The Beatitudes: Happy are the Sad

Getting To Know Jesus

Last time we talked about the pursuit of true happiness and discovered that the blueprint for happiness set out by Jesus in the Beatitudes is very different than the world’s. According to Jesus, to find true happiness, we must forget what the world tells us and instead look to Him.

We learned that the first step to finding true happiness is to be “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3 NIV). To be poor in spirit, we must empty ourselves of “self” and acknowledge our inadequacy before God. We must choose who we will crown the king of our heart: ourselves or Jesus?

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Jesus didn’t stop with the first Beatitude; He went on to say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4 NIV). Mourn (pentheo in Greek) means to feel or express deep sorrow or regret for something. Is Jesus suggesting that we can only be happy if we are sorrowful? And what kind of sorrow is He talking about?

The Bible tells us that there are two kinds of sorrow: worldly sorrow and godly sorrow. 2 Corinthians 7:10 NLT says, “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.” When Jesus said Happy are those who are sorrowful, He was not talking about just any kind of sorrow; He was talking about godly sorrow. He wants us to take the path of godly sorrow, which leads us away from sin and to salvation. He does not want us to feel regret. He wants us to face our sin, mourn our sin, and repent of our sin so we can receive comfort.

Worldly Sorrow

Worldly sorrow responds to sin selfishly and never finds lasting comfort, only regret. Worldly sorrow feels sorry for the sin, but instead of repenting, takes the following attitudes:

Self-pity. “Why is this happening to me?”
Embarrassment. “No one can know. What will people think of me?”
Regret. “I will never be able to get over this.” “Poor me.”
Unbelieving guilt. “I can’t forgive myself.”

Saul, the first King of Israel expressed worldly sorrow when he was caught in sin. God gave Saul a mission. Saul accomplished some of the mission but purposely did not do all God asked of him, not because he couldn’t, but because he was worried about what others would think of him if he did. When the prophet Samuel confronted Saul about this, Saul admitted his sin of disobedience but made excuses. Saul asked for forgiveness but did not repent. Instead, he begged Samuel to show public support for him, so he would not have to experience the embarrassment of his sin in front of others (1^st Samuel 15 NLT). Saul went before God, admitted his sin, and asked for forgiveness, but instead of repenting, he remained focused on hiding his sin to save his reputation. His unrepentant heart ultimately led to his spiritual death.

Another biblical example of worldly sorrow is that of Judas. Judas, a disciple of Jesus, betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. When Judas “realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse.” He admitted his sin and tried to give the silver back to the priests and elders. When they refused to take it back, Judas threw the silver down in the temple and then hanged himself. Matthew 27:1-10

Instead of repenting, Judas tried to lessen his guilt by returning the silver. Penance does not replace repentance, and it does not offer comfort. Penance is just another expression of worldly sorrow and only leads to condemnation. Instead of doing the one thing that would have given him comfort, asking Jesus for forgiveness, Judas acted selfishly and hung himself. Judas chose the path of worldly sorrow, which always leads to condemnation and death for those who follow it. In this case, not only did it result in his spiritual death but also his physical death.

Godly Sorrow

Godly sorrow responds to sin not by focusing on self but by focusing on God and others. Godly sorrow admits the sin, repents of the sin, and then finds lasting comfort. Godly sorrow is expressed in the following ways:

No concern about self, only concern that the sin committed is an insult to God and His holy nature. “I am a sinner and don’t deserve your forgiveness.”
Concern for those who the sin has hurt. “God, please take away the pain my sin has caused others.”
Begging God for forgiveness so that intimacy with God can be restored. “Lord, I can’t take another minute of separation from you because of my sin.”
Receiving comfort. “Thank you, God, that you have forgiven my sin, and I take comfort in knowing I am forgiven.”

David, Saul’s successor as King of Israel, shows us what godly sorrow looks like. David desired Bathsheba another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, and then in fear that his sin would be discovered, ordered the death of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah.

King David wrote Psalms 32 and 51 to express his godly sorrow for his sin.

Psalm 32

Before David repented of his sin, he said he was wasting away and was weighed down by his sin. He was taking the path of worldly sorrow which was leading him to condemnation and eventual spiritual death. But after David confessed his sin, God forgave him, and his guilt was lifted. God’s forgiveness comforted David. Psalm 32 ended with David crying out, “So rejoice in the Lord and be glad…shout for joy all you whose hearts are pure!” Godly sorrow ultimately results in comfort for those who mourn their sin because it releases the mourner from the weight of their sin.

David, in his godly sorrow also recognized his sin was an insult to God. He cried out in Psalm 51, “Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight…Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean. Create in me a clean heart, O God.”

He also begged God to forgive him so that his sin would no longer stand between him and God. “Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.”

David understood that there was nothing he could do to earn God’s forgiveness, that God’s forgiveness was a gift. He also knew that God would NOT reject him no matter his sin if he approached Him with a broken and repentant heart.

Comfort in Forgiveness

Never think that your sin is too terrible for God to forgive. Never assume that you are too far gone to turn to God. That kind of thinking leads you down the path of worldly sorrow where you will find no comfort, only condemnation, and regret. Jesus calls us down the path of godly sorrow because there we will find salvation and comfort in knowing that He carried the weight of all of our past, present, and future sins to the cross. There is no condemnation in godly sorrow. Jesus has already lifted the weight of our sin off of us so that we can live a happy life. When Jesus said happy are the sad, He meant it!

Which path will you choose: the path of worldly sorrow that leads to spiritual death and regret or the path of godly sorrow which leads to salvation and comfort?