By Jay Horsley
Eccl. 7:2-4 "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house
of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 3
Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the
countenance the heart is made better. 4 The heart of the
wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of
fools is in the house of mirth."
This is a complete reversal from the usual response. It`s better to mourn than to feast? Who would say that? Inspiration did. Why is it better to go to the house of mourning? Solomon gave three answers:
Thus the condolence call is a necessary and expected duty. It is not some outdated social custom, nor is it to be left only to our parents and other older people. It is not what elders are there for and it is not what preachers are paid for. It is the duty of all who are friends and brethren with those who are infirmed, ill and dying if for no other reason than to know that this is a part of life as well. It is not to be avoided simply because we are squeamish and find it icky. To avoid this duty (and miss out on an opportunity for a sober lesson) is a conscious, willful act of foolishness; and the practitioner of it will always remain the fool for it. The house of feasting may take our minds away from the very thing that we need to think about. We can learn something at the funeral. We are likely just to diverted at the feast and never see our real need.
Consider one final reason why we are to do this: We Are To Follow The Example of Jesus. We all know the "shortest verse in the Bible." Its is Jn. 11:35, "Jesus wept." This little verse teaches us so much about Jesus. Think again to the setting in which "He wept." Jesus came to Bethany to heal Lazarus and met the grieving sisters, Mary and Martha. As He sees their tears, and those of all the mourners present, "He was deeply moved in spirit, and was troubled." (Jn. 11:33) Our Savior consoled the family with words of hope and went to the cemetery with them. He then preformed a miracle that comforted them. We must satisfy ourselves with consoling the family with more mundane acts of kindness. But we must go nevertheless.
Jesus went not only the the wedding in Cana of Galilee, He also went to the graveyard in Bethany. Do you?