Blessed are those who mourn

In Matthew 5: 4 Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn." What did you mean by this bliss? How can crying lead to real comfort, joy, and happiness ? 

It is hard enough not to realize that the world is a sad place. But feeling the effects of that world — experiencing pain, grief, and crying — can be devastating. And then Jesus addressed the subject of crying in the second of his Beatitudes. 

The first beatitude was about being poor in spirit - recognizing our own weakness compared to the greatness of God and realizing our dependence on Him. Once someone reaches that point, then they are able to look at everything with a new perspective in our eyes.  

And sometimes those eyes fill with tears.

Blessed are those who mourn

The second of the Beatitudes is: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will receive consolation" (Matthew 5: 4). This Bliss touches the heart and soul of what it is to be a Christian.

Christians have at least three things that make them cry — they touch their hearts to the point where they grieve and may even cry. God wants people to be sensitive to the suffering, pain and torment caused by sin (ours or others') and to be compassionate to those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.

Repentance for our sins. When God guides us to repentance, we come to a point where we realize the strength of our sins. Our sentiment can easily coincide with the words of King David: “Eternal, do not withhold your mercies from me; Your mercy and your truth keep me always. Because evils without number have surrounded me; My evils have reached me, and I cannot look up. They have increased more than the hairs on my head, and my heart fails me ”(Psalms 40: 11-12). Repentance — the process of confessing sins to God and changing your way of life — is a very edifying process (Psalm 51). It begins with a pain according to God for sins and this leads to real change (2 Corinthians 7: 9-11). 

Pain for the sins of the world. "Rivers of water came down from my eyes, because they did not keep your law," said the psalmist (Psalm 119: 136). This can apply to those who are in a city (Matthew 23:37; 2 Peter 2: 7-8), a nation (Jeremiah 4:19), or to everyone who is full of sin (Romans 3: 10- 18). It is difficult to live in a world that is so opposite to God's way, but ultimately God is going to protect those who sigh and cry for the sins of the world (Ezekiel 9: 4). 

Compassion for those who have lost loved ones. The death of a loved one is a painful thing, and Paul tells us to "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15; see also 1 Corinthians 12:26). Jesus was moved by the weeping of those who mourned the death of his friend Lazarus (John 11: 33-36). He had compassion on a widow who had lost her son (Luke 7: 12-13). Death is an inevitable force that is going to hit all human beings on the planet. Even the knowledge of God's great plan does not take away the pain and the cry for such loss. 

Fortunately, after all the crying a Christian faces, there is comfort.

Because they will receive consolation

God has a fabulous plan that will allow all who are willing to repent and be saved. He wants to give us eternal life without further regrets. This plan includes the sacrifice and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ (Revelation 13: 8; 1 Corinthians 15: 3-4).

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah was anointed “to comfort all the mourners; to order that the afflicted of Zion be given glory instead of ash, oil of joy instead of mourning, a mantle of joy instead of the spirit of distress ”(Isaiah 61: 2-3).

There are multiple aspects of that plan that serve to comfort followers of Christ even when they may be suffering.

Here are three:

Forgiveness of sins. 

Repentance can be a painful experience. But there is comfort in knowing that when we repent, God forgives our sins and blots them out of his mind "How far is the east from the west" (Psalm 103: 12). Deep in this anguish, it is possible to see the mercy and greatness of God (Joel 2:13; 1 John 1: 9).

The return of Christ. 

The world is a total disaster with only one solution: the return of Jesus Christ. Until He returns, the situation will continue to worsen. After her return to this Earth, Christ will make it possible for: “Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance, the young and the old together; and I will change their weeping into joy, and will comfort them, and will gladden them of their pain ”(Jeremiah 31:13). Eventually, "God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 21: 4).

Resurrection. 

After the death of a loved one, knowing that there is a resurrection can be very comforting. Knowing that this life is not all there is, but that God has in store something even greater is a great source of comfort (1 Corinthians 15: 51-54; 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18).

Through the fulfillment of God's plan, those who mourn "will receive consolation." Now that we have analyzed Bliss, let's see why it is difficult for us to apply this feature and how we can do it despite the difficulty.

The way of man

It seems that crying is not the way to achieve happiness and comfort.

Instead, most people imagine that the source of happiness involves a lot of physical pleasure and fun, perhaps drinking, partying, getting high, gambling, having sex, and so on. The natural inclination is to consider crying as an emotional state that must be avoided at all costs and instead celebrate and delight in the pleasure of the moment.

This is what many have tried to do. Among them was King Solomon, the wise and wealthy king who had everything he could wish for. But looking back on his life, he said: “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of the banquet; for that is the end of all men, and he who lives will put it in his heart. Better is regret than laughter; because with the sadness of the face the heart will be amended. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; plus the heart of the foolish, in the house where there is joy ”(Ecclesiastes 7: 2-4).

Crying allows people to take life more seriously — in a way that invites change and leads to growth. In this way, those who mourn are truly blessed, despite what many think (Luke 6:21, 25; James 4: 8-10).

How is the lament

What exactly is the lament of a Christian?

The lament is a deep sadness, and may even include tears. Many heroes of the Bible wept, the most notable of which was Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53: 3; John 11:35). Tears do not have to be seen as a sign of weakness. They can show a tender and loving heart that hurts others and knows pain. Other times, crying can also mean a repentant heart filled with pain after acknowledging the severity of our sin (Matthew 26:75).

A sober and afflicted heart will count its days, bearing in mind that this physical life is not eternal (Psalm 90:12). Lament, whether it be for repentance, compassion, or loss, can lead to inner reflection. This allows for self-examination and further spiritual growth.

God does not want people to sit in dark rooms and cry continually from dawn to dusk. A fruit of his Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). Although there are certainly moments of mourning, there are also moments of joy (Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 4). A balanced life will have both - at the right times.  

For a Christian, joy according to God does not come from external circumstances. Instead, joy comes from knowing God and his way of life. A close relationship with God can produce more joy than some think possible (Psalm 16:11; 1 Peter 1: 8). God's way, once internalized, gives a sense of inner peace that cannot be overshadowed by any amount of testing (Philippians 4: 6-7).

This balance between joy and lament leads to self-reflection and awareness, which is necessary for the next Bliss: the meek. 

With all this in mind, we can see why Jesus said, "Blessed are those who mourn" (Matthew 5: 4).