The Beatitudes Part 2

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

William Barclay says of this Beatitude:

'It's true meaning is, 'Blessed are those who are desperately sorry for their own sin and their own unworthiness.'

Many may say that the meaning was to do with bereavement and grief - the loss of someone very close to us. And they would be right. The word to mourn has a very strong meaning and that meaning was included in Jesus' mention of it. However, here it was referring to our sin. Don't let us forget that initially Jesus had set out and begun preaching, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.' (Matthew 4:1). We can't repent unless we are sorry for our sins - convicted. When the full realisation of the cross hits us and we see how Jesus suffered on it so that we could be declared 'Not Guilty,' we see how powerful and deadly is the sin we carried around and how close we were to going to hell when we die. Strong words I know but true all the same. This is why we need to repent each and every time that we become involved with sin.

As I mentioned earlier, the meaning of mourning here, is the same as when we are in grief when someone we love dies. The pain felt is the same type of pain mentioned in the Beatitude. Even though Jesus' first thought for teaching it, was for the weight of sin, He wouldn't have dismissed the feelings bereavement causes. After-all, Jesus knew the pain of losing someone close to Him. When He stood outside Lazarus' tomb, He wept. (John 11:36) Even though Jesus knew He was going to raise him back to life, when He saw the pain of Lazarus' family and friends, He hurt and His emotions erupted. And this is how He is with all people who are in grief.

Maybe this is you. You may be in mourning at this time. Grief takes time to heal. People in your neighbourhood move on much quicker than you because they were not that closely linked. You are still suffering and this is normal. Don't be hurt when the people you know in the street, either make a quick exit from you or just don't feel like you do. Life's busy and often they just don't know what to say so they may ignore the situation you're in, but they still care.

But accept this, Jesus still cares. He was with you when it happened and will be with you all the way through. The One who is mourning with you is saying, 'Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.' So let Him!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com