Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. – Matthew 5:4
At times it may be difficult to see Jesus as a person rather than the Savior, Heaven’s King, and God’s Messiah. But He was indeed fully human, a man with responsibilities and relationships. While He often taught in public forums, much of the instruction-forming scripture comes from personal conversations He had with His friends. How beautiful it is that God spoke His word to you from Friend to friend!
In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus was speaking to His companions as He delivered what are called “the beatitudes.” The teachings are short descriptions of what life looks like for those in a relationship with God. If you have a cynical nature, you might notice the prerequisite to what He calls “blessed” looks strangely like what the world calls “top ten stressors to the human condition:” mourning, financial struggle, weakness, and persecution. Yet, that very list makes His point, exactly!
Blessing in God’s Kingdom has nothing to do with the world’s definition of a comfortable life. Jesus did not soft-sell the fact that following Him in knowing the Father was a costly endeavor. He led by example, showing His friends that fellowship with the Father was worth every ache a human heart could endure. Jesus accepted the suffering necessary to make that relationship available to you.
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