Exhortation Station

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

The topic of mourning is one that is easy to overlook.  Why mourn?  Aren’t we supposed to have joy in Yahweh?  As I’ve pondered these things, I’ve been impacted by some Scripture passages that speak to this subject.  There are, in fact, some key purposes of mourning that, I believe, are crucial for us to take to heart in our daily walk with Yahweh.  Let’s examine this topic, starting with John 11 (the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus).

John 11:30-35 — “Now Yahshua had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. ³¹ Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³² Therefore, when Mary came where Yahshua was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.’ ³³ When Yahshua 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 Yahshua wept. ³⁶ So the Jews were saying, ‘See how He loved him!'”

Here, we see how mourning/weeping was used as a means of expressing grief over the death of a loved one (Lazarus).  This is perhaps the most obvious use of mourning.  There’s something else here that’s important: notice how Yahshua Himself wept.  Notice how He did not rebuke Mary or the Jews for their weeping but instead wept with them.  This brings me to my first point about the purpose of mourning, which is that mourning is a means of showing empathy toward others.  Granted, we shouldn’t mourn out of an attitude of complaint or lack of faith in Yah, but there are times when grief is fitting and appropriate.  When someone you know is going through grief, often the best thing to do is NOT to say, “Awe, cheer up.  Be joyful in Yahweh.”  Many times, weeping with that person — or at least showing mournful sympathy — is the need of the hour. 

It’s important to recognize that mourning is not necessarily a sign of weakness.  Was Yahshua weak?  Of course not.  If you continue reading, you’ll see how Yahshua, through the power of the Father, raised Lazarus from the dead.  I wouldn’t exactly call that weakness! 

There is another aspect of the purpose of mourning that is particularly impactful to me.  Let’s look at another passage.

2 Corinthians 7:5-11 — “For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without, fears within. ⁶ But Elohim, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus; ⁷ and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. ⁸ For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— ⁹ I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of Elohim, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. ¹⁰ For the sorrow that is according to the will of Elohim produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹ For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong!…”

That’s a loaded passage!  Notice how Paul references his previous letter (1 Corinthians).  In 1 Corinthians, Paul had some stern rebukes to the Corinthians for sins they were involved in.  Apparently the Corinthians took it to heart, and here we see Paul rejoicing that they were made sorrowful to the point of repentance.  There’s an important principle to learned from this, which is my second point about the purpose of mourning: proper mourning over sin is key to walking in the fullness of the joy of Yahweh.  This may seem contradictory, but it’s really a powerful paradox — when we better grasp the weight of our sin, the depth of our Father’s anguish over it, and the gravity of the price that had to be paid for it, the fact that Yahweh paid that price for us through His Son has all the more impact.

To conclude, Ecclesiastes 7:4 says, “The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, while the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.”  Ecclesiastes 3:4 says that there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.”  As we go through life, times of sorrow are inevitable, and as Yah’s children, we will sometimes be persecuted for holding fast to righteousness (Matt 5:11, 2 Tim 3:12).  Let us soberly recognize this fact rather than foolishly going through life as pleasure-seekers.  Let us reflect the Father’s grief over sin so that we may be moved to compassion for those who are still entangled in it.  Let us “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15).  Finally, let us look forward to the day when the Father will wipe away every tear from our eyes.  HalleluYah!

Revelation 21:4 — “…and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

(All Bible passages NASB; Hebrew transl. and emphasis added.)