The Blessed Mourners

• The Blessed Mourners - Brian Schwertley

The second beatitude in Matthew (Luke’s third) tells us that the poor in spirit are also mourners. The verb used here (penthountes) “is the strongest word which is used for mourning in the Greek language. It is the word which is used for mourning for the dead, for the passionate lament for one who was loved. In the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, it is the word which is used of Jacob’s grief when he believed that Joseph, his son, was dead (Genesis 37:34).”[1] The mourning described here is a profound and deep sorrow of heart that leads to weeping and bitter tears. The mourning spoken of in the beatitudes is not just any mourning but a deep sorrow that is blessed by God. It is a mourning that flows from poverty of spirit, from being a Christian. Before we examine what a blessed mourner is, let us first examine the mourning that is not related to God’s blessing.

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