January 22, 2008
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Matthew 5:4
In the first two beatitudes, Jesus draws from Isaiah 61: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn.”
The beatitude would seem odd if isolated, "supremely happy are those who mourn." Yet, the following sentence tells us that those who mourn are supremely joyful in their comforting from God. This seems like an odd way to speak of those whose situation is absolutely wretched.
If you remember, the last beatitude focused on dependence. Being poor in spirit showed complete and total reliance on God. Their blessing comes when the Holy Spirit opens your eyes and you realize that you are completely and utterly destitute and in need of a Savior. Realizing that we are completely and utterly destitute should be a reason to mourn.
But following mourning, there is a message of restoration. As Christians, we should mourn often as we look around us at this world full of sin and confusion. There will be times of rejoicing, but in general, God’s people will often find this current world intolerable and incomprehensible. We live in a world of sin and confusion. Yet in "the now" (presently), we can be joyful in keeping God’s eternal blessings in mind. God’s Word speaks of His ultimate triumph, and with it, the comforting of those who have grieved over evil is sure.
As a final thought, the word "comforted" is interesting to ponder. It is rendered, as some scholars call it, a "divine passive," indicating that it is God Himself who is the initiator and actor in the comforting. This is almost redoubling the thought, a warm promise for those who find this world cold and dark. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Written by Matthew Capps
