We have recently begun a new series titled The Keys to A Blessed Life. This study is about accessing God’s abundant blessings through cultivating beautiful attitudes toward God. Last Sunday, we examined the first beatitude in the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” and its corresponding blessing, “for they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). When we are “poor in spirit,” in other words, when we humbly depend on God rather than ourselves, we will receive His presence, protection, and provision, and enjoy His Kingdom on our sacred journey.

This morning, we will explore the second blessing in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Similar to the initial beatitude, this statement appears ironic because it suggests that God’s blessings can extend to those who are mourning. One frequent command the Bible teaches us is “Rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). The Apostle Paul, who was even kept in prison due to his faith in Christ, encouraged his readers to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4) and to be “content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12). Again, the sacred guidance regarding blessing and mourning seems to be contradictory. Does the good Lord allow His people to weep? We cannot answer this type of question for sure; however, we can understand that, at least, life is often tough from our own experiences.

From time to time, we may find ourselves both mourning and rejoicing with others in this imperfect and broken world. It is important to recall that the Bible never conceals emotions and lamentations when people faced difficult circumstances. In fact, the Bible also teaches us that “there is a time for everything… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance… He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11). That is why we are heartbroken when we hear and see our loved ones encounter challenges. Today, in this second Beatitude, I want us to look at God’s comfort for those with broken hearts and apply these lessons to our faith journey.

In our Psalm reading, the Psalmist describes this sacred blessing by comparing “sowing with tears” and “reaping with songs of joy” in nature (Psalm 126:5). The word “joy” is repeated six times in this praise. It was a joyful time since the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem, their hometown, after 70 years of exile in Babylon. Thanks to the special decree presented by the new King Cyrus, they suddenly gained their freedom, were able to return to the temple of Jerusalem, and worshipped God there. I believe that during their captivity in a foreign land, due to the disobedience of the people of Israel, they mourned over the things they had done wrongly before the Lord. They also prayed to God to restore their identity as God’s royal priesthood and chosen people. In God’s timing, the people of Israel were thrilled when their dream came true, much like farmers who joyfully harvested crops after planting seeds and nurturing them with tears. This was God’s blessing or God’s comfort upon His people’s spiritual grief.

In addition to this divine blessing, the “sowing with tears” principle holds true in any aspect of God’s creation. Once again, when farmers work diligently by watering, fertilizing, pruning the plants, and doing more things for them, they can harvest fruits with happiness at the appropriate time. The God who performed marvelous things for the people of Israel in the past and consistently provided diligent farmers with favorable outcomes all the time is the same Lord we believe in today. Sometimes, achieving positive results for the things we have been doing sincerely can take more time than we expect. Are we feeling a bit anxious because the dreams God has given us seem to be delayed? Are we somewhat disappointed that not many people have recognized what we have done for God’s ministry and for the people around us? Once again, we need to remember that the Lord our God will continuously do great things for us in the days ahead, just as He has done beautiful things for us in the past, when we continue put forth tireless effort with complete dedication of our hearts right before Him today.

In today’s Epistle, we can discover another goldy blessing in the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth. When Paul, known as a righteous figure in the Bible, found himself in a wretched state, he cried out desperately to God, seeking rescue from his sinful nature (Romans 7:21-25). He genuinely mourned the wickedness within his heart while humbly confessing his failures before the Lord. He expressed his gratitude to God when he experienced forgiveness and comfort through repentance and belief, becoming a new creation through Jesus. Later, Paul shared the benefits of godly sorrow with his readers and encouraged them to grieve over their sinfulness and embrace God’s salvation and His eternal life through Christ (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

Sometimes, we may question why the theme of sacred sorrowfulness needs to be repeated in the Bible. It might make us uncomfortable because mourning our sins can lead us to feelings of guilt. Friends, why should we be bothered by the Word of God that challenges us and brings about sorrow? Again, when Paul saw his audience while preaching, he was happy because he knew that their divine mourning would guide them to “repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10-11). That is why we are encouraged to humbly and honestly examine our own hearts through the Word of God before partaking in the elements of the Lord’s Supper. We are also encouraged to lament the sins we have committed against God as well as our fellow people. As I have mentioned before, godly sorrow, in other words, repentance, is not a one-time event. Spiritual mourning is an ongoing process that we must remember on our spiritual journey. Once more, we need to ask ourselves whether we truly grieve over our own sins. Through this divine sorrow, we can be sanctified and become more like Jesus Christ. Through this sacred blessing, we can reflect God’s image more fully and bring our spiritual purity into this corrupted world.

In our Gospel reading for this morning, we can also find out that Jesus himself wept over the death of Lazarus and mourned alongside his sisters and friends. We can draw a couple of lessons from Jesus’ grief during this sorrowful occasion. Firstly, Jesus cried because He loved his friend Lazarus and his sisters deeply. Even Jesus, as the Son of God, shared in people’s sorrow. According to the Bible, Jesus, known as “a man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3), was able to “empathize with our weaknesses” since he had been “tempted in every way just as we are” (Hebrews 4:15). Does Jesus understand my sorrow? Yes. He does! Christ is closer to us than we may realize when we are in distress.

Secondly, Jesus wept not only over the passing of his friend but also over the influence of the power of death in the world. When Jesus saw Lazarus’ sisters and the Jews who had come to comfort them, he mourned with them. His grief did not only stem from the absence of his friend in the present, but it also arose from the absence of people’s faith in the Kingdom of Heaven in the future. Before Jesus cried out to God, He introduced Himself as the resurrection and life to Mary and Martha. Although they believed in Christ’s attributes, they could not apply His amazing blessings to their sorrowful reality. Consider the impact of death. It affects not only those who have lost their loved ones but also everyone who fears death.

Thirdly, Jesus was the true comforter to those mourning their loved ones because He raised Lazarus from the dead and helped his sisters and those around them have faith in the resurrected Christ. Instead of rebuking their lack of faith in the eternal promise, Jesus joined them in their shortcomings by weeping along with them. After this comforting act, Jesus asked Mary and Martha where they had their brother laid and called out to God to restore his life by proclaiming in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out,” right in front of his tomb.

I don’t know about you, but I am the kind of person who usually expresses fewer emotions, particularly, sorrow. As a child, I was taught to control my emotions in public. Since my childhood, I have learned that I am not supposed to cry and weep because I am expected to be strong to be a leader in the society where I live. Likewise, my Asian cultural background has instructed me that crying would be considered a sign of weakness.

When I first took on pastoral duties in a congregational setting, one of the most challenging things for me to do was to be with someone who was weeping. Tears made me uncomfortable, so I often found myself wanting to change the subject or say whatever I could to cheer them up. Over the years, I have not only become comfortable with those instances of crying but have also welcomed those tears during my comforting ministries. As I mentioned earlier, the Bible often describes that even strong people break down and weep like little children at some point in their lives, particularly, when someone very close to them dies or when their souls are troubled beyond measure. Mourning is a critical way to express our emotions, and shedding tears is crucial for our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being during challenging times.

Over eight years ago, my family and I were setting up a tent at a camping ground, getting ready to sleep, when I received a call from my youngest brother, Han-Ho. He told me that our father had passed away. It was hard for me to believe his death because just a few days earlier, during our road trip to the west coast of Canada, my family and I had a video chat with him. During that call, my father was overjoyed to see all of our sons and blessed each of them. Despite his battle with illness for a while, he never complained of discomfort or pain to us. He kept expressing that he would be fine and encouraged us to enjoy our vacation without thinking of himself at all. At the age of 74, he peacefully went to be with the Lord.

The morning after we received the news of his passing, my family and I flew to our homeland, Korea, to be with my grieving mother and the rest of the family. Before my father’s funeral and graveside services, my immediate family and I were asked to attend a special ritual for my deceased father. During this ritual, he was bathed with perfumed water by two funeral directors and dressed in traditional death clothing made of a certain fabric. His body was wrapped in a quilt and bound with ropes multiple times. I tried to hold back tears most of the time. However, I could not help but burst into tears like a baby when I saw my father’s hands and feet being covered and witnessed a wooden cross decoration being placed on his body as the conclusion of that ceremony.

During that moment, even in that very short period of time, I was reminded of the many wonderful things he had done for my mother, my brothers, my family, and myself. I felt that God recognized all the work my father had done for his loved ones. I also sensed that the Lord comforted him with the living crown, which would be his loved ones participating in this event and weeping for him. It was a sacred moment of grief and tears for my family. He had been a wonderful father who loved the Lord and had raised three children well with his wife. Indeed, it is true that God comforts those who mourn the loss of His faithful servants.

Even in our worship service, when some of us think of those whom we are concerned about and/or come to realize the absence of our loved ones again, we may become emotional. Friends, it is okay for us to be sorrowful. Someone once said: “Church is God’s sanctuary and haven, and here we can lay our true selves before God. Then we can be comforted by our Heavenly Father as well as by those around us.” Whenever our hearts are broken by sorrow over our departed loved ones, our broken relationship, or any other reason, we are invited come to the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Lord of all comfort.

As the Bible tells us: “God will collect, in a unique bottle in Heaven, every tear we have shed for God and our loved ones during our lifetime” (Psalm 56:8). At the end of the Bible, the Apostle John stated the words of Jesus Christ: “I [He] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:12-14).

To conclude today, Jesus encourages us to fix our eyes on Him and continue mourning over the things that displease God. Since Jesus knows everything about us from the beginning of our journey with Him until the time we are called to be with Him, we can place all of our trust in Him and keep sowing good seeds, even with tears, for His kingdom. When the time comes for us to reap the dreams we have been working toward and receive the answers to our prayers for ourselves, our family, our church and our community, God will abundantly pour out His special blessings upon us and our loved ones, both physically and spiritually. When God calls us to our real home, Heaven, we can joyfully return to the dwelling place the Lord our Christ has prepared for each of us and will enjoy eternal life in heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted,” (Matthew 5:4) Amen!

* In this sermon series, I have drawn inspiration from the teachings of Pastor Rick Warren and his staff, as well as various messages based on the following texts: Psalms 126:1-6; John 11:17-36; 2 Corinthians 7:1-11.