Scripture Reading: Matthew 5:1-4
Key Verse: Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
Meditation: It is important for us to accept the fact that Jesus did not state the specific reason for mourning. It is safe for us not to supply the object of mourning such as “mourning for sin” lest we narrowly limit the object of mourning to one thing only. However, it should be noted that the word Jesus chose is one of the strongest in the Greek language and suggests some “tragic loss” or a “very disappointing turn of events in a person’s life.”
The same word is used in describing Jacob’s deep grief when he first believed his sons’ report that Joseph was killed. To compound Jacob sense of loss he was reminded again of Rachel, Joseph’s mother, whom he deeply loved, but lost at the birth of Benjamin. Hear and feel deep emotion in these words, “In mourning will I go down to t grave to my son” (Genesis 37:35b).
This state of mourning may have a number of different sources. King David expressed deep sorrow over his sin of adultery that he realized was not just against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah, but even more, seriously, against God, the very God who called him and placed him on the throne. This mourning can also coexist with happier emotions. The use of the Wailing Wall in Palestine is a model we can follow. Most of the Jewish males go to the Wailing Wall expressing their loneliness God and for the lost temple where God’s manifest presence was concentrated. Their sorrow is deep and genuine, but they do not make a replica of the wall to take home to use on a regular basis.
Thought for the Day: The mourning that Jesus blesses with words of comfort moves us to God’s strong arms of love and comfort.
I find it interesting that these human figures are women in this painting. I never thought this scripture referred to mothers, sisters, wives and daughters. But so many times it is indeed the women that are left to keep praying, working and making sure life is "normal".
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