Crying. Dictionary.com says, "to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears"...and usually associated with sadness. When I think of mourning, I think of crying. That's what pops into my head. That's my word association as it relates to mourning. Matthew 5:4 says, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." Certainly, it is times of need, times of pain, times of crisis when I seem to reach to Christ most often. It is during these times of crisis when I feel the presence of God most alive in my life. During times of stress, I lean on Him more than ever. It is during times of stress that where I do feel blessed and comforted. But, is that what this verse is really talking about? Is that all Christ wanted to say to his disciples in her Sermon on the Mount. "I will be there for you when you are mourning?" I don't think so. It's nice and all, but I don't really think that was all it means.
There are two critical words in this verse that deserve attention. The first is the word "pentheō" which is the Greek word used for "mourn". I found it interesting that the root word "paschō" actually means to "suffer" or to "be affected" either positively or negatively. Most interpretations of this verse spend most of their time talking about mourning in the sense of removing yourself from the world or removing from your life things of this world. That seems so appropriate for me during the last few days because when I started this blog, I really intended it to be just for my own purposes. I have recently found joy in writing about these interpretations and writing about the Word of God and my understanding of it, but I thought I had made settings on the blog that it would not be tied to Google+. But then a few days ago, my wife came into my office and said, "I read your blog today. It was really good." I was shocked because I hadn't told her about my blog and wasn't doing anything to push it out to Google+ or any other networks. Turns out that I didn't uncheck one button in the blog settings so it was automatically being pushed out. She said to me, "I don't know who you are connected to on Google+ but are you okay with your clients reading this?" I had not really even thought about it at that point, but it made me think.
I sell real estate for a living. I'm not ordained. I didn't go to seminary. I am not a theologian or a writer. I help clients sell and buy residential real estate. I am just a man trying to understand the Word of God and what it means to me in my own life and in the life of those around me. I am certainly not an evangelist. I have never been a "Bible thumper" or stood on a street corner and preached the Word of God. But, as I have gotten older, I have realized that I enjoy this study. I enjoy digging to try to understand what God is saying to me in these words in this book that, for my whole life, I have been told to read and study. I don't know why it took me so long, but I'm glad I finally found it. So, the interpretation of this verse by many to turn away from worldly things and mourn over that loss seems appropriate to me in my life with this blog. To some degree I find it scary that my clients might not want to do business with me because they know I have written a few blog entries on Christ. But, on the other hand, I find it comforting to have found a place in my life where I can stand up and talk about this and not be scared at the reaction. You see, I'm comfortable because I know that I don't know. This is my understanding. This is my journey. This is how the words come to affect me today. I might read this verse in Matthew 1 month, 1 year or 10 years from now and interpret it differently based on my own life experiences. That is the beauty of the Word of God. If you read it to understand, it reaches you wherever you are.
But, back to the verse and its meaning. So, the first word we discussed means "to suffer". But the second word is the one I like the most. It is the word for "comforted". As I said earlier, this Greek word is "parakaleō". This word breaks down into two root words. The first is "para". It simply means "with" or "near" or "besides". But the second part of the word is what makes this genius. The second part is "kaleo" and it means "to call" or "to invite". Oh my gosh! I love it! I love when these words give this depth. So, when you mourn, Christ "calls you to his side"! For those of you who are parents, can't you just see this? Can't you just hear Christ saying to you as a child "Come here! Let me take care of you!" When your child is hurting, sometimes you run to them, but so often, they run to you. But, Christ is calling us to his side each and every day to make us feel better about our own life, about our own sinfulness. Christ is calling us to be with him in our misery and in our joy. So, I pray that you mourn today and when you do, I pray that you hear Christ calling you by his side so that he can put his loving arms around you to comfort you in your pain.
Have a blessed day!
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