The Sermon On the Mount – 1877 – Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834–1890)
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. – Matthew 5:4 ESV
This beatitude is one I’ve been asked about a number of times over the years. It means literally, “Happy are those who are grieving.”
This sounds like a contradiction, but God has never made it a secret that Christians will sometimes have to grieve. He has instructed us to make the best of it because it is all part of his plan.
What are the ways that this could possibly be true?
- Hard times mature our patience (Romans 5:3-4) – We need to go through the challenges of life to be able to appreciate life.
- It grows the fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11) – If we did not fall on hard times, we would soon forget how much we need God.
- Godly sorrow will lead to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10) – Being those that grieve about sin helps us find our way back to God.
Jesus’ promise of comfort in troubling times is certainly a precious gift. Mourning is an emotion that can cause us to act on some serious matters:
- Christians should mourn the sinful world
- We mourn our own sins
- We mourn the family and friends who are lost
You see, only those convinced of the sinfulness of sin will ever be sorrowful for their separation from God and seek a remedy – much like one who is not sick does not seek out a physician. The Great Physician says “Come Unto Me all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
June 5, 2014
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