Lines by Lee

Of the many words of Jesus that have been quoted and scrutinized there are some that are easy to overlook. In the midst of a long list of challenging statements which have come to be known as the Beatitudes Jesus says something interesting. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Matthew 5:7).

I was born at Mercy Hospital. Like two of my old school buildings, it no longer exists. There is a Christian band named MercyMe. I can only imagine how popular they are. Mercy Ships are floating hospitals that provide operations to those who cannot afford them. The great theologians Veggietales sang that we should "stop and go with mercy." If we want to be blessed as one who is merciful we must begin with the God of mercy.

David cried to God, "Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer" (Psalm 4:1). Mercy seems to be one of those things that we ask the Lord to provide on special occasions when we are in dire straits. Perhaps David, like us sometimes, needed the mercy of God because of the consequences of his own sin. He famously wrote, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions" (Psalm 51:1). We need God's mercy for salvation as well as daily cleansing of sin. We need not beg for it but must ask sincerely.

Also like David, at times we are innocent, but circumstances or people have us needing God to do a work in our lives. When David was being chased by a very unstable Saul he prayed, "Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed" (Psalm 57:1). Indeed, our merciful God is a refuge when we need power and protection.

Not only is God being merciful a vital part of his character, it is also something he requires of his children. The Hebrew word for mercy is related to God's faithful lovingkindness. God's committed love moves him to respond to provide what we need most. In Greek, mercy is defined as compassion, pity, or sympathy. One word literally carries the idea of internal organs. Mercy is when we feel something in our gut and do something about it (besides taking antacids).

We could say that being merciful is both a mindset and an action which is motivated by love. It would also be correct to say when we take loving action it is motivated by mercy. They are strongly interrelated. And just as we have received mercy we must show it.

Isaiah 30:18 indicates that our compassionate God is waiting for us to ask for mercy and expects us to wait upon him to provide it in his time. "Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him." He longs to give us what we cannot produce for ourselves. He expects us to imitate him in being merciful to others.

Parents (and grandparents) often show mercy to their children without even thinking about it. Being merciful to one we love is often a natural reaction. We do not have to think it over or debate whether we will show mercy or not. We are motivated to do what is best for our spouse or kids because of the responsibility God has given us to love. Children who struggle with addiction or outright rebel make the action of showing mercy more difficult. Many parents have had to be right with God and in their own spirit before they can forgive and give a second or third chance. Some embittered parents still need to show mercy. It is never good to be bitter nor is it ever too late to be merciful.

Of course Jesus has a higher expectation than showing mercy only to those we know and love. It is usually easy to have compassion on those near to our hearts. But it is a very small list of people when compared with the general population. One of Jesus' more well-known parables corresponds with his "blessed are the merciful" statement. It can be found in Luke 10:25-37.

As a follow-up to a question on how to inherit eternal life Jesus tells a real life type of parable. It is practical and a bit troubling. The legal expert who wondered about achieving eternal life had a follow-up question when Jesus said he must love his neighbor. "Who is my neighbor?"

You know the story. Crime happened in Bible times. So did hypocrisy. Two religious figures saw the half-dead man who was robbed and beaten. Whether or not they were fearful or hard-hearted or too busy we do not know. We only know that they somehow kept walking. Perhaps if they had cellphone service they would have at least called 911. It would be a tragic story if it ended there. But the social outcast hero came along and you know what happens. He took pity. The Samaritan man had compassion. Mercy was shown (37). Sacrifice was made. About this unnamed man's actions Jesus said, "Go and do likewise." Over 2,000 years later we still use the term "good Samaritan." (Mercy Hospital was later named Good Samaritan).

What made him take action is what should make us merciful. We must look around at the needs that are everywhere. When we see someone in need our heart/gut must tell us that the person is our neighbor. We may need to stop and do something fast. Or we may need to plan to help in some way later. Follow up may also be necessary. Sacrifice is part of mercy. Jesus knew a lot about sacrifice.

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians2:4).

Since we are alive with Christ we must be merciful. I do not see myself as being rich in mercy. But I hope you join me in being aware of the fact that we can grow in being merciful. Perhaps we need to ask our merciful, loving God to open our eyes and move our hands and feet. Blessed are the merciful for we will be shown mercy – once again!