"Finding Comfort in our Sorrow" Matthew 5:4

Episode 66

Title: Finding Comfort in our Sorrow Text: Matthew 5:4

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” -Matthew 5:4

Introduction:

Misery is defined as “a state or feeling of great distress or discomfort of mind or body” (oxford). “Suffering keeps its face hid from each while making itself known to all… we are one in suffering. Some are wealthy, some are bright; some athletic, some admired. But we all suffer. For we all prize and love; and in this present existence of ours, prizing and loving yields suffering.” - Nicholas Wolterstorff

Suffering is inevitable in the human experience.  No one is immune to it and we all experience it in one way or another. Job said in Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.” Job is one of the best examples to use for someone who suffered, as a series of events saw him losing his wealth & possession, children, and then eventually his health. Other examples of suffering in the Bible: - Joseph was lied on by his own brothers and sold into slavery because his father loved him. When he prospered in the house of Potiphar he was lied on once again by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison.  - Jonah was swallowed by a whale after refusing to go to Ninevah.  - Samson had his eyes gauged out and was made sport of in front of the Philistines after giving his heart to a strange woman.  - The blind man in Jerusalem in John chapter 9 was introduced as being blind since his birth. 

All of these situations are different in that some of them the individual did absolutely nothing wrong, in other situations the individual put themselves in the positions they were in. Regardless, they all experienced suffering. A good question to ask ourselves then, is why do we suffer? The best way to answer that is by going to the beginning of our story to the Garden of Eden. Paul said in Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” That one man of course was Adam, and this verse is referring to the story found in Genesis 3. The moment Adam disobeyed God is the moment suffering was brought on our world. This suffering was physical, psychological, and social. 

“Physical: With sweat on their brows, the first couple encountered fatigue, hunger, nakedness, exposure, sinus infections, cavities, and other maladies. Psychological: They would know the suffocation of loneliness, alienation, addiction, anxiety, shame, regret, depression, and despair…Social: Sin corrupted, undermined, and even destroyed their relationships. All manner of social conflict suddenly entered the picture: resentment, envy, animosity, impatience, bullying, one-upmanship, abuse, and rage. Such is the legacy we have inherited and now perpetuate in our worldy societies” - Castaldo, Chris. The Upside Down Kingdom: Wisdom for Life from the Beatitudes (pp. 25-26). 

To “Mourn” means to “feel regret or sadness about” (Oxford). One of many responses to our physical, mental, and social suffering is to mourn. In our society, a person who is “in mourning” usually refers to a person who is grieving a loss of a loved one. Which of course, is a great reason to mourn. But there are other reasons for a person to feel sadness and regret. 

Mourn about Physical Suffering: In addition to losing a loved one, there are other reasons to mourn physical suffering. - Growing older is a blessing, but also brings pain. “Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.” (Ecclesiastes 12:6) Solomon was talking about the cord of life. He is speaking of aging and approaching death. There are many examples we can give. Some over time, others can be sudden. Regardless, we suffer physically. - Death is inevitable. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgme