TEXT: Matthew 5:1-12

As I mentioned in our first message on this topic, Jesus' laws of supreme blessing are not what you would expect from any worldly philosophy. And the second of the beatitudes which we are looking at today is no different. Jesus says, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." Everyone mourns at some point in life -- over the loss of a loved one, the loss of livelihood, or some great tragedy. In fact, I would venture to say that, due to the interconnectedness of our society and the ability of the media and the internet to broadcast even more tragedy onto our television screens and electronic devices, more people are in a state of mourning than ever before. Now, because we can see and hear the misfortunes of others often in real time, we feel the sorrow of people on the other side of the globe. But no one wants to mourn. No one wants to feel sorrowful. How can Jesus say that those who mourn are blessed?