Monday, October 19, 2009
Mourners
(Matthew 5:4)
Perhaps nothing is less glamorous than mourning. The very word conjures images of reddened, swollen eyes; tear-stained cheeks; and baleful wailing. In the ancient Near East, mourning was considered an art form; and professional mourners were hired to heighten the despair at funerals. Such is still practiced in the Middle East today. (Before you weep along with the shrieking Palestinians, you would do well to realize that they’re being paid good money for their performance. They’re weeping all the way to the bank!)
The mourning of which Jesus spoke was not such perfected public display. Rather, He spoke of a deep, heart-felt sorrow over personal sin. Such soul-searching may manifest in weeping; but it certainly involved genuine grief over personal sinfulness. Mourning as defined by Jesus should be common practice in Bible-believing churches.
The old-time Methodist church knew something about mourning, and they even reflected the practice in their church furnishing. Often, toward the front of the church, one could see little wooden benches. These were provided for “mourners” who, at the close of the service, would find a spot on one of the benches and would take time to grieve over their sin. Sometimes people tarried at the mourner’s bench for a long time.
It’s too bad that the contemporary church falls all over itself assuring people that God wants them to be happy. That isn’t always the case. Sometimes, God wants us to mourn over personal sinfulness. And mourn we should!
