we admit our sinfulness, we can do it with another trusted friend, or the person we’ve wronged and we find this great release, which leads us to feel blessed.
Then we also have the added benefit of finding our sins washed away by God, who loves us so much that He sent His Son to live and die for us. And we weep over the gift of mercy, the grace, the hope that God offers us. It can be overwhelming.
It’s not just for those coming to faith in Christ, it’s for those who have been believers in Jesus for a lifetime, because we all fall short of the glory of God, but through the grace of God each one of us has the opportunity to find forgiveness and comfort from the God of all creation; the God who created you and me.
Max Lucado wrote,
As long as Jesus is one of many options, He is no option. As long as you can carry your burdens alone, you don’t need a burden bearer. As long as your situation brings you no grief, you will receive no comfort. And as long as you can take Him or leave Him, you might as well leave Him, because He won’t be taken half-heartedly.
But when you mourn, when you get to the point of sorrow for your sins, when you admit that you have no other option but to cast all your cares on Him, and when there is truly no other name that you can call, then cast all your cares on Him, for He is waiting in the midst of the storm.
That’s so true. If you half - heartedly think you need Jesus, then you really don’t need Him. It’s what Jesus said in Revelation 3:15-16 - - -
15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot!
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. - Revelation 3:15-16
When you have the lukewarmness about you, you’re really telling Jesus, I don’t need you. I’m my own master. So, what does He do, He spits you out as well. That’s not a very comforting image, and that’s exactly what Jesus wants us to hear.
Think about how many times as a parent, aunt, uncle, friend, grandparent you’ve picked up a child who was hurting. You hold them and bring them comfort. They feel safe and protected.
Yet, in the midst of this wonderful and joyful comfort we can give children, and one another, what I don’t get is this — —
- - - - WHY AM I . . . WHY ARE WE the children of the Most High God, SO RELUCTANT TO LET OUR HEAVENLY FATHER COMFORT US?
Why do I think He wouldn’t want to hear about my problems?
I rationalize they are small in comparison to world hunger.
Why do I think He’s too busy for me?
He’s got the whole universe to look out for.
Why do I think He groans and hides when He hears me coming?
Why do I think He keeps a list of my forgiveness requests?
That God is wondering about all the other one’s I haven’t prayed about.
Why do I think I have to speak in some holy Christianese to get His attention?
After all, I don’t talk that way with anyone else.
Do I think He was just joking when He asked me if the birds are worried about their next meal? Or if He knows how many hairs are on my head?
Nope, He knows it all.
Why is it that when He tells us to come to Him, and He will give us peace, He will comfort us in our grief-laden moments, yet . . . we somehow balk at that moment.
Why don’t we let our Heavenly Father do for us, His children, what we would do for our children?
So that when we are criticized, injured, or afraid, There is a Father -
. . . who is ready to comfort us
. . . who will hold us,
. . . who will walk with us;
. . . who will not go to sleep on us;
. . . who will love us, even when we feel unlovable;
. . . who suffered and died for us,
. . . who sent His Spirit to be with us,
. . . His Spirit, the Spirit of God for you and for me; and
. . . who is very, very real, who believes in you and me
- who believes in us so much that He sent His Son to bring us
grace, peace, forgiveness and hope . . . which never ends.
God wants us to be blessed mourners, so that we would allow Him to wrap His arms of love around us. And that also empowers us to wrap our arms around others and help them to experience His peace and comfort. And when God does that, we not only find healing, we find power and strength and victory.
So even as we grieve over the losses of this life and the losses yet to come,
we have the One true God loving and comforting us.
We can be blessed mourners because it is God who comforts us.
Enter God’s Kingdom and experience His comfort.
