Matthew 5:4

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

From Background Notes [BN] for October 20^th & 21^st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

5:1-12 comprises what we commonly call "The Beatitudes", pithy sayings which explain what the "blessed life" looks like, and how we can achieve it. To Jesus' audience, to be "blessed" meant to live in the favor of Yahweh. Israel had a problem with that. Jewish people feared that they did not live in God's favor, but were, in fact, still in exile and under judgment for past sins.

"How can we fix this problem?" was a common question. The religious leaders had a variety of answers, but Jesus deeply believed that most of them "missed the mark" entirely. What Jesus offered included: being poor in spirit, mourning, being meek, and the like. At the center of this "list" of spiritual activities was this one: "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (5:6) and it was followed by such qualities as mercy, purity, and peacemaking. Moreover, righteousness was something you could be persecuted for (5:10). All in all, Jesus pointed out that "the kingdom of heaven" would be the special portion and reward for living this way (5:3, 10, 12). Such "blessedness" was not a solemn and boring affair but invited people to "Rejoice and be glad" since reward is found "in heaven", that is, "in God Himself." [BN, 2-3]

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