The Beatitudes (3): Blessed are those who mourn

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Matt 5:4 (NKJV)
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 

We started this series by establishing that the beatitudes are the blessed believer attitudes, expedient to every Christian. Subsequently, we examined the very first beatitude, which is the poor in spirit and we saw the blessing Jesus placed on it. For this post, we will focus on those who mourn.

What does it mean to mourn? 
To mourn means to feel or show great sadness or unhappiness about something. It means to be sorrowful or to be in agony. At this point, permit me to say that there are two types of sorrow: godly and worldly sorrow (2 Cor 7:10). To mourn as Jesus asserts in the reference scripture means to exhibit godly sorrow (Matt 5:4). It also means to be repentant or remorseful. 

You may be wondering, why is the attitude of mourning critical to a believer? 
Well, the reason is not far-fetched. It is because the flesh is error-stricken and lust-inclined. So, as long as we still put on the flesh, we are liable to error. We MAY make mistakes in the course of our Christian journey. That is why we have Jesus and the Holy Spirit making intercession for us (1 John 2:1, Rom 8:26). Take note of the fact that I used "MAY". It is not unequivocal or definite that you will make mistakes, No! not at all! You may or may not. The extent or degree to which you exhibit peccability is linearly dependent on the degree you yield to your error-stricken flesh to gratify its selfish and inordinate desires; and the more you yield to God's Spirit and His word, and be led by them, the less you exhibit peccability (Gal 6:8). Regardless, IF you make mistakes, you will need to own up to it, and exhibit a mourning or repentant attitude and then Jesus - your advocate - pleads your case before The Father (1 John 2:1). You don't exactly mourn by starving yourself, "putting on sack clothes", and wearing a dejected look as if you've got the whole world on your shoulders, as it were. No, that's not how it's done. You mourn by wholeheartedly being repentant, and running to God for grace and mercy (Heb 4:16) knowing you're already forgiven (Eph 4:32). You may not exactly do it as Peter did after he denied Jesus three times (Matt 26:75). But the point is, you are sincerely repentant.

More importantly than the above, to mourn or repent also means to change your mind (Matt 4:17). This was John the Baptist's message to the Jews (Matt 3:2) and Jesus' first message according to Matthew's account (Matt 4:17). They were basically saying "change your mind for there is a better way to lead your life". In truth, there are lot of things that you know and have accepted that does not align with God's word, and which is consequently inhibiting you from enjoying the best life God has ordained for you. It is important that whenever the mind of God is revealed about those issues, you mourn or repent by changing your beliefs and accepting the truth of God's word, and then the truth will make you will free (John 8:32). Hence, the freedom you eventually enjoy as a Christian is rooted on exhibiting a mourning attitude to God's word. The most important thing for a Christian is to renew his/her mind, and this is hinged on exhibiting an attitude of mourning to the word of God.

Now, what is the blessing Jesus pronounced on those who mourn? 
God will comfort them (Matt 5:4, Isa 57:18) and He basically does this through His Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit is called "The Comforter" because comforting is one of His major roles in the life of a believer. If we make mistakes, and we are mourning, saying to ourselves "No, you shouldn't have done this. You are better than this....". The Holy Spirit will then say "It's Ok son, you will do better next time. This is how you can overcome this. Next time, do this, do that, don't do this, don't do that" and before you know it, (s)he is comforted and feels better. He comforts us by convicting us of our righteousness (John 16:10). He creates a righteousness-consciousness in us so we can overcome sin. He tells us "you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You have overcome that sin already". This empowers you to live above sin. Prophet Isaiah very much accedes to this fact. Isaiah 61:2-3 (GNT) says "....He has sent me to comfort all who mourn, to give to those who mourn in Zion Joy and gladness instead of grief, a song of praise instead of sorrow. They will be like trees that the Lord himself has planted. They will all do what is right, and God will be praised for what he has done". In other words, when those who mourn receive joy and gladness by the comforting work of the Holy Spirit, they will be empowered to live righteously - do what is right - to the praise and glory of God. In addition, God will not despise those who mourn (Psa 51:17). He will heal their heart (Psa 147:3) and restore their joy (Job 5:11, Psa 30:5).

Finally my friends, if Jesus says "blessed are those who mourn", it means it is a good thing to mourn when the situation arises. The fact that He placed a blessing on those who mourn is a motivation for us to develop the attitude. God bless you.

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