This week we continued with our study in the Beatitudes.
We looked at Matthew 5:4; "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
When looking at the meaning of this verse, the obvious question is "What did Jesus mean when talking about 'those who mourn?'" Was he referring to those who suffer loss or death? Was this beatitude only for those who are experiencing the death of a loved one? I do not think that is all Jesus is talking about.
Yes, the word "mourn" means to experience "deep grief." Yes. God comforts those who suffer a deep personal loss, I do not doubt that. God is our comforter and provider. But I believe there is more to this deep grief than mourning over a death:
John Stott, one of my favorite bible teachers and authors wrote a study through the beatitudes, and in the study he discusses the quality of "mourning over your spiritual condition." That is we recognize that we are completely lost and dead in our sin with out God (building on what we discussed last week on being poor in spirit), and we experience deep grief over our spiritual condition, we grieve over our sin and evil. According to John Stott, it is this grieving over sin that Jesus was referring to, and it is when we are in a place of grieving over our spiritual condition that we will find comfort in God and His salvation.
Another writer I came across cautions us of letting our mourning become a "pity party" where I recognize how bad my situation is and I feel sad because of how bad I have it. This is not the "mourning" that Jesus (or John Stott) was referring to, but instead we are to show sorrow and mourn over the fact that Sin is present in life and it is hurting the people of the world. Our mourning should be similar to what the prophets such as Jeremiah and Isaiah went through as they mourned over the nation of Israel: The nation knew the truth of God, but continued to operate in sin, the prophets wept over the nation because they knew that the nations sins would result in judgement. The prophets did not weep, "Oh God is so terrible, he is being mean to us by sending oppressors." Instead they cried for God's continued mercy, and wept "Jerusalem sinned grievously,; there fore she has become filthy; all who honored her despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns her face away." (Lamentations 1:8) The prophets of old mourned for the cities and countries they lived in, and God granted them comfort by letting them "see" the deliverance to come. The bible even tells of God grieving over the sins of his people, so to mourn over the sinful condition of this world is to have the heart of God for the lost.
"Blessed are those who Mourn..." We are blessed when we allow our selves to grieve the present spiritual condition of, not only ourselves personally, but of those around use, our cities, our countries, our world. We are blessed when we capture the heart of God for the nations and feel sorrow over the fact that they are still trapped in their sin and have not entered into God's promised salvation. We are blessed because "..(we) will be comforted." God has promised his comfort to those that grieve with him over the sins of the world.
An interesting note: the Greek word translated to "Comforted" here is the word "parakaleo" this word is often translated "comfort" but it also means to help, aid, exhort, "call to one's side", to encourage, strengthen, and to comfort. It is has the same root as the word Jesus used when referring to the Holy Spirit in John 14:16 "I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, (parakletos), that he may be with you forever." Now I share this, not to say I have some great revelation on the usage of the word, but just I found it interesting. The word does not simply speak of emotional comfort for our mourning, but a working together (or along side), a partnering with towards a common goal. In other words: those who capture God's sorrow for the sinful condition of the world will not only receive God's comfort, but they will receive his help and partnering to show the way of redemption to a lost a broken world.
Our homework this week:
We want to continue building on what we started last week so we will continue to thank God for providing for our every need and to ask him to stretch our faith to learn to rely on him more. What I added for this week: In our prayer time we will seek to spend sometime praying for, interceding for, and mourning over the world, asking God to give us his heart for the world. We will also ask Him to bring a softness to our hearts so that we see those around us the way God sees them, and ask him how to be vessels of His love to those around us. (One of the students suggested that we need to have this compassion not simply for the sinners around us, but also for our fellow students, staff and teachers. I completely agree.) Finally, in preparation for the next meeting, take time to read Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek..." and ask God to reveal a deeper meaning to these verses.
I am in Malaysia this weekend, so the next Life Group will be on February 1.
Thank you for joining us,
Tyler
A Boy WonderLabels: Bible Teaching, The Beatitudes., VABC