Mourning to Life

And he [Jesus] opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:2-4 ESV).

 

As we continue to build on Jesus’ teachings in our reading today, we come to the statement that “those who mourn” will be blessed. I doubt any of us who have lived into adulthood have not experienced some degree of loss and the resulting sorrow. Today, Jesus teaches that such sorrow in regard to our spiritual condition is essential to spiritual blessing and peace. It is the second part of the process that describes how we become highly favored in the eyes of God.

 

Life is not always easy. Regardless of how much money we have or how successful we appear to be, each of us must struggle against the curse of sin, which has poisoned every inch of God’s good creation. In your life, you may find yourself trying to overcome destructive habits, only to fall right back into your old patterns. You might experience the pain of losing a friend or a family member who dies at a young age. Or maybe as you look at the daily news, you feel overwhelmed by the suffering of people around the world.

 

These things are uncomfortable to admit, and it’s tempting to use work, or hobbies, or socializing to distract ourselves from life’s many problems. But Jesus challenges us to confront sin directly, and to let ourselves grieve all of the destruction it has caused. When we understand the depth of our need, and we understand that neither politics nor technology, business, or therapy will fully heal this broken world, comfort is available. Grieving the world’s sin and brokenness leads us to turn to God as our only comfort, trusting in his power to put things back together, since we cannot do that ourselves.

 

That becomes the path forward to a grace-filled life which also places us in a position to be filled with the peace and joy of our Savior. Knowing how powerless we are leads to this kind of mourning… and that opens the door to the presence of the Holy Spirit. His presence brings all of the blessings of being highly favored by our God.