The second Radical Kingdom marker is Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”. Is there blessing in sorrow? That is what Jesus is saying here. The world wants to always “enjoy” everything while the Kingdom citizen finds reason to grieve. Here is insight into what it means to serve a god of Holy Love. You want to see people respond to the love? Anyone can mourn over sin when he is caught but few mourn over being a sinner in the presence of God.
This is what it means to be broken hearted and contrite because of one’s spiritual poverty. Physical grief cannot be hidden nor can one hide it if grieving because of one’s spiritual condition. But God can see that grief and promises relief. God looks at the heart. God sees a person desperately sorry for their sins and the resulting feelings of unworthiness and God promises relief.
Make no mistake about it: Christianity begins with a sense of sin, that it is not a mistake or a shortcoming but it is intentional rejecting of perfect love. Knowing what my sin has done to God and the Son of God results in a broken heart; God will respond to that when the world will ignore you in your grief. “They will be comforted” is the promise. God will come alongside and God will give strength to live in the strength of the Kingdom. Psalm 51:7 has David saying about God from his own personal experience, “a broken and contrite heart he will not despise.”
What is the way to the joy of forgiveness? Through the desperate sorrow of a broken heart! The cross of Jesus is a wake-up call. We need an experience that will wake us up to spiritual reality. Coming into the Kingdom will give us that gift. When a human sees what his sin is and what his sin does he needs to admit it, mourn it, and turn it over to the Lord. Paul discovered this and said in 2 Corinthians 7:10 “godly sorrow brings repentance”. Repentance brings forgiveness. The logical next step after verse 3 is verse 4. Jesus will transform your sorrow.
“Thank You God for the offer of strength and forgiveness when we are so
weakened by grieving our sin. We need Your strength daily. Amen”
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