The Paradox: Grief and Humble Need Bring Blessing
Daily Scripture
Matthew 5:4-6
4 “Happy are people who grieve, because they will be made glad.
5 “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.
6 “Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Jesus named those who grieve, are humble, and hunger and thirst for righteousness as receivers of ‘wonderful news.’ But that doesn’t make sense unless we look below the surface. Scholar N. T. Wright noted that Jesus wasn’t simply stating timeless truths about how the world works. “If he was saying that, he was wrong. Mourners often go uncomforted, the meek don’t inherit the earth, those who long for justice frequently take that longing to the grave.” * So what did Jesus mean?
- Jesus announced that God’s kingdom, where these promised reversals would become reality, was breaking into the world. Pastor Myron Augsburger noted that “to mourn is to care deeply… to be deeply concerned about the evil in the world and to know the meaning of suffering because of the sin, injustice, and perversion in society.” ** Grieving isn’t just personal. It means refusing to shrug off the wrongs in our world, even if we’d like to. What wrongs that you used to ignore has your faith moved you to mourn as God does? How has caring deeply about injustice changed you?
- Hunger and thirst aren’t just about your needs but about humbly seeing your limits yet longing for God’s kingdom to end all our world’s wrongs. “Hunger and thirst are basic human needs—usually for food and drink, but in this case for righteousness or justice. Such people long for God to set things right: to establish a just social order.” *** How do you cultivate a hunger for God’s justice that outlasts your circumstances? What practices help you long for God’s justice to reign?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the news of our world’s brokenness challenges me to look beyond my own life and ponder what makes you mourn. Let that deepen my hunger and thirst for your righteousness. Make me an agent of your justice. Amen.
GPS Insights
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory, who serves as a volunteer for the worship and missions teams at Church of the Resurrection, wrote today's Insights. He helps lead worship at Leawood's modern worship services, as well as at the West and Downtown services, and is involved with the Malawi missions team at home.
In a job interview once, a question caught me off guard: Do you consider yourself a lucky person? Ignoring the fact that this is wildly out of place in a job interview, I think my answer surprised them. I said I didn’t believe in luck, but I did believe in opportunity. Do good things happen more proportionately for a random group of people? I don’t think so. But some people are better at making the most of every opportunity that they see. Of course, larger systemic issues like racism and socioeconomic disparity make a much bigger difference, but all things being equal between two people, the one who jumps at a good opportunity will see the most success.
I have a disability: bipolar disorder. A few years ago, I had a podcast with other disabled or neurodiverse people. One of the most aggravating things we saw was people trying to make sense of and attribute value to our misfortune. God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers. God has a reason for everything. What we all wanted to say was that there doesn’t have to be a blessing in disguise for every hardship. Not every bad thing is a good thing waiting to happen; sometimes, it’s just a bad thing, and that’s alright.
All that to say, I see Jesus’ words in a different light in today’s passage. I have a chronic medical condition. I will never be “better” in this life. But, when my ability allows it, when I’m in a healthy enough spot to look for it, there is an opportunity to learn and grow–not to beat the misfortune, but just to be a better version of myself. It’s not about seeing the good in a bad thing or ignoring the pain; it’s about finding the good when I can and being open to it even when I feel like I’m drowning in adversity.
Jesus’ words in today’s passage are a promise for the Kingdom of God to be more fulfilling than this life and offer comfort in a way that we can’t find in this life. If you’re struggling with adversity, grief, depression, or anything else that’s bad, and you don’t see the good in it, that’s OK. Honestly, there might not be any good in it in this life, and you don’t lack faith for struggling with that. There is hope in God’s Kingdom, in the next life. In the meantime, when you’re able, when you’re in a healthy spot, look for the good. We don’t have to ignore the bad to look for the good, but when we see the good, that’s an opportunity everyone should take, if they can.
© 2026 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Wright, N.T., Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 36). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
** Myron Augsburger, The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 24: Matthew. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982, comment on Matthew 5:4.
*** Eugene Eung-Chun Park and Joel B. Green, study note on Matthew 5:6 in The CEB Study Bible. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2013, p. 12 NT.
