“Blessed are those who mourn” (Matt. 5:4): A Contextual Reflection

The statement about mourning in Matthew 5:4 is among the main teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7). Mourning is among the valuable activities done externally for the purpose of grief resolution. In light of the Hehe of Iringa and the Bena of Njombe, using a qualitative approach and reader-response criticism and documentary analysis as methods, this article reflects on Jesus’ statement about mourning. It argues that Jesus’ statement is an admonition for the Christian community to mourn as a divine life process that, being a divine enforcement for eschatological achievement, will eventually make them subjects of the kingdom of heaven. The reflection concludes that mourning springs from a sense of sin, from a tender conscience, and from a broken heart. It is a godly sorrow over rebellion against God and hostility to God’s will. Thus, mourning provides no less than six benefits: acquiring blessings, comfort and inheriting the kingdom of God through repentance; promoting relaxation for further living; rebuilding lost relationships between individuals and God; living as daily advocates of God’s call for mission through the law of love in and to the world; managing difficulties and changes in life for coping, recovery and life-giving; and obtaining the necessary and important learning and re-learning. Keywords: Mourning the loss, Matthew 5:4, Kingdom of heaven, Blessings and future Comfort, Beatitudes, Reader-Response Criticism