“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”
Matthew 5:4
There are three elements to the second beatitude that need explaining: (1) the meaning of “blessed,” (2) the meaning of “mourn,” and (3) what it means to be comforted. This article will look at each element individually and then (4) bring everything together for an explanation of the meaning of the second beatitude (click the hyperlinks to jump to the section you desire).
I. The Meaning of “Blessed”
The term “blessed” that occurs at the beginning of all the beatitudes is μακάριοι, the plural form of the adjective μακάριος. Although it has become common to hear μακάριος translated as “happy” (such as in the CEB), the term “happy” is much too shallow and superficial. In the New Testament and especially in the Gospel of Matthew, μακάριος is best understood as being the privileged recipient of God’s favour which results in a deep-seated joy. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature (BDAG) states the focus of μακάριος can either be on happiness/joy because of one’s circumstances or the focus can be on privilege that results in happiness/joy (BDAG, s.v. μακάριος).
In the Gospel of Matthew and in the beatitudes, the focus of μακάριος is on being the privileged recipient of God’s favour, rather than the joy or happiness, which is a result of God’s favour (also see Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount, 42; Donald Hagner, Matthew 1–13, 91).
We see this idea of being the privileged recipient of God’s favour that results in a deep-seated joy in many passages throughout the New Testament and the Gospel of Matthew. Note the following two passages from the Gospel of Matthew: 13:16–17 and 16:15–17.
In Matthew 13:16–17, Jesus tells his disciples that they are “blessed” (μακάριοι) because they have seen and heard Jesus, his mighty works and his teaching:
“But blessed [μακάριοι] are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
—MATTHEW 13:16–17
Jesus is not simply saying that his disciples are “happy,” but that they are the privileged recipients of God’s favour in that they get to see and hear Jesus and understand what it is that they see and hear! This seeing, hearing, and understanding results in a deep-seated joy of seeing, hearing, and knowing God’s messiah who is in the process of setting up the Kingdom of Heaven.
Another powerful passage that demonstrates Jesus’ understanding of μακάριος is Matthew 16:15–17:
“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter replied, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed [μακάριος] are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.’”
—MATTHEW 16:15–17
After asking his disciples who they think he (Jesus) is, Simon Peter answers that Jesus is the messiah (“Christ”), who is “the Son of the living God.” Jesus then tells Peter that he is “blessed” (μακάριος). Jesus is not telling Peter that he should now be happy that he got Jesus’ question correct; rather, Jesus is telling Peter that he is the privileged recipient of God’s favour in that the Father himself revealed to Peter the identity of Jesus. This revelation will result in a deep-seated joy because now Peter knows who Jesus truly is.
Thus, we can conclude that the term “blessed” (μακάριος) in the Gospel of Matthew means to be the privileged recipient of God’s favour that results in a deep-seated joy. Regarding the second beatitude, Jesus says that those who “mourn” are the privileged recipients of God’s favour, resulting in a deep-seated joy. Let us now turn to the meaning of “mourn” and then we will discover how those who mourn are privileged recipients of God’s favour.
II. The Meaning of “Mourn”
The term Jesus uses for “mourn” (πενθέω) in “blessed are those who mourn” refers to deep grief (BDAG, s.v. “πενθέω”; NIDNTTE; s.v. “πενθέω”). This deep grief is often a result of the death of a loved one (Mark 16:10; also see Rev 18:11, 15, 19 where the people of the earth mourn the death and destruction of Babylon the harlot city).
However, in the New Testament, πενθέω is used more frequently to refer to the deep grief over sin (1 Cor 5:1–2; 2 Cor 12:21; James 4:8–10), which is most likely the mourning to which Jesus refers in Matthew 5:4. That Jesus is referring to mourning for sin is confirmed in Isaiah 61:1–3 to which Matthew 5:4 alludes:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the LORD’S favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort [παρακαλέω] all who mourn [πενθέω].”
—ISAIAH 61:1–2, emphasis added
The allusion to Isaiah 61:1–3 is strong for three reasons. First, the terms for “mourn” and “comfort” that Jesus uses in Matthew 5:4 are the same ones found in Isaiah 6:2. Second, Jesus’ first beatitude (Matt 5:3) also alludes to Isaiah 61:1–3, specifically the term “poor” in 61:1, making the allusion in the second beatitude much stronger. Third, Isaiah 61:1–3 is how Jesus understands his ministry and he quotes it at length in Luke 4:17–21, saying that this particular Scripture is fulfilled in his ministry!
The allusion to Isaiah 61:1–3 is important because it helps us determine over what the people are mourning. The mourning in Isaiah 61:2 is a mourning over Israel’s exile which was due to their sin. Israel’s deep grief is over their sin and its negative consequences. Isaiah 61:1–3, then, helps us determine that the mourning in Jesus’ second beatitude (Matt 5:4) is a deep grief on account of one’s sin and its negative consequences. This idea of grieving over sin is extremely common throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament (for some examples, see Psalm 40:12; 51:16–17; 119:136; 1 Cor 5:1–2; 2 Cor 12:21; James 4:8–10).
Jesus is saying that those who are privileged recipients of God’s favour are those who grieve deeply over their sin and the destruction it has wrought. Charles Quarles expresses the idea well:
“This vivid term [πενθέω/“mourn”] clearly refers to an intense remorse, not a superficial regret, over one’s sinfulness and alienation from God . . . . True repentance makes no excuses and offers no rationalizations. It grieves for sin from a broken heart.”
—Charles Quarles, Sermon on the Mount, 54
Mourning for sin expresses genuine contrition because of one’s sin and is the bedrock of repentance, which is a message Jesus associates closely with the kingdom of heaven:
“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
—MATTHEW 4:17 (cf. Matt 3:2)
In summary, “those who mourn” in Matthew 5:4 refers to those who grieve deeply over their sin and the destruction it has wrought.
III. What It Means to Be Comforted
In the second beatitude, Jesus claims that those who mourn are blessed “because” (ὅτι) “they will be comforted” (Matt 5:3). In light of the meaning of “mourn” referring to grief over sin and its consequences, the meaning of “they will be comforted (παρακαλέω)” is quite clear: God will forgive the sinner of his sin and restore him to a right relationship with Himself (God). The forgiveness of sin and restoration of relationship will “comfort,” “encourage,” and “cheer” those who mourn (all three terms are in the semantic range of παρακαλέω and should be given their full weight in the second beatitude).
The future tense of the verb παρακαλέω (“to comfort”) is an important change from the present tense of the first beatitude (“theirs is the kingdom of heaven”).[1] The future tense could indicate cause and effect: when you grieve over your sin, then you will be comforted by God through forgiveness and restoration of relationship. It is also possible that the future tense indicates the ultimate fulfilment of this beatitude is in the future. For example, those who grieve over their sin now, receive forgiveness and restoration of relationship now, but perfect “comfort,” “encouragement,” and “cheer” will await the return of Jesus when he sets up his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven and all negative effects of sin are removed and we will see God face-to-face. Revelation expresses this period of comfort well:
“Therefore they [those who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb (i.e., believers in Jesus)] are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (REVELATION 7:15–17)
“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.’” (REVELATION 21:2–4)
Both nuances of the future tense in the second beatitude are possible. There is immediate comfort, encouragement, and cheer the moment God forgives a sinner of his sin and restores him to a right relationship with himself. But we still reap the effects of sin in the present age. However, when Jesus returns, the mourners’ comfort, encouragement, and cheer will be perfected and complete.
IV. The Meaning of the Second Beatitude (Matt 5:4)
Now that we understand (1) what it means to be blessed, (2) what it means to mourn, and (3) what it means to be comforted, we are able to understand the meaning of Jesus’ second beatitude: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
In Matthew 5:4, Jesus says that those who grieve deeply over their sin and the destruction it has wrought (those who mourn) are privileged recipients of God’s favour (blessed) in that they will be forgiven of their sin and restored to a right relationship with God with all the privileges that relationship with God affords (will be comforted).
[1] The verbs of the first and last beatitude are in the present tense (verses 3 and 10). The six middle beatitudes are all in the future tense (verses 4–9).