BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL

“Blessed are the MERCIFUL, for they shall obtain MERCY” – Matthew 5:7

Today, we meditate on MERCY in terms of being MERCIFUL. To say that someone is merciful is to pay them about as great a compliment as could possibly be paid. Mercy conveys the idea of being loving, compassionate, forgiving, tender, caring, selfless. The word “mercy” is further enriched when we understand the opposite. When we want to describe someone as the worst, we might say that he or she is merciless. The word “merciless” is ascribed to serial killers, murderers, and dictators who perpetrate genocide. Merciless people are deadly, destructive, vengeful, and vicious people, who feel only hate and evil toward others. The best that could ever be said about a person humanly and even divinely is that he or she is merciful.

Matthew 5 presents a list of beatitudes – spiritual virtues that the disciples of Jesus had to have. They not only were taught by Jesus, they were manifest by Him. He was the perfect example. He who was the humblest of all, He who came the lowest from the highest, He was also the most merciful of all. He who was perfect righteousness and truth was also perfect Mercy. And just as God is a God of Mercy, so we are to be a people of God who are merciful. Mercy is godlike. Never are you more like God than when you’re merciful. The Lord states so directly: “Be merciful just as your Father also is merciful” (Lk.6:36). We as the children of God are to manifest the life of God, His characteristics – chief among which is being merciful!

It is usual to assume that being merciful is an unrewarding gesture. But the scriptures teach that Mercy is beneficial: “The merciful man does good for his own soul” (Pro.11:17). If you want to do well for your own soul; if you want to have a happy heart; if you want to live with fulfilment, joy, peace, and a sense of calm, be MERCIFUL! The rest of the verse says, "He who is cruel troubles his own flesh.” If you want to live with anxiety, dread, fear, guilt, torment, and worry about what people are going to do to you, then you should be cruel and stay up all night scheming how to hate and hurt your perceived enemies. He who lives a merciful life has nothing to fear. It's beneficial to be compassionate, kind, loving, sympathetic, and tender-hearted – all of which are contained in mercy. God is rich in Mercy (Eph.2:4). If you are His child, you cannot be stingy in mercy. Colossians 3:12 commands: “Therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies.” Put on tender mercies. We are commanded to be merciful.

MERCY is RECIPROCAL. You want mercy, give it and you'll get it back. You'll get it back from the Lord and you'll also get it back from the people to whom you show mercy and others besides. It is wise then to not limit the borders of mercy. The Lord Jesus never had a problem with extending the borders of mercy. His mercy broke the boundaries of class and segregation. He sent messengers on ahead of Him to go where no one went; where Judaism would not go; and where hatred existed. You and I can be merciful easily to the people in our little group. We can be merciful to the people around us that we're comfortable with. Authentic Mercy however extends to those we're not comfortable with, whoever they are, whatever class, race or religion. Truth is important and absolutely critical. But along with truth comes Mercy. Jesus is the living Truth but He was also living Mercy. He went to the half breeds, the outcasts, the lepers, and the dogs. He visited the most socially despised groups and He showed them mercy. So mercy is at the center and also the circumference of His ministry. Mercy is the heart of His ministry and the extent of His ministry! How about yours?