True Comfort

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” As with “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” Jesus' audience would have related easily to his promise. Grief was even more common then than now although no more difficult. Life expectancy was much shorter then, well before modern medicine and highly trained doctors, as well as long ahead of the science of pharmacology. I cannot quite imagine their reaction. Of course, the need was great, but I suspect their skepticism would be just as great.  Perhaps yours is, too.

What would the nature of the comfort Jesus promised? We would prefer the comfort of death never occurring again, of a restoration of the life in the Garden of Eden before sin and death came as a result of Eve's and Adam's disobedience. And, indeed, that is the ultimate and final nature of Jesus' promise; just read Revelation, and this from Romans 5:17: “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man (Adam), how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!” Jesus promised more that a “There, there, everything will be alright.” Words mean so little to the grieving. Jesus encompassed in his word the end of death and the reign of eternal life, the reunion of lost loved ones, and the end of the cause of it all, sin! Few if any of those listening knew or even imagined that Jesus would pay a dear price, the dearest of all; he would die cruelly on a Roman cross, entirely innocent yet executed not for his own sin but for the sins of the whole world. Paul referred to that just before the words above in Romans 5:15: “But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!”

What comfort do we have without this? A loved one dies and is gone forever; nothing but a memory remains, and sometimes even that is a burden. Jesus came to provide a remedy, a promised reunion for those who have put their trust in him. This is more than a restoration or extension of life as we know it on earth. You most likely have heard “born again” which is a second, spiritual birth that instantly begins a person's unending life. The words aren't a gimmick. More to the point, they do not promise eternal life after death but the instant beginning of a new kind of life, life that Jesus called “life more abundant.”  We call this “spiritual life” because we still live with a corrupted body in a fallen world; nevertheless, a new kind of life begins with both a new sense of purpose and a new sense of reality. Together God gives us the comfort of sin forgiven, death ended, new abundant life given, and ultimately all the pain and sorrow of earth erased with loved ones restored. Now that is comfort!

Above I referred to Revelation. Here is the relevant promise: “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” - Revelation 21:4 (Isaiah 25:8).  My Mom died last year at 89; my Dad died when I was 19 and a college sophomore. In the intervening 50 years, many I've know and loved—4 grandparents, 3 great grandparents, aunts and uncles and several cousins, more distant relatives, friends, former classmates, children, and stillborn infants. Some died after long illnesses, and it was something of a blessing. Others died suddenly, and the shock was part of the grief. Tragic accidents are hard; suicides are harder while something like a drug overdose is harder to bear for some than others. I've been blessed never to lose someone to murder, but I have known those who have. I also have great sympathy for those who have a child, spouse, parent, friend, or fellow soldier die in combat or military service. The reality is that Jesus' promise is for every one of us, for we all grieve, and we all benefit from Jesus' promise and provision for permanent and endless comfort. I pray you will trust his words, he who is the faithful one who said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”