Blessed are Those who Mourn (Matthew 5:4) by Librae Jackson, Deacon

"Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)

This second Beatitude is much like the first. In the same way that only the spiritually poor can be enriched, only the mournful can be comforted. Only the mournful need comfort. True followers of Christ readily confess that the cause of our mourning is, most often, the corruption within our own selves. Thus, our comfort comes from outside of ourselves. We receive our comfort from above. The God, who shows us our sin, also shows us Himself, as our Savior from sin.

Blessed are we, if we hurt. That feeling of pain is what makes us long for comfort, and brings us to Christ, who alone can provide the healing that we need. Physically, pain in our bodies indicates problems that need to be fixed, and prompts us to seek medical attention. Spiritually, the truth hurts us. The word of God exposes our sin, and alerts us of our condition. We are blessed, if the soul anguish drives us toward that Great Physician, who has power and compassion to help us. He specializes in curing the ailment that, if not treated, would most assuredly lead to our eternal destruction. Blessed are we, if we go to Him for repair. The disease of sin, and the sentence of death that accompanies it, have but one remedy: the Cross of Christ. That's where He took His people's sins upon Himself, and died under the holy wrath of God, in our place. By faith in Him, we experience His care, whereby He heals our wounds and comforts us.  As we experience the forgiveness and cleansing that the Gospel brings, we rejoice in The Lord and exclaim, like the Psalmist, " You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness" (Psalm 30:11).

"Blessed are those who mourn

The Christian life is one of frequent mourning. Don't be deceived by any false prosperity preachers. Many would have us to believe that the life of faith consists of constant highs, with no lows. Such an imbalance would be unrealistic and inconsistent with the human experience, let alone the Christian experience. Those who are born of God have been given a godly understanding, whereby we get a glimpse of things, as they truly are. Everyone who's been given new life in Christ now sees things with new eyes, which are often full of tears (figurative, if not literal ones). We mourn because we are cognizant of the darkness that's rampant in the world, as well as in our own hearts. We're fully aware of the misery that sin brings to the world, at large, and to us, in particular. We're in a regular state of mourning because of our ever-present sin. This mourning is most certainly met with comfort, and unspeakable joy. But the mourning is just as real, and perpetually significant, as the rejoicing.

"For they shall be comforted"

The Christian life is one of frequent comforting. Don't be deceived by any false austerity preachers. There are many who would present a doom and gloom message, with no space for happiness in this temporal existence. Some think it a form of righteousness to be low all the time. Their frowns are only emblems of the pride and self-righteousness of their hearts. If they were truly broken, they’d know something of the joy that goes with it (see Psalm 51:8). Furthermore, they present an image of a god who is an un-pleasable killjoy. Such a distorted picture leads to a works-based approach to religion, whereby people think that plainness in appearance and/or sternness in demeanor can somehow make them more godly than someone else. Nowhere in Scripture is a flavorless, rigidly ascetic lifestyle required by God. Indeed, there is sorrow, self-denial and the utmost sobriety involved in the Christian walk. But it's a path of freedom and true pleasure. It's a turning away from that which is confining and oppressive (sin) and turning to something that is liberating and joyous (the Gospel). The Gospel is good news! Even as we bemoan our sin, and its afflictions, we constantly take new comfort, because of Christ. 

God brings us down, not to keep us down. After humbling us, He lifts us up. The sorrow that He gives is good for us, because it changes us for the better. We're told that "godly sorrow produces repentance" (2 Corinthians 7:10).  We're told that the painful chastening that we endure "yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness" (Hebrews 12:11).

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, whose job it is to convict us of sin AND to show us Christ, our Savior from sin (see John 16:7-15). Only helpless sinners will be helped. Only mournful sinners will be comforted. These are the only people who truly understand what sin is, and acknowledge the need to be saved from it.

"Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted"

We mourn our sin, but God comforts us by showing us that in Christ, we're forgiven of all sin. We mourn the abundance of evil in this world, but we know that there is an end, and Heaven ultimately awaits us. Plus, we know that the God who will rectify all things then, is the same God who is at peace with us now, showing Himself as "our refuge and strength; a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). We mourn the estate of the lost, who are apparently headed for Hell, but we are comforted by seeing that not only is God right in everything He does, but that He is also mighty and gracious to save. Plus, He has given us His message to deliver to this perishing world. We take comfort in the fact that He will save others by the very Gospel with which He saved us. He has an elect people whom He has purposed to save by His sovereign grace and far-reaching mercy.  

Finally, the troubles that cause us to mourn serve another purpose. They enable us to comfort other believers, with encouragement. Paul wrote to his brethren in Corinth:"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation" (2 Corinthians 1:3-7).