“The merciful are blessed, for they will be shown mercy.“
Matthew 5:7
Holy Bible Holman Christian Standard Bible, Black/Burgundy, Leathertouch, Personal Size Bible. Holman Bible Pub, 2014.
Mercy is one of the more unique characteristics of God. The salvation that God offers through Jesus is contingent upon His nature of mercy. If God were not merciful there would be no passion. It is God’s mercy that shines brilliantly around the Son of God on the cross of Calvary in His ability to cry out “Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing” (Lk. 23:34).
When Jesus has come to dwell in the heart, His mercy will come to define our lives. This beautiful attitude might be the most startling and the most definitively Christian. When someone does a thing to cross us and we withhold our wrath, we grant mercy. We refrain from passing a judgement upon His action. Immediately, in the power of the Holy Spirit, love pours out in grace to the culprit. The merciful withhold their privilege to extend, for “love covers all offenses” (Pr. 10:12).
“A man may be truly merciful, who has not the means to be bountiful or liberal; and then God accepts the willing mind. We must not only bear our own afflictions patiently, but we must, by Christian sympathy, partake of the afflictions of our brothers; pity must be shown, and we must clothe ourselves with compassion. We must have compassion on the souls of others, and help them; pity the ignorant, and instruct them; the careless, and warn them; those who are in a state of sin, and snatch them as brands out of the burning.”
(Henry, p. 19)
Henry, Matthew, et al. The NIV Matthew Henry Commentary in One Volume: Based on the Broad Oak Edition. Zondervan Pub. House, 1992.
That wise man of holiness, Matthew Henry, knew the charge on the Jesus-follower’s life to be sympathetic. Those who follow after the footsteps of Jesus must apply themselves to serious practice of sympathy. They must become comfortable with the idea of walking a mile in the other person’s shoes. That is what the book of Hebrews illustrated so beautifully. The sinless Son of God identified with our humanity completely and without sin. In fact “He had to be like His brothers in every way” so that He could authentically “become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God” (Hebrews 2:17).
Henry makes it inescapably clear that evangelism is inextricably linked to mercy. Those who have no process of evangelism cannot claim to be thoroughly merciful. The supreme act of mercy is to extend to others the saving grace of Jesus. Continuing in the thought of Hebrews, the sin of the guilty is the most perfect platform on which to proclaim the grace of Jesus. “For since He Himself was tested and has suffered” at the hands of sinful men and bearing the punishment for the sins of the world “He is able to help those who are tested” (Hebrews 2:18). Jesus offers us the help we need to step into eternal life, full and free.
“Sometimes we have pity on people because we understand that they have suffered an incredible hurt. But we can also pity someone because we fear that except for the grace of God we might end up in his or her situation. Jesus expects his disciples to have compassionate hearts. He expects us to empathize with others. If we are going to receive mercy, then we must be merciful.”
(Kinnard, p. 69)
Kinnard, G. Steve. The Gospel of Matthew – The Crowning of the King. Illumination Publishers International, 2004.
Dr. Kinnard brings out a valuable point. Our sibling in Jesus who strays from the path to err against us could be a reflection of our own sinfulness and brokenness. In fact, without the grace of Jesus, it surely would be us. This brings back a sense of humility and pause. Before we act, lashing back against the culprit, we see ourselves standing there. Those are our bloodshot eyes. Those are our bare feet. Those are our bruised knuckles. When we acknowledge that, we can engage in the extension of grace through the love of Jesus (Eph. 2:8).
This is expected of the Jesus-follower. This is an attitude, whose seed is planted at the regeneration of the soul at the point of salvation. We must nurture this seed through prayer and Bible reading and lavish worship of an infinitely good and perfect God. He will surely develop this seed and cause it to grow if we are faithful to water it with the good graces He has blessed us with for renewal. When the seed of mercy has produced its fruit, we will be happy indeed (Ps. 41:1).
“God does not show mercy to the merciful as a reward. To be merciful is the nature of God. But merciful people, those who can give mercy and forgiveness to others, are themselves the people who are open to receiving forgiveness themselves. Those who cannot forgive others are not open to receiving forgiveness for themselves. The presence of mercy in people’s lives shows that they are children of God. The merciful can know that God will show mercy to them even as they have shown it to others.”
(Crissey, p. 32)
Crissey, Clair M. Layman’s Bible Book Commentary: Matthew. Broadman Press, 1981.
Mercy is not the reward for mercy. God does not exchange mercy for mercy. God is genuinely pleased with mercy. His pleasure is summed up in acts of mercy. It is therefore His nature to grace the merciful with further mercy. This is not some capitalist view of God’s mercy. It is there in the Scripture. It is a living view of God’s mercy. This view allows for conversation between God and mankind. God called out to us first, but He earnestly desires a dialogue of mercy to follow.
The happiness of God comes to abide in the heart of the merciful. This is a truth consistent across the Old and New Testaments. It is not the will of God that we should despise each other. God made us all. He has goodness planned for us all. Not all will accept such goodness through God by the passion of Jesus. We, however, are not asked to seek out the worthy but to love the guilty. We should hound down the offensive and shower them with the mercies of God above. In acts of mercy, the Jesus-follower comes to be most happy and most fully linked to Jesus (Pr. 14:21).
“Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must always forgive. Above all, put on love – the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.“
Colossians 3:12-15
Holy Bible Holman Christian Standard Bible, Black/Burgundy, Leathertouch, Personal Size Bible. Holman Bible Pub, 2014.
We must wear the mercy of God. Like one would put on a favorite jacket or a glove. Forgiveness is the standard. The ability to put away anger and justice and give them up to God should ever be developing in the heart of the Jesus-follower. Love is the bonding element in this mixture. Love is the zipper that zips us up in all compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and acceptance. Love is the lynch-pin of the kingdom identity.
May we accept the mercy of God in the person of Jesus. May we remain in the mercy of God. May we be endless dispensers of mercy to the world. Strengthen your heart in prayer and Bible study. Listen for God to speak peaceful love to your heart. This love is unlike any worldly love. This love is from God above. This love will enable you to love others. Refrain from passing sentence on others, and love mercy. In mercy, God displays His love to you so that you can display that love to the world.
In closing, reflect on the words of author and professor, Bob Welch:
“The fullness of our faith won’t be found in sequestering ourselves off from the world in legalistic reverence, but rather in allowing such reverence to let our faith set sail to the wider world beyond.“
(Welch, p. 80)
Welch, Bob. 52 Little Lessons from Les Misérables. Nelson Books, an Imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2014.
God does not want us to hold onto His mercy with white knuckles while others grasp for it. He wants us to take the Good News of His mercy through Jesus to the world around. We accomplish this through the proclamation of the Truth of Scripture and good works of love and mercy. Start with those closest to you.
“Remember, God is as Great as He is Good!“
Noah R. Hunt
POIEMA: Created for Truth 