The Beatitudes

Among the sermons recorded in the Bible, the Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the best known. Jesus’ hearers literally were astonished when they heard Jesus’ words for the first time. Gently, yet forcefully Jesus expounded the Old Testament with a New Testament focus. It is aptly called the Constitution of the Kingdom of God. In this series we will limit our study to the opening passage of the sermon, commonly known as the Beatitudes. No Scripture equals the description of the citizens of Jesus’ Kingdom than the elementary yet comprehensive sketch of His genuine subjects.

Let’s now take a closer look at the second Beatitude under the same two headings as we looked at the first. What is the mourning that Jesus considers blessed—“Blessed are they that mourn”? Secondly, why are such mourners blessed—“for they shall be comforted”? “Blessed are they that mourn”—what is this blessed mourning? Don’t you see that Jesus’ second Beatitude stands again completely perpendicular to how we think or how we feel? We would call them that are happy, that are joyful, that are laughing, that are having a feast—we call them blessed.

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Rev. A.T. Vergunst is minister of the Gospel in the Reformed Congregation of Carterton, New Zealand.