Blessed Are The Merciful

Aaron Beard

            We live in a society that looks out for the interests of self and worries about others later.  When people climb the corporate ladder they often become further removed from where they came  and thus they concentrate on where they are now.  As a result of this attitude our society appears to becoming more and more merciless.  This condition, however, is not a new one.  When Jesus came to this world, He stepped into a world that was characterized by unmerciful attitudes.  This becomes evident when one considers the parable of “The Good Samaritan” (Luke 10).  With these things in mind it is understandable why Jesus, in His sermon on the mount, says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Matt. 5:7).

            What does Jesus mean when He says, “Blessed are the merciful…?”  Mercy, simply put, is the outward manifestation of pity.  The idea of mercy, however, is not just some outward feeling of pity, but is rather a deep inner feeling of sympathy in which one identifies with the person in need and is motivated to do something about their situation.  One who is merciful does not watch from a distance, but rather gets involved in the situation.  When mercy is bestowed there is one person who is in desperate need of it and another person with the adequate means of meeting this need.  There are many people who would look at mercy in the same manner they look at meekness – as a weakness that needs to be overcome.  This is not the idea that Jesus shows.

            Showing mercy to others should not be as difficult if we keep in our minds the sate from which we have come.  After instructing Titus to not speak evil of anyone, be peaceable, gentle, and show humility to all men, Paul writes, “For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared… according to His mercy He saved us…” (Titus 3:3-5).  When we consider that would it not have been for the mercy of God and the patience and guidance of others we would still be in the same condition as the person needing our mercy is currently in, it should not be very hard to show mercy.  It was this remembrance that helped motivate Paul to work toward saving as many souls as possible.  He wrote, “…Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  However, for this reason I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ show all longsuffering as a pattern to thos4e who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (I Tim. 1:15-16).  Due to the grace and mercy they have been shown, Christians have the responsibility and opportunity to show mercy to others whether by spreading the gospel or with physical help.

             Jesus did not simply leave his disciples with these words of instruction on being merciful but rather led a life exemplifying mercy on a daily basis.  As Jesus went about teaching people came to Him calling out such cries as “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  He was met by individuals such as the two blind men (Matthew 9:27), the woman from Canaan with the demon possessed daughter (Matthew 15:22), the father of the epileptic boy (Matthew 17:15), two blind men outside Jericho (Matthew 20:30), blind Batimaeus (Mark 10:47), and the ten lepers (Luke 17:13).  In some of the cases the disciples tried to get those in need to leave Jesus alone.  They may have felt Jesus was too busy or maybe that He was so far above those individuals that they should not bother Him.  Jesus demonstrated to the disciples with each case the importance of mercy.  With each person Jesus takes time to hear their needs and to provide the mercy they requested.  Even years after Jesus had gone back to Heaven, His disciples would have this impression foremost on their minds. 

            In His “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus said that the result of being merciful to others would be that we would obtain mercy.  The one who shows no mercy to others cannot expect God to show mercy to him.  In fact, he can expect the opposite – judgment!  It was this very lesson that Jesus was teaching in “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” (Matthew 18:21-35).  There was a master who called one of his servants to him to collect a debt.  The servant was not able and laid himself out before the master begging for mercy.  The master, moved with compassion, forgave the servant and sent him away.  Almost as soon as the servant is forgiven he turns around and demands that another servant pay him a debt that was owed.  He threw his fellow servant into prison when the servant could not pay.  The master catches wind of this and says to the unforgiving servant, “Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (vs. 32).  The master became angry and delivered the man to be tortured till he paid his debt.  Jesus says in verse 35, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  Do you suppose mercy is important?  James wrote, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy..” (James 2:13).  I do not know about you, but I NEED God’s mercy!

            It is crucial for every Christian to be characterized by being merciful.  We may sometimes feel that the sin is too ugly, that we are “above” those people, or that we do not have the time to be merciful.  Remembering the state we were once in, the mercy bestowed upon us by God, and the mercy shown to us by others will help keep us from pride and motivate us to show mercy to others.  We must never forget that we are sons of God, and if sons of God then we will show mercy to others.  Jesus said, “…Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.  For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.  Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).