Those who Mourn

Day 218

October 20, 2020

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” - Matthew 5:4

Mourning is not something that happens invisibly.  When you see someone in mourning, one who is grieving the loss of a beloved friend or family member, the pain often is so great it moves you to grieve as well.  In some cultures, there is even community wailing at a loss of a loved one, especially a child.  One of the hardest moments in my life occurred only a little over a year ago, when a friend passed away and I spent that first morning with his parents.  There was at first shock and then came that overpowering and overwhelming grief.  A child is never supposed to go before his parents.  It was a mourning that came when there was the realization that this child would not open his eyes again in this world.

Mourning can only occur when there is great loss.  No one mourns something or someone that doesn’t matter that much.  And so Jesus, speaking to his audience sitting on the mountain, recognized that in that crowd were many who were mourning.  Maybe they had lost a loved one to disease or to the brutality of the Roman forces.  Regardless of the reason, he gave them a promise: “you shall be comforted.”

For when we have trusted in the Lord, there is no such thing as death.  In fact, through Christ, we have victory over death and we “do not mourn as those who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13)  As a believer, we have the promise of eternal life with Christ, and if the one who we have lost was also a believer, we will see them again one day, for they have just fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:14).  When Martha of Bethany was reminded of this after her brother Lazarus died, Jesus could see that there was still a lack of full understanding of that hope. Although he said, ““I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die...” (John 11:25-26) he knew he needed to demonstrate the reality and the truth of this statement.  And so to prove that what he said was true, he raised her brother Lazarus from the dead right then and there.  He allowed her, her sister Mary, and the entire community to be comforted in their present day to give us an example of the comfort we all as believers will experience in the future.  

Take heart.  If you have been poor in spirit and have humbly given your life to the Provider of your greatest need, you have an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ.  And if you have that relationship with Jesus Christ, you can be comforted today knowing that although this world may bring great sadness, you possess the keys to eternal life.  Your Lord calls you blessed because he can turn your mourning, your wailing, into joy:

You turned my wailing into dancing;

    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

    Lord my God, I will praise you forever. - Psalm 30:11-12

So sing praise to your God today and do not be silent.  He calls you blessed.

Read Matthew 5:1-12