Matthew 5:4
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4
Blessed?
Who can you point at and say that they are blessed by the Lord? Is it the one who has a big house and many cars? Not many of us would align a blessing with mourning. The beatitudes are spiritual qualities that deal with certain spiritual realities in our lives. A superficial consideration of the word blessed may seem to mean “happy and fortunate”. But a closer thorough examination reveals that blessed refers to a privileged recipient of divine favour. A.W Tozer in “The Incredible Christian” wrote, “He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is strong. Though poor he has the power to make others rich, but when he becomes rich his ability to enrich others vanishes. He has most after he has given most away and has least when he possesses most.” Truly, blessed are those who mourn.
Mourning
Jesus is not talking about moaners but mourners. It is not about those who have troubles and difficulties but rather it portrays a deeper meaning. Mourning in the book of Psalms is used to describe the one seated at the graveside of a loved one. It’s a strong word for lament. James while addressing the sinners he tells them to wail, mourn and grieve because of their sin (James 4:9). Paul in his letter also suggests mourning to the Corinthian church after finding the sin of immorality among them. This is the meaning of mourning highlighted by the beatitude: Grieving and sadness over the sinfulness of the world.
When Isaiah came into contact with the holiness of God he wailed and mourned over his sinfulness (Isaiah 6). A genuine encounter with God will always convict a person of their sins. Just after Isaiah mourned, God called him to ministry. This is probably why Jesus refers to those who mourn their sins as blessed. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret (2 Corinthians 7:10).
His Comfort
God will wipe every tear from the eyes of all those who mourn. Sorrow will be just for a moment and then joy will come. The righteous mourn over their sin, that of others and the general sin in our world today. Yet God comforts them in all these areas. He gives us comfort in Himself and in His promises which bring the comfort of hope. This is the blessing He bestows on all who mourn. However, many of us do not get the blessing.
Some of the hindrances include; love for sin since we can not mourn unless we see the wretchedness and its cost to those around us and to God. The second hindrance is falling into despair rather than mourning. Despair moves us outside of God’s grace and hides his mercy behind a cloud of self-doubt. The final reason we miss out on the blessing is a false view of sin. We sometimes believe that the sin committed is not that serious (1 John 5:17). The unrepentant and the presumptuous do not mourn, consequently, they do not receive God’s blessing or His Comfort. My brethren, have you repented of your sin?
King James Version (KJV)
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.”
New International Version (NIV)
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
New American Bible (NASB)
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
The Living Bible (TLB)
“Those who mourn are fortunate! for they shall be comforted.”