In this third lesson on the beatitudes, we will examine Jesus’ promise of comfort for those that mourn.
When we think of mourning, we usually think of death. Our thoughts turn to sadness, and we think about the loss of loved ones. In the Bible, the time of mourning was very different than for us today. Some of the outward signs may be the same, but the people were more dramatic about their mourning. The people tore their clothes, wore sackcloth (a rough fabric), put dust on their heads, fasted, and wailed.
The wailing consisted of chants, crying, and shrieks. If there weren’t enough family members and friends to sufficiently mourn, the family hired mourners. These mourners would have added a whole new dimension to funerals.
So, is Jesus simply telling us that we will be comforted if we mourn? We all know people that mourn for the loss of a loved one for months, sometimes years. Some never stop mourning. It doesn’t sound reasonable that Jesus is concerned with mourning for someone that had died.
The word, mourn, means to grieve or be sorrowful. We can find other reasons to mourn, and the context of Matthew 5:4 indicates something very different than mourning the loss of a loved one.
What else might we mourn? We need to mourn or have godly sorrow about the state of our soul. What would bring about godly sorrow? Let’s look at two examples of godly sorrow in our search for understanding Jesus’ promise of comfort.
In II Samuel 11, we read the story of King David and his adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba. You probably remember the story. David sent for the beautiful woman he saw bathing as he walked on his roof. She became pregnant, and David tried to cover up his sin by having Uriah brought home from battle. He thought if he could get Uriah to go home, Bathsheba could make him think the child was his. But Uriah was too concerned about the Ark of the Covenant and the armies to spend even one night with his wife.
David sent Uriah back to the battle with a letter to the captain of the Israelite army. That letter carried Uriah’s death sentence. Sadly, Uriah was killed.
Nathan, the prophet, took God’s message to David in the form of a parable. At the end of Nathan’s story, he exposed David as an adulterer and murderer. David had two choices. He could own up to his mistake or try to justify his actions.
David did what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5. He mourned. He showed godly sorrow by admitting his faults, being truly sorry for what he had done, and asking God to forgive him.
In Psalm 51, David exhibits his remorse and begs forgiveness: David said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
The second instance occurs in the New Testament. The church in Corinth had been established, and Paul had gone on to other works. But he heard reports of things happening in Corinth that disturbed him, and he wrote I Corinthians to the church there to try to solve some of their problems.
Paul tells them in chapter 1 that he is hearing that there are divisions among them, and he admonishes them to all speak the same things. There were problems with fornication, incest, a variety of marital issues, errors in taking the Lord’s Supper, problems with the use of spiritual gifts, and a number of other sins.
In chapter 7, Paul talks about how they have experienced godly sorrow; and in verse 10 he says, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation…” They were experiencing that turning away from their sins, disobedience, and even rebellion and turning back to God.
Repentance is a change of mind. It is a feeling of remorse or regret. It isn’t just that feeling; it is a change of life. That is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5. God will give us comfort if we will mourn for our mistakes, the same way David did and the same way the Corinthians did.
What a blessing it is to know that God will forgive us if we truly repent and obey Him!
Sandra Oliver