Blessed Are They That Mourn
A guest post by Jeremy Thornton.
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. These are the five stages of grief identified by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying.
Oftentimes when we experience grief, we will consult the writings of professionals who have extensively studied the mind and how we are affected by loss, and some may seek professional help from counselors during these difficult times.
Some will begin to study the stages of grief, and after reading there are five stages, one may be led to believe once they have experienced all five stages, then the grieving process is over.
Anyone who has lost a loved one will tell you there is no end to the grieving process. It may not be as intense as it once was, but the feelings of grief and loss are always present, or at best they are not too distant in memory.
As Jesus is preaching to the multitude (Matt. 5-7), He states those that mourn are blessed. How can this be? How can one be in a state of blessing while being in the state of mourning?
State of Being.
“Blessed are they that mourn…”
Most of the time we associate mourning with those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Webster defines mourning as “the expression of deep sorrow for someone who has died.”
Most of the time we treat the words “mourning” and “grieving” as synonymous terms but there is some difference in the two. Grieving is the inward emotions experienced during times of loss and mourning is the outward expression of our grief.
Although death is commonly the cause of mourning and grief, it is not the only cause. Those who are incarcerated may mourn because they are unable to be involved in the lives of their loved ones. Some mourn and grieve because of the loss of a job. Some may grieve and mourn because of divorce.
The reasons one will mourn and grieve are endless, but the question from Jesus’ statement in Matthew 5:4 is “What kind of mourning is Jesus referring to?”
In the previous verse Jesus addressed the poor but was not speaking of the physically poor, as He was addressing those who understand the state of their soul’s condition, and the ones that are “mourning” are also those who are mourning because of their soul’s condition.
Those who understand their lost condition because of sin, those who have transgressed the Law of God, those who are unable to stand before God justified, those who are unable to cure their soul’s condition, these are in a state of grief and mourning because of sin.
State of Blessing.
“… They shall be comforted.”
The grieving of a loved one may never end as long as we are living but those that mourn because of sin have an avenue of comfort available.
Jesus Christ took on flesh, being in the form of God but took on the role of a servant, being obedient to death on the cross (Phil. 2:5-8), coming to earth to be a minister and ransom for many (Mark 10:45), seeking and saving those that are lost (Luke 19:10).
Being that Jesus kept the will of the Father and is a perfect Sacrifice for sin (1 Peter 2:20-25), He is able to save those that come to God by Him (Heb. 7:25).
Although at one time we were guilty of sin and having to face the wages of sin which is death, because of Jesus we are now able to have our sins forgiven, be added to the body of Christ, become a child of God through the spirit of adoption, and are now able to rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4).
Funerals are a lot different from carnivals, and we do not associate funerals with joy, but we expect a somber, sad occasion.
Those who mourn because of sin and obey the commands of Jesus have the promise that we will be comforted, as the blood of Jesus is able to cleanse us of our soul’s diseases.
Jeremy Thornton preaches for the Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion, Arkansas. I’ve known Jeremy for several years and appreciate his good work in the Lord’s kingdom!
I loved the distinction between mourning and grieving. Never got to look at it that way and now it has changed the way I perceive loss. Thank you so much for this.
Jameson, I believed that those who have lost a loved one or friend, etc., can be comforted and healed from their grief if they one to let go of the grief. This is my stance because Jesus has all power and He stated that whatever we ask in his name and it will be done (John 15:7). Some would say "well, what about those who are sick and believe for their healing and do not get healed? To them I say, they are already healed, the manifestation of that healing is on this side are the other side (2 Cor. 12:1-10). I think about my son, brother, and mom, but I do not grieve over them not being here; rather, I thank God that they are out of this world (Isa, 57:1-2). I still enjoyed the message.