Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4 Though I recognize the inadequacy of taking any of the beatitudes of Jesus in isolation, it is also helpful to examine each of them in more detail while trying to maintain the integrity of the whole. This is my best effort to highlight a couple of fascinating elements of the second macarism (beatitude). When Jesus says “blessed,” I understand Him to be speaking to those of the Kingdom of God who are living for the King and “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). I don’t find it entirely adequate to translate or interpret it as “blessed by God” since among other head-scratchers, mourning isn’t a divine gift. Instead, mourning is present because shalom is not. Sorrow is a Today reality, because the King has not returned to make all things new. So the beatitudes reflect a present reality for those who are living for the alread...
Reflections on a life lived for King Jesus.