The Sermon on the Mount (3)

In the world we find much grief and sorrow. However, not all grief is the same. We read in 2 Corinthians 7:10, “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.” Much grief and sorrow is caused by sin. However, there is also a godly sorrow which is pleasing to God; of that sorrow the Lord Jesus speaks in the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon Christ speaks of His kingdom, the true character of this kingdom, and the true subjects of it. He says in Matthew 5:20, “For I say unto you, except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Christ’s first preaching can be summarized with, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The Sermon on the Mount speaks of this kingdom of heaven and of those who belong to it.

We have already considered that the beatitudes must be examined as a whole. We cannot take one apart from the others without losing the meaning of the entire lesson; they belong together because all the true subjects of the kingdom will have something of each of these characteristics. We have heard about the first beatitude, about the poor in spirit. Becoming poor in spirit is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. It comes from the painful discovery that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. The poor in spirit are hell-deserving sinners.

Those who are poor in spirit will mourn. The Greek word for mourn implies great sorrow, such as is seen at a funeral for a loved one. It does not say, “Blessed are they that cry or that weep,” because Orpah also wept, yet she was not blessed. This is a spiritual mourning in which the heart is grieving about what we have done against the Lord. There is an order in these beatitudes—God’s order. True poverty in spirit will cause us to mourn. We have to be poor before we will be filled with the Holy Spirit. We have to mourn before there will be true joy.

Why they mourn

The discovering of who I am, my sin, my evil deeds, my evil principles, and also the sins of others causes me to mourn. This is not a carnal mourning; it is not the sorrow of the world. It is not a sinful mourning such as we see in Ahab who wanted to have the vineyard of Naboth. It is not a hypocritical mourning. Saul was included among the prophets, but he did not know the mourning about his sins. It is not a forced mourning such as that of Cain who said, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” It is not a superficial, outward mourning. We read of King Ahab that he rent his clothes, but he did not have a broken, contrite heart. This is a fruitless mourning in which there is weeping but no repentance.

The beatitude “Blessed are they that mourn” describes a man who mourns because he repents. He is one who hates what he liked before and loves what he previously hated. Sin has become his enemy because it offends a gooddoing God, makes separation between God and the sinner, and dishonors Him. David knew something of this spiritual mourning when he said, “My sin is ever before me.” This mourning begins as soon as the Lord opens our eyes and shows us what we have done and who we are. In the beginning of this new life, many tears are shed not only because of the missing of God but also because of the sins which make separation. However, not only in the beginning of spiritual life but also in the heart of those who have been led further on the way you can find this spiritual mourning. An example of this we find when the Apostle Paul says in Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

The closer a child of God lives to the Lord, the more he will mourn over all that displeases Him. In the first place, he will grieve about the sins of his own heart, but he also grieves about the sins of the world around him. We read in Psalm 119:53, “Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake Thy law.” The prophet Jeremiah also wept because of the sins of the people he loved, as we read in Jeremiah 13:17, “But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and my eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’s flock is carried away captive.” And in Jeremiah 14:17 we read, “Therefore thou shall say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let then not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.”

The prophet speaks of a privileged people in Ezekiel 9:4, “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.” Are there still such sighers among us? Would that mark also be upon our foreheads? Are we burdened with the sins of the nation? Then we will not stand above others. It will be a wonder to us if the Lord will look upon such wretched sinners as we are in ourselves. Blessed are those mourners.

Some fruits of this mourning

King Manasseh was a great sinner, but he also became a great mourner. Peter wept bitterly after having denied his Master, but when his guilt was brought home to him, this did not drive him away from Christ but drove him back to Christ. This mourning is profitable. It brings us low before God. It kills our lusts and is a special means of mortification in the soul. It delivers from many temptations. Bitter is more profitable for sick persons than sweet. It will make the comforts sweeter when they come. Those mourners are called blessed or very happy. This may sound strange to many. The world says, “Forget your troubles; seek pleasure.” A superficial religion may say, “Just believe and rejoice.” However, the Lord says, “Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.”

Blessed are they that mourn now. By their mourning, God is honored. There is a bowing under His sovereignty and a love for His holiness and justice. Those mourners will not be left without comfort, for they shall experience that the Lord does not despise their tears. It is a mourning of love because the Lord has shed abroad His love in their heart. My unconverted friend, in this mourning, even in that beginning missing life, there is more joy than the pleasures of the world will give you. Those pleasures will never satisfy your empty heart and will afterward leave a bitter taste.

A boy or girl or older one who may weep because of his or her sins is often afraid that his mourning will end and that his previous coldness and hardness of heart will again be his portion. May the Lord give you to know something of this by the work of His Spirit. “I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD” (Zephaniah 3:12). Those that humbly trust in Him shall not be ashamed.

(To be continued)

Rev. C. Vogelaar, Clifton, NJ

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen