Blessed are those who Mourn – Terry Nightingale
This year the focus in our 4-min devotions will be the teachings of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew chapters 5 – 7.
Last time, we examined the opening lines of the sermon:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
We said that those who are poor in spirit know their need of God. They are desperate enough to seek his face. In every part of their lives, they are dependent on God’s love, His mercy, His strength and His guidance. The poor in spirit are not ashamed to recognise their weaknesses and look to God for help.
And Jesus describes such a person as blessed because they will know and experience God’s Kingdom.
Next Jesus said this:
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
Like the first phrase describing those that are poor in spirit, the next phrase referring to the act of mourning is not one usually associated with a season of blessing. How can death be a good thing? What is Jesus saying?
In Psalm 51, the author David is very aware of his own sinful actions. He has done wrong, and he is sorry.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalms 51:7-12)
David knows his sins are before God (v 9), and only God can wash them away (v 7). As he examines his heart, he faces the uncomfortable truth that he is not the person he wants to be. He realises only God can change his heart (v 10). He not only admits the things he has done wrong, but he also feels sorrow for those things. John Stott says, “It is one thing to be spiritually poor and acknowledge it, it is another to grieve and mourn over it. Or, in more theological language, confession is one thing, contrition is another”.[1]
In Matthew 5: 4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” In other words, God’s favour is on those who are sorry for their sins, who mourn for them, who want to do better when they mess up. Christ died on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may receive His comfort – his help to change.
The Apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Blessed are those who are truly sorry for their failings before God. The Lord delights in forgiving, comforting and helping us to do better.
[1]From The Sermon on the Mount by John Stott p 41
