Mercy Me

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

As we have been discussing Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, something should be clear – we can’t do things the way culture dictates we do them. It’s back to the broad road and the narrow road – the broad one leads to death, and many are on it, while the narrow one leads to life, and few find it. It should also be clear that becoming the ones who Jesus pronounces “blessed” is not something that just happens by accident or by osmosis. It doesn’t happen because your parents were in church or even just because you come to services every Sunday!

It all starts with being poor in spirit – realizing that we are absolutely powerless to save ourselves, that what we bring to the table is worthless for salvation. And so we empty ourselves for God to fill us. We mourn our sinfulness and through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and through the gift of the Holy Spirit, God gives us comfort. We hold our power under control and are given everything money can’t buy. And we hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God, and God fills us.

Today’s topic is mercy. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Matthew 5:7

Now, a little history. For those who think that our culture is the pinnacle of godlessness, let’s take a peek into Roman culture. During Jesus’ time, mercy was seen not only as a supreme sign of weakness, but as a disease of the soul. That’s right, showing mercy was a disease. Survival of the fittest demands no mercy. After all, mercy might allow someone who shouldn’t survive to survive. Do you know how merciless the Romans were? When a baby was born, the father had the right to decide whether the baby lived or died. He gave the thumbs up or thumbs down, and if he decided thumbs down, the baby was left to either die by exposure or to be killed by wild animals. Incidentally, Christians were the ones who went around saving the rejected Roman babies and giving them life.

The Roman Empire was merciless; they enslaved over sixty million people. And what’s more, Roman slave owners had the right to beat or even kill their slaves without recourse. In fact, they had the same rights with their wives. A merciless society. This is the culture in which Jesus is preaching “blessed are the merciful.”

If Rome typifies mercilessness, what is mercy? Mercy is compassionate treatment of others, especially those over whom you have power. Mercy isn’t just feeling sorry for someone; it requires action. And true mercy is not sitting in a position of power over someone saying, “Because I’m so great, I suppose I’ll condescend to help them.” It’s not just false pity that helps someone just to make me look good. Mercy is compassionately meeting people’s needs.

Now, there are many people who would read this beatitude out of context and say that it makes sense; if you are merciful to people, then people will be merciful to you. I’m sorry to say, that’s not true. Be merciful to people and they will walk all over you. They will take advantage of you and they will tell their friends who will also take advantage of you. If you want to see how mercy works in this world, all you have to do is look at Jesus. He showed more mercy than anyone, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, forgiving sins, yet when it came down to it, he was executed.

So why would anyone want to show mercy? And why would Jesus call us to it? We are called to Christlikeness, and a major characteristic of Christ is mercy. Mercy not only comes naturally for God, but it is in fact part of who God is! If you want to know what God is like, his character can be understood through the Hebrew concept of chesed. Chesed is best understood as mercy, lovingkindness, or steadfast love. If you want to know about chesed, here’s something to consider. At the end of Exodus 33, Moses asked to see God’s glory. And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”

In the next chapter, we read on that Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.” (Exodus 34:5-7)

If you keep reading throughout the Old Testament, you’ll find this same description: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. You can find it in Numbers 14:18; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 86:15; Psalm 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:3; Nahum 1:3.

God doesn’t just show mercy; God is mercy. This is why God is the source of true mercy. How do we become merciful? By receiving it as a gift from God. How do we receive this gift? It only comes in the line of the beatitudes. First, being poor in spirit, in humility, you recognize your desperate need for God. Next you mourn your sin and the sinfulness of the world and you repent: turn from that sin. Then, in meekness, you surrender yourself to obedience to God’s will. Then you put your desire fully in God. Mercy flows out of this.

So let’s back up for a moment. We show mercy mostly through physical acts: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, giving practical help. In the parable of the Sheep and the Goats, Jesus presents a picture of judgment where a King judges based on these physical acts of mercy. “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” (Matthew 25:34-36)

Showing mercy through physical acts is a way we identify with Jesus. We also show mercy, however, in our attitudes. Is our attitude one of superiority? Are we resentful, holding a grudge? Or do we allow mercy to flow freely through us?

And mercy does not have to be physical. Do you have spiritual mercy? Do you grieve for lost people? When it comes to praying for people who don’t know Jesus, are you actively involved? Or do you really care? Do you secretly believe that they deserve to go to Hell and you’re not going to do anything to stop them?

Understand that showing spiritual mercy is not leaving someone to their fate. Because of God’s mercy for us, we should be even more attentive to the spiritual needs of those around us. So pray for the lost and for Christians who are walking in disobedience. We also show mercy by preaching the Gospel – and I’m not just talking about pastors or preachers. Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)

When it comes to disagreements with fellow believers, Paul gives this instruction to Timothy: 2 Timothy 2:25-26 “Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” Notice that Paul doesn’t say you should go on Facebook and point out someone else’s faults. It doesn’t even say that Timothy should point it out from the pulpit, though in 1 Timothy 5:20, Paul tells Timothy that if a church leader sins, Those who sin are to be rebuked publicly, so that others may take warning.

The whole idea of spiritual mercy is that we lovingly confront the sinning brother or sister (notice that this presupposes a relationship with them) – we confront them with their sin for the purpose of helping them come back to faith. I’ve told you before that one of the most loving things I have ever been told was when my friend David told me, “You first invited me to church, but now I don’t see you living that lifestyle.” His comment was loving because of its intent, as Jude called us, to snatch others from the fire and save them. (Jude 1:23a).

There is a such thing as false mercy. This is where you pity someone but what you do doesn’t really help. When our assistance only serves to make us feel good for helping the so-called “less fortunate” or when it puts them constantly under our control or makes them dependent on us, then we’re not being merciful at all.

In the spiritual realm, there is also false mercy: feeling sorry for someone but completely overlooking their sin. That’s not real mercy. You might find that statement offensive, because didn’t Jesus overlook our sin?

Here’s the difference: Jesus paid for it, offering either punishment or pardon for our sins. If sin isn’t dealt with, it is left to fester. God’s mercy only comes with repentance, and is only found in Jesus Christ’s atoning blood. The Good News isn’t that God shook his head and said “Boys will be boys” or “humans will be humans.” The Good News isn’t that God glossed over our sin and just pretended it didn’t happen. The Good News isn’t that God compromised His holiness: a holiness that will not stand sin. The Good News is that Jesus’ blood is the payment for sin.

Someone always pays for mercy. As we receive mercy from God, please know that someone always pays for mercy, because mercy is related to justice. God’s forgiveness flows from his mercy, and his mercy flows from love. Mercy deals with pain, misery, and distress – the consequences of sin. Mercy deals with the symptoms of sin; grace deals with the sin itself.  Mercy offers relief from punishment, while grace offers pardon for the crime. Mercy eliminates the pain; grace cures the disease. Mercy says, "No Hell" while grace says, "Heaven."

In his mercy, God deals with us not in terms of what we are but in spite of it. And in his grace, God transforms us into who he wants us to be.

But justice is still served because Jesus paid the price on the cross. So this doesn’t mean people should be “let off the hook.” A price is always paid for justice. However, for those of us who have received mercy, how could we be anything else but merciful?

Since God is the source of mercy, the only way to have mercy is if God gives it to us. That comes through Christ. And through the beatitudes. Having more of God = having more mercy. The only ones who have mercy have come with a broken spirit before a holy God and sought his righteousness. You cannot show mercy unless you have the power to hurt. Especially when the person deserves to be hurt. This requires faith – you have to leave the offender and the offense in God’s hands.

Mercy is so important that God actually requires it of his people. Listen to Micah 6:8: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

This is what God requires of his people. And God rewards us by showing mercy to us – saving us through Christ. Saving us from the power and punishment of our sins. And he blesses the merciful by showing us mercy. Again and again.