Matthew 5:4 (NASB)
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
We are in our first series for 2010, and talking about the Beatitudes. They are the start of Jesus' great sermon, commonly known as The Sermon on the Mount. We learned from the end of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus placed great emphasis on His words. Look at the conclusion to His sermon.
Matthew 7:24 (NASB)
[24] "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock."
Last week we talked about the first Beatitude; "Blessed are the poor in spirit". If you remember, we learned that the poor in spirit are blessed, not because they are poor or humble, but because they are living in spiritual poverty. They are blessed because it is the spiritually poor that God has come to help.
Today we take a look at those who mourn and how God has come to bless them. They are blessed, not because they mourn, but because they are in a position to realize their need for God's help.
Matthew 5:4 (NASB)
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
I find it interesting that I can complain and even mourn about the slightest thing in my life, yet it seems to be my habit to forget what God went through on my behalf.
As I began a study of the word mourn in the New Testament, the passages surrounding Jesus' birth were the first passages to show up in my search. It is interesting that when Jesus the Messiah came into the world, His new life was the cause of great mourning for the people of Bethlehem, the town He was born in. I want to take a look at this passage, it is found in...
Matthew 2:1-20 (NASB)
[1] Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
[2] "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
[3] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
[4] Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
[5] They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
[6] 'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"
[7] Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
[8] And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."
[9] After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.
[10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
[11] After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
[12] And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
[13] Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
[14] So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
[15] He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."
[16] Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
[17] Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
[18] "A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE."
[19] But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,
[20] "Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead."
So, the birth of the greatest King in human history did not bring prosperity, security, and joy to the place of His birth; rather He brought invasion of privacy, pain, death, and despondency. And then, on top of all that, He alone escaped to the safety of Egypt. Sometimes, life seems so unfair, even in the midst of God's great actions for our redemption.
In fact, the coming of the Christ child is the start of God's physical actions to provide for our redemption. If you are familiar with the life of Jesus Christ, you know that, as His life started out with the pain and suffering of others, so it would end with His own pain and suffering for the sins of all mankind.
I guess one of the greatest arguments that has been posed, suggesting that there is no God, deals with this very topic. You have probably heard this question/argument expressed in different ways, but it probably sounded something like this: "If He exists, how could a loving merciful God allow such pain and suffering in the world?"
A good question for today. As I write this portion of my sermon, it is, Tuesday, January 19, 2010. The front-page headline on our local newspaper reads; "Death toll in Haiti climbs to 200,000". In that article, the author refers to another recent disaster. "...In 2004 there was a deadly Indian Ocean tsunami which killed an estimated 230,000 people in a dozen countries." (STAR)
Wow! How appropriate is this question in light of these devastating circumstances in our current history? And then, do we dare think about all the things in our personal lives that cause us to mourn? Talk about the relevance of the Gospel in the 21st Century, this is it.
It's important to understand that the source of our mourning is irrelevant. Jesus wants us to know that anything that brings mourning in our lives, even if it is our own fault, can be a means of blessing in our lives.
Sometimes we wonder at the ways in which God chooses to work in our world. I have come to realize over the years of studying His Word that Jesus had to work in a world that had turned itself over to the consequences of their sins.
In his song, Adam Where are You?, Don Francisco talks about how, when Adam and Eve sinned, they were condemning all their unborn children. That's the reality of sin and it's consequences on our world, and on our individual lives. That's one of the things that brings mourning in our lives.
There is good news in the beatitude we are looking at today. Our mourning, whatever the reason or source, puts us in a position to be blessed by God. I don't mean to ignore the tough questions about how a loving God can allow the pain and suffering we see in our world. It is a topic that theologians and philosophers have grappled with for centuries, and there is no easy answer I can give you today.
If you are interested in more detail in dealing with this difficult subject, there are two books that have helped me in understanding this topic. C.S. Lewis' book, Mere Christianity, and Lee Strobel's book, The Case for Faith. I highly recommend both of them.
There are many good examples of this in the New Testament, and I could preach for a long time about instances of mourning, both in the New Testament and in modern history. However, there is one example in the New Testament that I want us to read. It is found in...
Mark 5:35-43 (NASB)
[35] While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?"
[36] But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe."
[37] And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
[38] They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing.
[39] And entering in, He said to them, "Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep."
[40] They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child's father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was.
[41] Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, "Talitha kum!" (which translated means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").
[42] Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.
[43] And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.
Jesus' words in verse 36 give us two keys so we can receive the blessings of God in our times of mourning. Listen to it again...
[36] But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid any longer, only believe."
There are two very important things we need to understand here.
There is another important thing we can learn from this passage. This passage shows us the potential for blessing, not the certainty of it. In this passage, the blessing of God was both rejected with ridicule, and accepted with joy.
The blessing of God is rejected by those who were probably paid to mourn for the little girl after she had died. Because of fear and disbelief, they miss the great blessing of God in the family of the synagogue official.
The potential for the blessing of God was accepted by the synagogue official, and he witnessed the breath of life coming back into the lifeless body of his 12 year old little girl. Why did he receive this incredible blessing? Because he decided he would look beyond the fear he felt in the devastation of the moment. He decided he would put one paralyzed foot in front of the other, and follow Jesus to his house.
The synagogue official decided he would believe Jesus instead of the crowd who wailed out the cries of mourning for the death of his precious daughter. He decided to move beyond his wife's tears, and his own crushed feelings, and believe in Jesus. As a result, he received a blessing from God in the midst of his mourning.
Every disaster, no matter how great or small, has the potential to give us the blessings of Almighty God. Take the earthquake in Haiti for an example. You might wonder how on earth the earthquake in Haiti has any potential to bless us in America today. A good question.
I heard of a man who spent over $13,000.00 on some artwork this past week. To think about what joy that might have brought him I can only imagine, as I have never had that kind of money. I sat in my recliner thinking about what it might be like to have that kind of money. What joy might accompany such wealth?
Now I do not say this to condemn him in any way. I know that he contributes money to many different charities. He may even have contributed to the relief effort in Haiti, but that is not the point. The point is that many of us, like the people who began to laugh at Jesus when He came to bless the home of the synagogue official, reject the opportunity to receive the blessings of God in our lives.
Just for a moment, put yourself in the place of those who laughed at Jesus that day. Can you imagine how they felt the first time they saw that little girl playing in the streets with her friends? Can you imagine the emotions of realizing that you had laughed at the man who would bring that little girl back to life? Yet, we do it all the time and don't even realize what we are doing.
As I sat in my recliner, thinking about what it might be like to be wealthy like the man who bought the artwork, I was reminded that Vonda and I had given two offerings to NCM this week to help the people of Haiti. A great sense of joy and blessing filled my heart right then. Indeed, the great earthquake in Haiti has the potential to bless all of us. Can you imagine the blessing that a rescue worker receives when he is able to free a victim from a certain tomb?
I don't ignore, or pretend to understand, what the blessing is, for those who are injured or loose their homes and loved ones. That is beyond my comprehension. I can only see the disaster from where my life circumstances have placed me.
From this spot, whether in the middle of the disaster or as a distant observer, God always places within my grasp the potential to receive a blessing. I choose whether I will be blessed in my mourning, or if I will ignore and reject that potential blessing.
Matthew 5:4 (NASB)
[4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
What causes mourning in your life today? I can't express in words, the devastation that brought me to mourn when I was in my late thirties. One aspect of that devastation still haunts me to this very day.
The details of that devastation in my life are not important to you, but I mention it to let you know that all of us come upon times of mourning in our lives. God did not bless me in the way I thought He would. He did not answer my prayers in the way I wanted them to be answered but I can tell you that the blessings that have come out of that disaster, far outweigh anything I could have imagined or orchestrated for myself.
The message Jesus wanted to get across in this beatitude, is that our points of great mourning are opportunities to be blessed by God. One of my devotional readings on Thursday morning of this week gives us a glimpse of the reality of the blessing we can have when life caves in on us. This devotional is a quote from Bob Benson, who writes for Heartlight. (QUOTEMEAL from HEARTLIGHT -- http://www.heartlight.org/)
"When life caves in, you do not need reasons -- you need comfort. You do not need some answers -- you need someone. And Jesus does not come to us with an explanation -- He comes to us with His presence."
-- Bob Benson
That is what God's blessings in times of mourning are all about. Not reasons for the disaster, but comfort. We do not need answers, we need someone. We do not need explanations, we His presence. You see, reasons, answers, and explanations don't take the pain and devastation away. Only His presence blesses us in times of disaster and mourning.
What brings mourning in your life? Are you ready to look beyond your fear, step toward God, and believe in the power and presence of Christ to bring a blessing to you in that mourning? Or will you laugh like the mourners laughed at Jesus, and miss His blessings in your life? The choice is yours. Let us pray.
NASB - New American Standard Bible (NASB). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2002.
STAR - The Arizona Daily Star, © 2010, Published in Tucson, Arizona. 01/19/2010
I want to thank my research assistants, Debi Peck and Robyn Harper (HARPER), who do hours of research to provide some of my study resources. I also want to thank Vonda Watson-Bostick and Robyn Harper, who help me with editing.