Jump Start # 152 

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

  We continue our look at the beatitudes—the opening pithy statements of our Lord’s sermon on the mount. Jesus is defining the heart of the citizen’s of the kingdom of God. Our beatitude today is one that is greatly misunderstood. Most think Jesus is talking about mourning over the loss of a loved one. This is read at funerals and at the cemetery. There is no virtue in death, especially if the dead did not walk with Jesus. The mere fact that someone died is not a reason to rejoice or to consider oneself “blessed.” The truth be known, while preachers misuse this passage at the funeral, those in the audience feel cursed rather than blessed.

  We immediately think of physical death when we see the word “mourn.” Death is not the only time or subject that brings mourning. Paul told the Corinthians that they should have “mourned” about one of their members who was living immorally.

  You will see that the beatitudes are connected and linked together. There is an order about them. Jesus didn’t just randomly throw these out, but rather, He knew that one leads to the other. The poverty of spirit leads to one mourning that condition. Jesus is describing the realization that one is lost before God. This comes about after one humbly recognizes that he is broke spiritually before God. That condition causes him to mourn—it leads to him seeking God.

  The gentiles were described by Paul as “excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). Excluded…strangers…no hope…without God. What a terrible condition. When that hits a person, when they realize they are “poor in spirit” they mourn.

  We see this in the life of the prodigal son. When he came to his senses, when he realized the friends were gone, the money was gone, and no one was going to help him, he became poor in spirit. He felt empty, lost and lonely. It was then that he got up and returned home.

  Jesus calls such a condition, “blessed.” Blessed because they will be comforted. They will come to God humbly and find forgiveness through obedience and faith. We must not take away the experience of “mourning” for our sins. Guilt and shame breaks us. It should. This is good. But when we tell others, “It’s ok. We all make mistakes. You’ll be fine,” we take away the need to mourn. We lessen the pain of sin and often the journey to God doesn’t take place. David was a broken man after he became poor in spirit. His sin with Bathsheba was covered up. God uncovered it. No excuses. No trying to hide it. David begged for God’s forgiveness. Read Ps 51. Those are the words of a man who is mourning his lost condition with God.

  I wonder if we get this. I sometimes here folks nearly bragging about the old days when they could drink anyone under the table, or the glory days of one night stands, or the grand schemes of cheating on tests and doing wrong. Is there no shame? Is there no mourning what those things did to you and God?

  Paul summed up these first two beatitudes when he wrote, “for the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation…” WITHOUT REGRET. No regrets in leaving the broken world of sin. No regrets in clinging to the hand of God. No regrets. The mourning, the shame, the guilt, the poverty of spirit is no place they want to return to. Blessed is such a man!

Roger