Kingdom Norms, Part Five

Blessed Are The Merciful

We are studying the beatitudes, which describe the character of the citizens of the kingdom of God. We are today considering the fifth beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful,” meaning those who are merciful are blessed, approved by God, and happy.

If we study the creation of hospitals throughout the world, we will notice that they are mostly of Christian origin. Why do you think this is true? Because hospitals are manifestations of this Christian characteristic called mercy. Paganism did not give rise to hospitals. For example, the Romans praised four virtues–wisdom, justice, temperance and courage–but they did not have any place for mercy. But mercy is an important Christian characteristic, and so today we want to examine what mercy is and how we are to be merciful.

What Is Mercy?

What is the difference between grace and mercy? Grace is God’s love toward sinners who are undeserving of his love. Mercy is God’s love toward the miserable and wretched. Now we recognize that misery, wretchedness, and helplessness are the specific consequences we manifest because of our sin. The merciful are those who truly feel in their beings the pain of the suffering of others who are miserable.

Mercy is not exactly the same as compassion. The word compassion consists of two parts–com means with and passion means suffering. So compassion means to suffer with the suffering. Sympathy is the same–sym means with, paschein means to suffer with. A compassionate person is one who truly suffers with the suffering of the miserable, the wretched, the helpless. A sympathetic person is one who has the ability to suffer with the suffering.

Now, the Bible tells us to weep with those who weep, and to be merciful, one must truly feel the pain of suffering–the spiritual and physical aspects–of an individual. But to feel compassion and have sympathy for someone is not the same as being merciful. It is only one part of it. Why do we need to feel compassion and have sympathy for others? So that we may be moved to action. After feeling and weeping, we must do more. We must act. We must do everything in our power to relieve the pain of the suffering person.

Politicians generally only say they “feel the pain,” but a practicing Christian, a citizen of the kingdom of God, must feel the pain as well as relieve it to the greatest degree possible. Politicians’ solution to the suffering is a misguided welfare system that breeds irresponsibility, but the church is to be merciful without making the miserable irresponsible.

Feeling the Pain

We must feel the pain of others. And what is this pain? First, it is the spiritual pain of an individual. A Christian must feel the pain of the miserable people of the world who daily enter into a lost eternity without trusting in Jesus Christ, the only Savior. So Paul said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16). A Christian spouse must feel the pain of the husband or wife who is lost without Christ and must do everything to present the gospel to that person. Christian parents should feel the pain of their lost children who are without Christ and must do everything to save them from the wrath of God and hell. Christians must feel the pain of neighbors and parents who are dying without Christ. They must share the gospel with them that they also may be saved.

Christians must also feel the pain of the millions of babies who are legally aborted every year and must do everything within their power to stop it. Senator Patrick Moynihan recently said the partial birth abortion procedure is infanticide, but, truly, all abortion is infanticide. A Christian president, Christian senators, Christian congressmen, Christian judges, and Christian citizens must do everything to stop this infanticide.

Christians must feel the pain of the truly poor and suffering everywhere and do whatever is within their power to alleviate people’s misery without teaching them irresponsibility and dependency. Why? Being merciful is a necessary characteristic of a citizen of the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, after Jesus taught, “Blessed are the poor. . .Blessed are those who mourn. . .Blessed are the meek. . .Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. . .” he declared, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”

The Habit of Mercy

To be merciful as a Christian does not mean to perform isolated, occasional acts of charity. A Christian is to be habitually merciful. The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews describes Jesus Christ as a merciful high priest who is always merciful toward us miserable sinners. Even so, we must be always merciful.

Being merciful, like being poor in spirit, or like hungering and thirsting after righteousness, is a spiritual character quality produced by the Holy Spirit in a Christian. It is not, in other words, a natural quality. It is not the same as the philanthropy of the pagans. Pagans, at times, can be quite charitable because of common grace of God. But being merciful as described in the Sermon on the Mount is due to the operation of the spiritual grace of God in Christ.

Why must we be merciful? As Christians, as children of the heavenly Father, we have a duty to imitate our heavenly Father who is described in the Bible as being rich in mercy. We read in Ephesians 2:3, 4, “Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 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.” And in Ephesians 4:32 Paul writes, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Obliged to Be Merciful

In the Beatitudes, the first four characteristics dealt with the spiritual needs of a Christian. But the fifth characteristic, being merciful, deals with the practical deeds of a Christian. God in Christ meets our need that we may meet the need of others in some degree. God has truly filled us who are hungry and we are satisfied. In his mercy God has filled us with the righteousness for which we hunger and thirst. In fact, we are filled to overflowing and our cup is running over; therefore we have an obligation to sympathize with the spiritually and physically suffering–the miserable, the helpless–and show mercy to them. We are qualified to be merciful because God has filled our need.

Why Show Mercy?

Why, then, should Christians be merciful? There are several reasons.

1. We were shown mercy by God in Jesus Christ. According to the New Testament, God showed us mercy, not when we were good, but when we were miserable, helpless, wicked, ungodly, powerless sinners. He showed us mercy when we were his enemies–disobedient, unrighteous, dead in trespasses and sins, foolish, ignorant, suffering, and miserable due to the consequences of our sin. (PGM) Yet God looked upon our misery and wretchedness and truly felt our pain. Instead of pouring out his just wrath upon us, he was compassionate toward us. He freely justified us, forgave us our sins, and filled us with his own righteousness. But his is not a mercy that forgets about justice. His mercy and justice kissed each other for us in his Son on the cross. We were shown mercy by God in Jesus Christ, and that is one reason why we ought to be merciful every day to the miserable, the helpless, and the wretched.
2. We need God’s mercy each day. We need to be aware that we are still miserable sinners, and because of that, we are still in need of God’s rich mercy daily. We sin daily, if we are honest and examine ourselves in the light of God’s word. And because we sin daily, we need God’s forgiveness daily for our sins. Thus, we need God’s rich mercy each day.
3. Being merciful is part of the good work we are to do as Christians. God has re-created us in the image and likeness of God. Why? In Ephesians 2:10, we read, “For we are God’s workmanship,” meaning God’s handiwork, God’s poem –that is the Greek word– “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Being merciful is part of the good works we are re-created to do.
4. Being merciful is a test of our Christianity. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones makes this statement: “If I am not merciful, there is only one explanation; I have never understood the grace and the mercy of God; I am outside Christ; I am yet in my sins, and I am unforgiven” (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971, 1982], 105). We who have received God’s rich mercy are merciful because the grace of God makes us that way. If we are not merciful, we have received a cheap, counterfeit grace. If we refuse to forgive someone who, in repentance, asks forgiveness of us in the name of Christ, we are outside of the kingdom of God. Some people say they are Christians, but even in their hour of dying they refuse to forgive other people. That should tell us that they were not truly Christians, but merely claiming to be so.
5. God delights in mercy. In Micah 7:18-19 we read, “You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us. . . .” God delights in showing mercy to us In fact, it is a joy for him to show mercy to miserable sinners. If this is so, then we who are the children of our heavenly Father must imitate him and delight in showing mercy to the miserable.
6. Showing mercy is a spiritual sacrifice which God has ordained for his priests. We are priests of God and have a sacrifice to offer. In Hebrews 13:16 we read, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” In 1 John 3:17 we read, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” If a person refuses to show pity to a needy brother, that person, irrespective of any claim he makes, is not a Christian.
7. We will need mercy on the day when we stand before God. No person can stand before God on the basis of his or her own righteousness. We are saved and justified by God’s mercy alone. Paul refers to this in 2 Timothy 1:16, 18. In verse 16 Paul says, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.” Then Paul says in verse 18, “May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day!” Keep that in mind. We will need mercy on that day when we stand before God.
8. God himself blesses those who are merciful. In Proverbs 14:21 we read this: “He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy.” God’s blessing on the merciful is a good reason to be merciful.
9. The merciful shall obtain mercy. What did Jesus say in this beatitude? “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Mercy is for the merciful.

How to Show Mercy

How, then, ought we to show mercy? Both in the Old and New Testaments we find instructions of how to show mercy to those who are miserable.

1. We should not show mercy grudgingly. In Deuteronomy 15:7 we read, “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.” And in verse 10 we read, “Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart.” We must show mercy ungrudgingly.
2. We should show mercy generously. In 2 Corinthians 8 Paul provides a description of how some poor Macedonian Christians gave generously. In verse 2 we read, “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” The Macedonians felt pain for the suffering saints in Jerusalem and gave generously, even though they themselves were poor.
3. We should show mercy cheerfully. In Romans 12:8 Paul tells us, “If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.” How many times have we been tempted to say,”Not again! I helped you yesterday,” when the same person comes again and again to us for help. But Paul is exhorting us to rejoice in showing mercy and not grow weary in welldoing.
4. We should show mercy in humility. In Matthew 25:37, a question is posed to Christ: “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink. When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers, you did for me'” (Matt. 25:37-40). You see, the righteous forgot all about the merciful things they had done. Why? They were acting in great humility.
5. We should show mercy thankfully. Why should we show mercy thankfully? Because God has given us so many blessings that we can now give to others. When we show mercy to others, we are saying, “Praise be to God for this opportunity God is giving me to help someone else.” We can thank God that we are no longer in a need situation but are now able to give.
6. We should not show mercy in a legal manner. We should not show mercy thinking that if we do so, we can earn mercy for our own salvation. We show mercy because we have been shown mercy and are saved, not in order to be saved. Trying to merit salvation through our own efforts is Pharisaism.
7. We are to show mercy even as in Christ God has forgiven us. Ephesians 4:32 tells us how to show mercy: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” God forgives us completely and shows us mercy delightfully. He is rich in mercy and abounding in pardon.

Who Are the Objects of Our Mercy?

As we read this beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy,” we notice that we are not told who the objects of our mercy are. So we must ask the question, “To whom do we show mercy?”

First, we should show mercy to the members of our own household. We have a tendency to deal with our spouses and children in a legalistic manner, but we should show mercy to them. That is the place to start. For example, when we study the life of Joseph, we read that when Joseph was seventeen years old, his brothers put him in a pit and sold him as a slave. The brothers finally realized how terrible their actions had been and in Genesis 50 we see them coming to Joseph. Verse 15: “When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?'” We all have this temptation to be legalistic towards people, don’t we? But notice Joseph’s statement in verse 21: “So, then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” Joseph showed his brothers mercy. They deserved justice, tit for tat. But Joseph said, “Don’t be afraid; I will provide for you.”

In Numbers 12 we read how Miriam, the sister of Moses, treated Moses with contempt. As she rebelled against her own brother, God judged her and caused her to became leprous. But in Numbers 12:13 we see that Moses himself interceded with God for her healing. That is mercy: Moses felt the pain of miserable Miriam and did something to relieve it. And God answered Moses’ prayers and healed Miriam.

Not only must we show mercy to the members of our own household, but we must also show mercy to the members of the household of faith. This is taught in Galatians 6:10 and other places. We must be merciful to the members of God’s church, including widows, orphans, and brothers and sisters in need. We must show them pity and do everything within our power to alleviate their pain and suffering. We must go and visit them in the hospital or even in prison, if necessary.

Galatians 6:10 says, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Not only are we to do good to those who belong to the family of believers, but according to this verse we are to do good to all people. This means we must also show mercy to unbelievers and to our enemies. In Luke 6:27 Jesus said, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Mercy is not just an emotional response. It involves doing good deeds even for those who are enemies.

Jesus Showed Mercy

We find an interesting Greek word, splagchnizomai, in the New Testament. It is used to describe how Jesus moved with compassion–how he felt the pain of the miserable and moved with compassion to relieve the pain and suffering of miserable, wretched people.

We see splagchnizomai used several times in the gospel accounts. In Mark 1 we read how a poor leper came to Jesus for healing. This man told Jesus that he knew Jesus was able to heal him, but he didn’t know if Jesus was willing. And verse 41 tells us that Jesus moved with compassion and healed the leper.

In Matthew 15:29-39 we read of thousands of people who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching for three days. At the end of three days they were without food and weary, and Jesus himself said that if they were sent home in that condition, they might collapse along the way. And so we are told in verse 32 that Jesus moved with compassion and fed this great crowd of people. That is mercy.

There were others for whom Jesus was moved to compassion. In Matthew 20:29-34 we read of two blind men who called out to Jesus: “Lord, Son of David, have mercy upon us!” Jesus moved with compassion and healed them. In Mark 9 we read of a boy who was demonized. Jesus, moved with compassion, cast the demon out of that boy. In Luke 7 we read of a mother whose only son had died. As Jesus saw her weeping, he was moved with compassion. He came to her, saying, “Don’t cry,” and he raised up her son for her. That is mercy.

Finally, in Mark 6:34 we read that Jesus saw a large crowd of people and was moved with compassion for them. And how did he meet their need? “He began teaching them many things,”meaning he taught them the gospel because misery is not only physical but it is also, and fundamentally, spiritual. So preaching the gospel is a merciful act on the part of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Other Examples of Mercy

Throughout the gospel accounts we see many other examples of mercy. In Luke 15 we read of the prodigal son who hated his father and went away from him. When a famine came upon the land and the son was starving, he decided to come home to find a little bread to eat. His father could have told him, “You made your bed and you need to sleep on it. You deserve your misery. I told you so.” But, instead, we see the old man running to his son as he came, and the text says he was moved with compassion. He was showing mercy to his prodigal son.

In Luke 10 we read the parable of the good Samaritan. The Samaritan saw an enemy of his, a Jewish person, beaten up and left for dead. He could have easily passed by on the other side of the road, as others had already done. He could have begun gloating when he saw this Jewish man and said, “Well, he is my enemy. He deserved what came to him,” and then gone home and told his friends about the one enemy he saw beaten up and left for dead. But the text says the Samaritan moved with compassion and went to the wretched man, bound up his wounds, put him on his own animal, took him to an inn, and gave the innkeeper money to pay for his restoration. That is mercy.

Finally, in Matthew 18 we read about a man who incurred an enormous debt. He begged and pleaded with the king, and the king finally forgave his debt. But then this man went out and saw another man who owed him one hundred denarii, a paltry sum compared with his own debt. When the man could not pay immediately, the first man choked him and had him thrown in prison. The matter was reported to the master, who called the man to him and put him in prison.

What do we learn from this? If we are not merciful, it means that we did not repent truly, that our sins have not been forgiven, and that we are not Christians. It means we are outside of Christ. If we do not show mercy, we have not been shown mercy and we are not saved.

Where Do We Find Mercy?

In the Old Testament we read about the tabernacle. In the Holy of Holies there was an ark which was covered with a golden cover–the atonement cover or mercy seat. On the Day of Atonement the chief priest would come and sprinkle the blood of a bull and a goat upon it and in front of it. And God was supposed to be enthroned above the ark, between the cherubim whose wings overshadowed the mercy seat.

What is the theology here? When God looks upon the ark, he sees the mercy seat stained with blood. That stands for the passive and active obedience of Jesus Christ. This is where mercy and justice kiss. So also, if we look at the cross of Jesus Christ, we see the mercy seat where justice and mercy kiss in God’s Son on the cross in behalf of us. We cannot be Christians and look at the cross and appreciate our own salvation unless we are filled with mercy for others. This is a serious issue. We must, therefore, look at the cross and see how God is merciful to us. We must see how mercy and truth have kissed so that we may be shown mercy by God. We must see that God is rich in mercy. As James refers to our Lord Jesus Christ, he is polusplagchnos–full of compassion and mercy.

Are We Merciful?

May God give us an ability to look at the cross so that we may appreciate the mercy that flows from the cross to us miserable sinners. In Christ God has forgiven all our sins, and if we appreciate such a great salvation, we will become merciful. We have been forgiven and shown mercy, and we need mercy today as well as on that day when we stand before God. We plead the basis of mercy rather than anything else.

Let us reflect upon these things. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful,” and we are qualified to be merciful because God had mercy on us. When we were hungering and thirsting, God saw our misery and wretchedness and filled us–not with little but with much. There is no stinginess in our God, and he poured upon us everything that we needed until our cup is running over. What did he fill us with? His Son. We are in him and he is in us.

May we, therefore, become people who are merciful. May we truly feel the pain of others and then do something about it. May we show mercy even to our enemies–to bless those who curse us and do good to those who hate us. May we show mercy to our husbands and our wives, to our children and to our brothers and sisters. May God help us to show mercy from this day forward. Amen.