“ B lessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted”. (Matthew 5:4)

1. “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted”. (Matthew 5:4)

3. What’s a “beatitude”? • The Beatitudes are Jesus’ teachings on blessedness. • Blessedness is related to joy and describes an unexpected experience of God’s presence with us. • In these eight statements, Jesus is describing for us the attitudes that permit us to develop a community where joy is experienced regardless of circumstances.

4. The Paradox of Blessedness and Mourning

5. “When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

6. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”… Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 

7. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:36-40, 44-48)

8. An Occasion for Celebration The setting of the story is important for us to catch. Jesus has been invited over for dinner; a famous and popular Rabbi gracing one’s house with his presence in ancient Israel called for a celebration.

9. A Tale of Two People

10. Unravelling the Paradox - the sinful woman was honest with herself – the Pharisee, not so much. • The promise of Scripture is that our greatest point of mourning – our loss of intimacy with God – has been remedied through Jesus. When we mourn this loss, we find powerful comfort in the arms of Jesus.

11. Unravelling the Paradox - The sinful woman shows us another key attitude in that she was honest with Jesus, while the Pharisee acted like a proud peacock, flaunting his wealth, prestige and notoriety. • As followers of Jesus, we ought to regularly ensure that we are being honest with God about ourselves and our spiritual state, mournfully confessing to Him our shortcomings and expectantly awaiting the comfort and blessing we will receive in doing so.

12. Unravelling the Paradox - The sinful woman was honest with her community; she walked into that room full of the religious luminaries of her day, owned her sinfulness, and laid it at the feet of Jesus in full with of her community. • Biblical mourning involves coming face to face with each other in our mourning, because, in his infinite wisdom, God designed it so that through each other we might receive His comfort.

13. A “Mournful” Blessing Might we mourn well and experience the overwhelming comfort of God, so that we might be a people of comfort in a harsh and mournful world.