Matthew 5:4

^“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

From Background Notes [BN] for May 26^th & 27^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What does it mean to “mourn”? Ask a mother who has lost her child. Ask a child who has lost her parent. Ask a person writhing in pain from mortal injury or debilitating illness. Ask the wife whose husband has left her.




Whenever human beings sustain a loss, there is mourning, and without comfort, the mourning does not end. Without hope, there is no reason to stop mourning. Ancient Israel had rites of mourning when loved ones died, and these shared rituals lasted for days. We read about Abraham mourning for Sarah (Genesis 23:2), parents for an only son (Jeremiah 6:26), Jacob for the presumed death of Joseph (Genesis 37:34), the Egyptians for Jacob seventy days (Genesis 50:3), Israel for their sins (Numbers 14:39), Israel for Aaron the High Priest (Numbers 20:29), Israel for Moses (Deuteronomy 34:8), Israel for king Saul and his son (1 Samuel 28:3; 2 Samuel 1:12), and Jeremiah for Israel (Jeremiah 8:15). Wise persons recognize the importance of mourning (Ecclesiastes 7:2, 4) as the honest acceptance of death.

Fasting and mourning frequently happen together as a way of “afflicting the soul” and confessing sin. National sins often required such public rituals (see Zechariah 7:3; 12:12; Micah 2:4).

In the Isaiah 61 passage we considered above, Yahweh’s anointed one will “comfort all who mourn.” And so in the prophetic material of the Old Testament, hope appears for those who otherwise remain in despair. The prophets do not forbid mourning, but they offer a way out of it.  [BN, 5-6]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene –

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am, 5:30pm