Beatitude definition:
a statement of blessing.
The second of the eight beatitudes JESUS names in Matthew 5 is, Blessed are those who mourn, for
they shall be comforted.
Taken in context, JESUS’ entire Sermon on the Mount with the
Beatitudes were told to His disciples to prepare them for their new life in His
kingdom here on earth. Their lifestyle as CHRIST followers was about to undergo
a radical change, and be entirely different from the rest of the world.
Followers of CHRIST today also live in the earthly kingdom
of GOD, being in the world but separate from it (John 17:6-19), so our lives ought to imitate that of JESUS’ disciples.
The statement and promise of this second beatitude are as much for us today as for
those who heard it directly from JESUS’ mouth over two thousand years ago.
What does it mean to mourn?
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary definition of “mourn” is to feel or express grief or sorrow for.
However, commentaries on the second beatitude agree that JESUS’ use of mourning
in the context of the blessedness indicates a grieving over sin and evil, our
own and that of the world.
The reason for sin and evil is the same today as when JESUS lived – the result of man’s rejection of GOD and His law in
favor of our own choices:
- …wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. Romans 1:18:22.
- He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief… Isaiah 53:3
- All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's paths to follow our own. Isaiah 53:6
We will find sin and evil in ourselves as well as others, but
wherever we find it we must honestly and intensely sorrow over it. The
sincerity of our grief will be manifest in our honest confession and repentance
to GOD for our own sin and heart-felt intercession on behalf of others. GOD’s response
then is the blessedness of His comfort that would make our sorrow easier to bear.
However, any grief we experience is a light affliction compared
to what the sinless CHRIST suffered for us. He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone….He personally carried our sins in his body on the
cross…1 Peter 2:22-24. But CHRIST
endured the suffering and pain because of what He would accomplish by his anguish – the saving of many souls unto
righteousness (Isaiah 53: 11.)
A child of GOD who sorrows over the world’s sinfulness also is
assured that our pain is not in vain. We who suffer for righteousness’ sake will
receive an eternal reward (Matthew 5:12.) This
promise will help us to endure suffering in the here and now for the sake of
the kingdom of heaven to come.
Nobody loves his
fellow-men better than a disciple, nobody understands his fellow-men better
than the Christian fellowship, and that very love impels them to stand aside
and mourn… They bear their sorrow in the strength of Him who bears them up, who
bore the whole suffering of the world upon the cross. ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~
All praise to God…our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 2
CORINTHIANS 1:3-7
Prayer and Thanksgiving:
Holy Father, our LORD and our GOD
whose mercy never runs out and whose love is unfathomable, may we never forget CHRIST’s
willingness to suffer because He knew the joy that His suffering would
accomplish for us. Thank YOU again and again for our salvation through Him that
promises us eternal life in heaven with YOU. Thank YOU for making us YOUR portion and for
being our priceless REWARD. Teach us to weep and sorrow over the sin of the
world, as YOU do. May we ever be mindful that YOUR abiding and perfect love for
the world brought about the sacrifice YOUR ONLY SON. Father, may we never cease
to mourn with anguished groans and without restraint while we have breath in our
bodies. We give all praise to our GOD and our merciful Father the source of enduring
comfort. To Him be dominion and power for ever and ever, in JESUS’ Holy NAME.
Amen.
Always by God’s Word and prayer,
Cecile
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