JOHN SHIRK – There are times when Jesus shook things up to challenge the conventional thought of his day. One of those statements was when he pronounced “woe to those who laugh now”, while pronouncing a blessing on those “who weep now.”

This was not to suggest that there was something inherently wrong with laughter, but there are some types of laughter to guard against. Laughter from obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking are out of place for God’s people, according to Ephesians 5. Another kind of laughter to guard against is scoffing or making fun of something that God considers virtuous and true.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” He was talking to His followers when He said this. Just before His death, Jesus told His disciples that their tears of grief would be turned into a reunion of joy after He rose from the dead. Another kind of mourning that happens is when we demonstrate sorrow over our sin to the degree that it leads to repentance. James 4:9 is a message to sinners to “grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the LORD, and he will lift you up.”

The blessing of mourning is a lesson of faith worth remembering.

JOHN SHIRK – In Luke 5:31, Jesus responded to a question as to why He was eating with sinners. His response was this: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Jesus is especially good at heart surgery. This is where the seat of ambition and desire is found. Jeremiah 17 describes the heart as “deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” This is our condition without the transforming effect of God’s grace on our hearts. The words of Jesus pierce the skin and serve as a cleansing agent for our corrupted heart. His grace changes us to follow after His heart rather than trusting our own heart. His desire becomes our desire. His passion becomes our passion.

So, why did Jesus relate with sinners? He came to heal hearts that were broken, sick, and deceitful. Ezekiel 18:31 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

The influence of Jesus as our Great Physician is a lesson of faith worth remembering.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com