Each of the beatitudes begins with the word blessed. We defined blessed in our previous article as a state of spiritual well-being and approval by God that is manifested through communion with God (Ps. 1:1, 2). In this second beatitude, we are given another characteristic of those whom God blesses, and these individuals are those who mourn.
The first question that comes to mind in light of the second beatitude is, “Who are the mourners?” It certainly does not refer to all mourners. People mourn over the effects they feel from all sorts of things, such as personal or material loss, the loss of a loved one, illness, pain, and much more. But these are not the mourners referred to here.
Neither does the term mourn, as it is used here, refer to a sinful sort of mourning and emotional distress over certain worldly shortcomings. This sort of mundane mourning consists of temporal despair and sorrow regarding things of the world. Earthly sorrow such as this is mere emotional regret over a distressful loss of a pleasurable relationship or thing. In no way is this sinful disconsolation related to these sinful mourners’ relationship to God.
“those who mourn.” This phrase does not refer to the mourning over the believer’s sorrow for his or her transgressions against God as we see in James 4:9 and 1 Corinthians 5:2. These two verses were written to believers who have sinned. Believers who sin have sorrow and mourn, but at the same time, they don’t despair because they also have God’s promise and guarantee of their salvation and eternal life (Eph. 1:11-14), and thus they mourn but with the hope of God’s promise.
The Greek word πενθέω (transliterated pentheó) is used in verse 4 to mean such an intense general, all-encompassing, enveloping grief and regret that cannot be hidden. This mourning spoken of in the second beatitude is mourning arising from the grief over the regenerate sinner’s guilt for his or her sinful transgressions against God. It is a godly sorrow for one’s sin and a penitential mourning for that same sin and repentance of the same, which reveals a contrite soul with an eye to salvation and eternal life through the Messiah. The individual knows that he or she has no power to remove this sinful guilt to receive eternal life.
The mourning in verse 4 is a mourning of those seeking salvation. A mourner referred to in this verse has a mourning of despair in that he or she cannot remove the guilt of their own devices, but the mourner seeks comfort, support, and eternal salvation from a gracious God through Christ, the Redeemer. As Scripture states, “I will pour out… a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zec. 12:10).
“for they shall be comforted.”
The reward to those who, with a penitent soul, mourn in godly sorrow over their sins is God’s divine comfort. Comfort will come to these mourners as God shines light upon their souls, and they will undoubtedly be in heaven just as Lazarus was comforted (Luke 16:25). God will give His children perfect and eternal comfort in the new heaven and new earth. As the apostle wrote, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
The Bible teaches that God is a God of comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-4; Ps. 23:4) as the apostle John noted in his gospel, “So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22).
The mourning of the poor in spirit over this soul-consuming grief and godly sorrow on account of their transgressions against God is dealt with by God with blessing. A godly sorrow necessarily turns the contrite sinner’s soul to Christ, and He responds by comforting these mourners who seek the support that only He can give.
Jesus said that all those who come to Him as little children (Matt. 11:25), that is, the poor in spirit, and who labor and or heavy laden (Matt. 11:28), will find rest for your souls (Matt. 11:29). This rest is what the comfort promised in the last phrase of verse 4 is referring to.
The Heidelberg Catechism discusses this comfort in answer to question 1 of Lord’s Day 1.
Question 1: What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.
The first two beatitudes are closely related; the latter confirms the former. To try to understand how these first two beatitudes relate to one another, we could think of them as saying this:
The blessed are those who come to Me with impoverished spirits, who have godly sorrow for and mourn over their transgressions against Me, and who, being incapable of helping themselves, seek Me for eternal comfort and support, for they shall be comforted and made citizens of the kingdom of heaven forever.
