Worship Call 0682 Those who mourn

When Jesus attempts to comfort Martha with the word of the Lord, she seems dismissive of it. She then goes to her sister and for some reason lies to her and says to Mary that “the teacher is here and calling for you.”

Then it is that Mary with her broken heart and grief tells Jesus that if he had been there Lazarus would not have died.

John 11:33–36 (NASB95) — 33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and was troubled, 34 and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. 36 So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!”

Jesus was about to command Lazarus out of the tomb.

If Jesus knew exactly what he was about to do, why would he weep for Lazarus?

Jesus was not only weeping for Lazarus but for the broken hearts, the weak of faith of those whom he genuinely loved. All of which accompanies a broken and fallen world.

And this is another fine day in the Lord.

King Solomon tells us

Ecclesiastes 3:4 (NASB95) — 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

I wonder which is better.

I love to laugh. I don’t dance, but I love favorable circumstances that I feel like dancing anyway.

But as far as the sermon on the mount, there is no line from our Lord Saying, “Blessed is the Partier. Blessed is those that find Joy and happiness in this current world, where they find even comfort in their misery, comfort on the world’s terms.

Matthew 5:4 (NASB95) — 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

25.119 μακάριος, α, ον: pertaining to being happy, with the implication of enjoying favorable circumstances—‘happy.’ [1]

There are times for tears and there are times of grieving and mourning. There is no place for stoicism in the Christian way of life. God has given each of us a heart. It is not only sometimes but inevitable that the heart is broken.

There is however a different type of mourning when it comes to the faithful and the unfaithful.

Here is a present active participle.

25.142 πενθέω; πένθος, ους n: to experience sadness or grief as the result of depressing circumstances or the condition of persons—‘to be sad, to grieve for, to weep for, sorrow, grief.’

The current condition of a broken heart with the confident expectation of comfort.

The future passive indicative

25.150 παρακαλέωd; παράκλησιςa, εως f: to cause someone to be encouraged or consoled, either by verbal or non-verbal means—‘to encourage, to console, encouragement.’[2]

Some may remember what it is like when a romance goes south. When one gets a dear John letter, or a dear Jane letter and it felt like the very heart was being torn out of one’s chest. It feels terminal that one will never feel joy again that the pain was so bad.

By the way, I believe that this was the very pain that Jesus suffered outside the tomb of Lazarus. There was not a sniffle or two, but the Lord wept loudly enough for all around to hear to think that he was grieving for His dead friend.

What is it that broke the heart of the Lord?

And what is that that breaks the heart of the imager of the Lord.

The Lord commended faith. It is faith that brings the Lord Favor.

Hebrews 11:6 (NASB95) — 6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

And several accounts Jesus encounters faith of another who had come to Him and Jesus responds commending those who expressed their faith.

But where there was no faith there was also disappointment.

IN Genesis 6 when man’s heart was at its worst, what kind of response did the Lord have. Was it anger? Was it that God was all the more eager to bring down his wrath upon wicked man?

Genesis 6:5–6 (NASB95) — 5 Then the Lordsaw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The Lordwas sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

And what is it when we perpetually walk in darkness what condition is the spirit who indwells us in?

Anger?

Wrath?

How about grief (Ephesians 4:30)

When it is that God brings his wrath upon sinful man it is to satisfy his perfect Justice, that is in keeping of God’s perfect integrity. His love cannot compromise his perfect integrity.

This is why God sends His son to be a propitiation for us. Because he loves us so.

The unbeliever and the unfaithful can mourn a broken heart for many things and will suffer and mourn.

But the heart of the faithful mourns in the way God mourns.

While the unfaithful mourns on a personal level it is those who love God and seeing his holy name being blasphemed and his righteousness being discarded crushes the heart of His righteous ones.

There is a difference when it comes to weeping of the unfaithful. It is like the world is coming to an end leaving the story to end in sadness and grief.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 (NASB95) — 13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

But here is the promise, that though the heart is broken under the weight of misery now, the faithful mourns knowing that there will be a future comfort, like the calvary coming to the rescue on an old western to save the day.

So, here is a paradox that is present in the life of the faithful in Christ. Even through a grieving heart there is an expressed happiness.

And while the circumstance of mourning exist,

As Christ imagers it is not only the personal circumstances that grieve our spirits but it is the condition of the world that blasphemes His only name and disregards righteousness which is Holy Character.

It is the faithful that not only mourns death they mourn the cause of death which is sin.

[1]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 301). United Bible Societies. [2]Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 305). United Bible Societies.

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