Blessed are the Merciful

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”  – Matthew 5:7

As a child, I sometimes played the game of “mercy” with my older brother. We locked hands and each of us tried to bend the other’s hands and fingers backward. When one of us was in more pain than we could stomach, a simple word would stop the game.

My brother was older and stronger, so I usually lost. When I did, I cried out, “Mercy!” and the game was over.

It’s actually a foolish and childish game, but because of it, I understood the concept of mercy even at a young age.

What is mercy?

Jesus shows us what mercy does and doesn’t look like in the parable found in Matthew 18:21-35. In the story, a rich master forgives his servant of his debts when the servant pleads for mercy. Yet, that very same servant is not merciful toward his fellow servant when he confronts him about the debt he owed to him:

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ Matthew 18:32-33

Although the master had the power to punish his servant, he initially showed him kindness. This is mercy.

When we hold back from giving someone their “due” or when we reach out in kindness, aid, and love to one who is in a vulnerable position, we are showing mercy.

Jesus, the Merciful Savior

In Matthew 5:7, Jesus said that the merciful will receive mercy. As Believers, we know how merciful Jesus was to us! Though the wages of our sin is death (Romans 6:23), He does not give us what we are owed, but instead gives His children eternal life (John 3:16).

But God’s mercy doesn’t stop on the cross. He is merciful with us every moment of every day. Every blessing we receive is because of His goodness, His love, and His mercy.

Albert Barnes, in his notes on the Bible, says of Matthew 5:7:

“Nowhere do we imitate God more than in showing mercy. In nothing does God delight more than in the exercise of mercy.” 

 

Yes, as Christians (little Christs) our duty is to follow in Jesus’ steps and imitate and reflect His nature to those around us. When we obey God’s call to live like His Son, He extends blessings to us.

When we obey the call of mercy, He shows us new mercies… every day!

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope:  The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:21-23

If you’d like to study more about mercy, or extend mercy to others, check out these resources:

Matthew, The Book of Mercy [a Bible study] by Megan McKenna
Author Megan McKenna believes that the Gospel writers all focused on a topic that they felt was prominent. Matthew focuses on mercy, possibly because Jesus showed great mercy in calling a him, Jewish tax collector, to follow His call! Jesus extends that same mercy to us.

The Mercy Prayer, by Robert Gelinas
God always answers the prayer for mercy. This book’s intention is to show the reader that mercy is at the core of God’s nature and gives practical ways that we can show mercy and Christ’s love to others.

Samaritan’s Purse
If you’re looking for practical ways to show mercy now, consider donating to Samaritan’s Purse and alleviating the hurts of people in the world around us.

How has the Lord shown you mercy lately? Who can you show mercy to today?

Ali