they will be comforted." The Beatitudes come right after Jesus calls
Simon and Peter to "follow me and fish for people" and his healing of
countless diseased and afflicted people. Crowds throng to him from many
cities and he withdraws to a mountain with his disciples to teach the
people. In the rich chapters of Matthew 5 through 7 Jesus teaches a new
way of life, a new way of discipleship that breaks through old practices
and expectations. I would recommend you read these chapters as a unit to
get the overview of his teaching.
From chapter 5 comes the famous verses "You are the salt of the earth"
and "You are the Light of the World". Jesus goes on to expand
understanding of the commandments when he says if you are even angry with
a brother it is like murdering him, and if you give your offering while
harboring resentment against your sister, go and make things right and
then return with your offering. If you even look at someone else with
lust you have committed adultery in your heart. If anyone strikes you,
turn the other cheek, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you….the teaching goes on and on! In Matthew 6 we learn about prayer,
treasure, worry, and God's providing – in Matthew 7 judgement, do onto
others as you would have them do to you, and a house built on rock.
Finally at the end of Chapter 7 we hear the crowds being astounded at
Jesus' teachings, for he teaches with authority. As Chapter 8 begins
Jesus comes down from the mountain and immediately begins healing again –
first a leper, then a paralyzed man, then a woman with a fever. He calms
the wild sea and cures a demoniac.
I've been thinking about mourning, or grieving, quite a bit lately. We
have had so many funerals this summer and hardly a day goes by without
news of another person struck with cancer or some other disease. People
lose jobs, relationships, health, confidence.
Life becomes overwhelming. People make mistakes and grieve them. How do
we understand Jesus when he says "Blessed are those who mourn"?
Jesus mourned for the death of his friend, Lazarus, and the grief of his
sisters, Mary and Martha, even though he knew he would raise Lazarus back
to life. Jesus mourned for Jerusalem, "killing the prophets and stoning
those sent to her". Jesus mourned over sin, over people not understanding
God's purpose. Why did he spend so much time teaching the people as we
see in Matthew 5-7? Do we mourn over the things God grieves -
sin, death, injustice, hungry children, war, abuse, disease? Perhaps this
Beatitude commends those who enter into the pain of the world, not just
our own grief.
The promise is that those who mourn will be comforted. Grieving over a
loss or condition opens our hearts and teaches us better ways of living.
There are mysteries of why and how and why now we will never understand.
We cry out to God in fear or anger or in resignation to our weakness,
emptiness, and loss of control. Sometimes we turn away from God to
destructive habits to avoid the pain.
"Comforted" in Greek is 'parakaleo' which means 'to call to the side of',
or 'to call near'. The comfort God offers is not just to console or
soothe, but to rush right to our side. Remember the words of Jesus in
Matthew 11:28-30? "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest." God is not limited to sympathy like a dear friend;
God experiences our grief with us and leads us through it. What a
promise – to have the creator of the universe by our side and in our
hearts!
It's common to mourn over people – they are a huge loss in our lives and
many times our lives are never the same. But I am thinking maybe this
Beatitude goes even beyond the death of a loved one or relationship.
Perhaps we are being called to mourn for many other things or people as
well that are near and dear to God's heart. God will be our traveling
partner as we explore the many ways to mourn and know His power and
comfort. I invite you to ponder this with me as we claim God's promise in
this Beatitude.
You are Blessed.
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran, Sycamore, IL
Salem reminders:
Pray for schools, students, teachers, and administrators that they may be
agents of blessing for one another and work together to learn and serve as
we begin another school year.
Labor Day Weekend - Blessing of Hands at each service. Wear your work
clothes or bring a tool of your trade. Offer your daily work in the name
of Jesus to our community and world.
Fall programming is underway with the start of Sunday School, Choirs,
Puppets, Bells, and many many Ministries. Get a taste of a few of them at
Rally Day Sept. 12th, 9:15 a.m.
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