“Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.”—Matt. 5:4
A dear friend who has recently experienced grief asked me for a few comments upon the above verse. As many of us know, this verse is one of the “blesseds” that appear in the Sermon on the Mount. In that sermon, Jesus spoke a number of things to the crowd assembled that day. His statements appear to contradict what we normally think. For instance, we are more likely to think that a more accurate saying would be “Unhappy is the person who mourns….” Yet, Jesus had a way of turning things on their head and giving us a new and revolutionary view of life. Jesus added other “blesseds” or “beatitudes” which also seemed to be illogical at first glance such as “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst….”, “Blessed are those who are persecuted…”, and “Blessed are you when people insult you….”
The Greek Word
The Greek word for “blessed” is makarioi. It is an adjective which occurs about 26 times in the New Testament. The word simply means “blessed” or “happy.”
Comments
Both the person asking the question and my own family have experienced the loss of a loved one during the past year or so. And so how do we look down at the grave of a husband or a child and identify with Jesus’ words that we are “happy” or “blessed” when our heart is still full of pain and grief.
Scripture tells us that Jesus knew grief. In fact Isaiah 53:4 describes the Messiah (Christ) as being “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” Likewise, Jesus Christ was sympathetic to those who grieved. Isaiah 42:3 says: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.” When we see the body of a person we love lying in death, our hearts indeed could be described as a “bruised reed” or a “smoldering wick.” We are hurt and there is no way getting around it.
Jesus Christ shares the pain of our griefs and sorrows. Isaiah 53:4 says, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” In our mourning, we are not alone, and the presence and activity of Jesus in our life comforts us.
The promise of Christ in Matt. 5:4 is that “…we will be comforted.” It is part of life to experience pain and eventually to die. Scripture says that “It is appointed to man once to die…” (Heb. 9:27). Even Jesus himself was not immune from pain and death. It is something that we go through. Even those who experienced the healing power of Jesus or who were resurrected during the life of Jesus eventually died. People like Jairus’s daughter, the widow of Nain’s son and even Lazarus all experienced death even after their resurrection by Jesus. Death, and the door way to death which is often suffering, is almost universal (a few exceptions might be people like Enoch or Elijah). However the vast, vast general rule is that we all suffer and die. A healing or resurrection in this life is not an exemption from the general rule but only a postponement of the inevitable.
But there is hope. That is what the resurrection of Jesus is all about. As believers we share in his resurrection and we look forward to a resurrection to come. That is an extraordinary promise. Some verses which Paul wrote about this are the following:
The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. So when this corruption has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that which is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory”.
1 Cor. 15:52, 54
I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
1 Thes. 4:13-14
Death is an enemy. Yet Jesus pulls back the curtain of life in Matt. 5:4 and proclaims us as “happy.” We are happy because we know that we will be comforted by God in the future. We are “happy” and “blessed” because for an instant we see past the illusions of this world and we know that happiness is not found in the material things of life or even in close personal relationships. The ultimate happiness transcends this life. It transcends the effects of tragedy and the pain in the here and now. For an instance, we glimpse eternity and recognize that it is not the things of this life which can make us “happy” or “blessed.” Our “forever home” is not the dwelling we have here but instead is found in a far country, the Kingdom of God and the New Jerusalem. The things of earth will never satisfy us again.
We are tempted because of our love to wallow in our grief. However, Scripture warns us not to let grief consume us. Ecclesiastes 3:4-5 says that “there is a time to weep and a time to laugh and a time to mourn and a time to dance.” An ancient Christian document, The Shepherd of Hermas (at Mandate 10) reminds us that there is a time to put away sadness because too much grieving and sadness reflects doubt in the goodness and promises of God. As children of God, we must “cast away sadness” and clothe ourselves in cheerfulness. We need to remember Isaiah 61: 3 where we are promised to be given “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Our ultimate destiny is one of gladness not sadness.
We are happy because through Christ we have the promise that death will be defeated. We have the hope of the resurrection, an eternal life, and seeing those who have followed God. We have the hope of participating in the Family of God. We also have the hope of living in a world without sorrow, abuse, disease, pain and suffering.
Moreover, instead of the shabby promises of Satan and this world, we are “happy” because we are blessed with the Word of God and the promises of the Living Word. We are blessed because we are recipients of the everlasting promises of God including the fact that eventually death will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14) and that for the believer there will be an end to pain and death:
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, or sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.
Rev. 21:4
