A Gospel of Mercy
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
Perhaps it’s never clicked for you until now, but Jesus isn’t lying in the above statement.
This wasn’t a half-hearted statement.
He doesn’t say, “blessed—MAYBE—are the merciful.”
He doesn’t say, “if you’re lucky enough to be blessed and merciful, THEN.”
It’s pretty straightforward, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”
Give, receive.
Offer, take.
Show, shown.
This is who our God is!
But so often, our own fallen, fallible, human hearts scream on the inside, “THAT ISN’T FAIR.”
And you’re right—none of it’s fair.
We don’t deserve it. We haven’t earned it. We certainly aren’t owed it.
And yet, therein lies the beauty of the Gospel. None of us want to see our enemies or those who hurt us receive mercy. And yet to withhold it from him or her means to withhold it from OURSELVES. Because as Romans 3:23 says, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Jesus—with an immense amount of kindness and grace, but full of truth—declared this statement unconditionally.
It’s a matter of fact. Show mercy, receive mercy.
Now, please know, this isn’t a get out of jail free card. The life of King David (whom we’ve already covered HERE) shows us that much. Bad choices beget bad consequences. Sinful decisions reap destruction, pain, and loss.
However, if mercy is pursued, then sin or evil never has the last word. It is always, continually, eternally written over, “eleēmōn, eleēmōn (mercy, mercy).”
It sounds sweet and nice. But the Scripture is clear—to get it, you must give it. To receive mercy, one must practice mercy.
Which begs the question—how does one practice mercy?
A few ways we can practice mercy moving forward—through the lens of Micah 6:8 which says, “He has shown you, O mortal, 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.”
“If mercy is pursued, then sin or evil never has the last word.”
3 things!
Let us be transformed into people of mercy through this text—practice #1:
1. Act Justly
In other words, tell the truth.
I wish I could say that I’m a natural truth-teller, but I’m not. The prophet Jeremiah says, “the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” I’m prone to deceit. I’m prone to exaggerate or to stretch the truth. This has been something I’ve really had to work on the last couple of years. And to be honest, my wife has been the greatest earthly influence in forming me into a man of truth. From our first year of dating on, she has been constantly unimpressed and uninspired by my false self. She never falls for it, and I’m honestly afraid to think of who I could be if not for her constant injections of humility and truthfulness into my soul.
When Rylei and I began dating, we did the whole, “share your story” piece on a date and for whatever reason—insecurity or fear—I had failed to disclose all of the details of one of my past relationships. And I mean this when I say it, I gave Rylei no indication that I was withholding anything. I was ready to move on from that season of my life and for whatever reason, Rylei wouldn’t or couldn’t let it go. And I truly believe the Holy Spirit impressed on her to ask me one final time, “is there anything you’re not telling me?”
As we were sitting in my car, I broke down. I shared with her what I had withheld, and I’ll never forget what she said to me. She said, “I hold nothing against you for your past. You are forgiven. But I am crushed that you would lie to me.” And it’s started this up and down process that we’ve gone on together of becoming people of truth—of building our marriage on a foundation of truth. She still chose me despite my shortcomings. She refused to enact the justice I deserved which was to be dumped and instead pursued a justice of truth.
It was mercy manifested in my own life.
THIS is what Jesus does for all of us. It’s not an exposing, “you’re caught” humiliation. It’s a gentle, honest, authentic invitation to step out of the dark and into the light so that mercy can be exercised. Now, apart of our daily ritual is to ask each other, “is there anything you’re not telling me?” May we live with such openness and such authenticity that this question isn’t feared or shied away from. In that, we will be transformed into people of mercy.
2. Love Mercy—Forgive someone who doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.
It could be big or small. Your spouse may do something that upsets you or annoys you this week. Instead of taking a dig or a shot, show mercy. Forgive them. Believe the best in them.
Your co-worker may do something that hurts or embarrasses you. Show mercy—knowing that you’ve not been the best employee to work with every day of your life.
You may read about a public figure, a leader, a supervisor or acquaintance who has morally failed—is there a week that goes by where we don’t? Before casting judgement, extend mercy. Before typing up that—probably justified—tweet, delete it and pray for a spirit of repentance in not just their heart, but your own. Better yet, instead of adding to the chorus of public condemnation, offer someone a message of encouragement—not to condone or justify their actions, but to offer mercy—as Christ has offered us mercy.
It’s the Lord’s Prayer in action: “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us” (Matthew 6:12).
To be shown mercy is to show mercy.
One final challenge:
3. Walk humbly—Enter into a time of repentance.
The best way I’ve learned to practice humility is to enter into a time of repentance. It’s to corporately or privately confess that we—all of us—have fallen short.
We aren’t merciful towards others when we should be.
We don’t always make the right, wise decisions.
We’re not always the nicest.
Every day, we’re going to do something to fall short of perfection and in that gap, is grace. And when we freely admit this, humility is injected into us because we know that we hold no right to act more righteous than the person to the left or to the right of us.
I’d love to push you, my reader friend, a little bit outside of your comfort zone. We’re going to practice confession together. Together, we’re going to confess that we are not as great or as right or as good as we think we are, but that despite our brokenness, Jesus is enough.
“Every day, we’re going to do something to fall short of perfection and in that gap, is grace.”
Below is one of my favorite prayers to pray. It comes from our Anglican friends in their book of Common Prayer and it’s a prayer I try to pray almost every day. Please, read along, out loud, as I am as I type this.
Let us confess before the Lord together:
Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.
We have followed too much the devices and desires
of our own hearts.
We have offended against your holy laws.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,
and we have done those things which we ought not
to have done;
and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.
O Lord, have mercy upon us.
Spare all those who confess their faults.
Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises
declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,
that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,
to the glory of your holy Name.
Amen.
Congratulations on practicing mercy, my friends!
Does all this sound difficult? In some respect, it should.
Jesus never said that following him would be easy. But notice that in doing this—in offering, extending, and practicing mercy—happiness, true happiness, is not just offered but promised to us because of the inward shift of perspective that takes place, knowing that we were FIRST shown mercy ourselves.
How could one not live out of a posture of gratitude and joy knowing the mercy they themselves have received?
A life of mercy is countercultural, but it’s a life worth fighting for every day because peace, restoration, and joy are all waiting.
Be encouraged, my friend.
Peace to you.
