“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4)
A History of Grief
In the beginning…
“You may surely eat from every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17)
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23)
We were never intended to stand around the grave of a loved one and say good bye. Death and grief were not in the original blueprints of this world. However, Scripture tells us that in the beginning when we strayed from the design of God and rebelled against His direction, sin entered…and sin brings death…and death brings grief.
But…
“God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
Our Father and Creator was grieved over a lost relationship that was never intended to be broken. His love for us and desire for a restoration of that communion motivated Him to send His Son to give His life for us. To take away the finality of death and bring comfort and hope into our mourning.
Jesus said…
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25)
He did not say that there would be no more physical death. In fact, He was at a funeral when He said this! But Jesus was saying that death is no longer the end. resurrection is possible. Eternity can be recaptured!
And now…
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?…But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-56)
This changes everything. Our fears of dying and our grief over those who have already passed can find “comfort” in Him.
Therefore…
“We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again…” (1 Thessalonians 4:13,14)
Yesterday I did something I was never intended to do. I stood at the graveside of my mother-in-law with family and laid her earthly body to rest. But, you need to know that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we do not grieve like those who do not believe. Paul told the Thessalonians that they are people of hope because of the cross and the empty tomb! O, church, we will experience grief. Each of us will experience the loss of a dear friend or family member that will drag us into the dark hallway called death where loneliness and sorrow seem to reign. As long as we are on this earth, we will continue to come face to face with it. But, Paul’s exhortation to this young church was that we must not grieve like those with no hope.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shsall be comforted”