Matthew 5:7 (NASB)
[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
In a devotion that I read this week I found a good starting point for setting the tone for a discussion about Jesus' words, "Blessed are the merciful...". The devotion was written by Oswald Chambers and is found in his book, My Utmost for His Highest.
"The death of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment in history of the very mind and intent of God. There is no place for seeing Jesus Christ as a martyr. His death was not something that happened to Him -- something that might have been prevented. His death was the very reason He came.
"Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption 'much ado about nothing.' God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. God could forgive people in no other way than by the death of His Son...
"The greatest note of triumph ever sounded in the ears of a startled universe was that sounded on the Cross of Christ -- 'It is finished!' (John 19:30). That is the final word in the redemption of humankind.
"Never allow yourself to believe that Jesus Christ stands with us, and against God, out of pity and compassion, or that He became a curse for us out of sympathy for us. Jesus Christ became a curse for us by divine decree. Our part in realizing the tremendous meaning of His curse is the conviction of sin. Conviction is given to us as a gift of shame and repentance; it is the great mercy of God. Jesus Christ hates the sin in people, and Calvary is the measure of His hatred." (Chambers, #325)
"Conviction is given to us as a gift of shame and repentance; it is the great mercy of God." In this definition of mercy, we begin to understand it's meaning as a blessing from God. "Blessed are the merciful."
When we understand mercy; when we receive and act upon the benefits of mercy in our personal lives; we place ourselves in a position to be merciful to others. Any other reaction to God's mercy in our personal lives is a gross misunderstanding of what it means to receive God's mercy.
So what does it mean to be merciful? We often assume that when we read a word in the text of Scripture that we understand what the author meant to communicate to the original recipients.
Sometimes there is a much deeper meaning to the words we read in English when compared to the original Greek meaning of the word. The Complete Word Study of the New Testament gives us some needed detail for the words merciful, and mercy.
Mercy g1653 - "eleeo", to show mercy, to show compassion, to extend help for the consequences of sin, as opposed to being hardened. The general meaning is to have compassion or mercy on a person in unhappy circumstances. ...implying not merely a feeling for the misfortunes of others involving sympathy, but also an active desire to remove those miseries. (CWS-NT)
Merciful g1655 - "eleemon" from g1656 mercy. Compassionate, benevolently merciful involving thought and action.
We often think of Mercy as something God gives us as a virtue of some kind and to a certain extent that is true. However, if we stop there, we fall short of the intent and meaning of the word mercy in the Scriptures.
The kind of mercy spoken of by Christ is not some gift that is handed out. It is rather, an action taken, that reaches beyond thoughts of mercy and compassion for others. This is what Oswald Chambers was talking about in the devotion we looked at earlier.
Throughout His ministry here on earth Jesus said and did things to give example and teaching about this important principle of mercy. To make sure His audience understood what He was talking about; Jesus often quoted from the Old Testament. Let's take a look at one of these incidents. It is found in:
Matthew 9:10-13 (NASB)
[10] Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
[11] When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?"
[12] But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
[13] "But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' [Hosea 6:6] for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
In this passage, Christ reveals not only His mission to bring salvation to those who can admit that they are sinners, but He also comes to reveal what mercy really means from God's point of view, and how it should be applied in the lives of His followers.
The word compassion, which is found in Jesus' quote of the prophet Hosea in verse 13, is the Greek word for mercy.
The prophet Hosea gives us two truths about what God desires from His people:
Hosea 6:6 (NASB)
[6] For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
You will notice that in the Greek text, the word mercy (compassion) is used, but in the Hebrew text, the word loyalty is used. When you look at the meaning of the word loyalty used in this passage by Hosea, you understand why it is translated as mercy (compassion) in the Greek text.
In the Old Testament, this Hebrew word for loyalty is rendered in the English in several different ways. It is translated as kindness 32 times. It is translated as lovingkindness 176 times. It is comparable to the meaning and intent of the Greek word for mercy.
Loyalty: deeds of devotion(2), devotion(1), devout(1), faithfulness(1), favor(2), good(1), kindly(7), kindness(32), kindnesses(1), loveliness(1), lovingkindness(176), lovingkindnesses(7), loyal deeds(1), loyalty(6), mercies(1), merciful(2), mercy(1), righteousness(1), unchanging love(2). (NASEC)
But as always, just about the time you think you have an answer to your question about what the word mercy (compassion, loyalty) means, other questions begin to pop up. For example:
Loyalty to what? What was it that Jesus wanted of His followers? Jesus was always very faithful to make sure He was very clear about what He wanted of His disciples.
In a moment, we will look at a passage where Jesus reveals that He wanted His disciples to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and give water to the thirsty. All of these are the actions of mercy.
These actions of mercy flow out of our relationship with God. God blesses the merciful by showing us mercy through His actions on the cross. His Spirit, working within us, comes out of our lives in actions of mercy and compassion to others.
Last year, I experienced the blue screen of death on my ACER computer. Matthew Beausoleil fixed my computer, and in a way, that was an act of mercy to me. I could not figure out how to do it myself, Matt rescued me.
This is better defined as an act of friendship and love, and many of you have experienced that same kindness from Matt. But, this is a little different than the kind of mercy Jesus talks about here. Christ is talking about meeting the real needs of others, like food, clothing, water, and relationship. The needs Jesus talks bout here are life-sustaining needs.
Remember that the prophet Hosea gives us two truths about what God desires from His people:
First, the knowledge of God. Whenever mankind talks about God there is always the consideration of standing. Where do I stand in God's eyes? The Lord's prayer is a good expression of what this standing should look like.
Matthew 6:9-15 (NASB)
[9] "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
[10] "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
[11] 'Give us this day our daily bread.
[12] 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
[13] 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'
[14] "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
[15] "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."
Remember what the Greek word for mercy means: "to show mercy, to show compassion, to extend help for the consequences of sin, as opposed to being hardened." (CWS-NT)
When we are forgiven by God and forgive others as we have been forgiven, we begin to understand what Hosea meant by his statement that God desires: "the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."
What is our standing with God? When we participate in the proper procedure of the plan of salvation, we are forgiven by God through Christ's actions on the cross. The benefit of that forgiveness is the residence of His Spirit within us to guide our daily lives.
But, this forgiveness also has a life changing affect on our standing with mankind. We now have the ability and resource to forgive those around us. That's the knowledge of God that Hosea wants us to understand. It is the knowledge of how we stand in God's eyes, and how we stand in the eyes of mankind.
Beyond the knowledge of God, we must understand the loyalty, mercy, and compassion that God desires from us and how we live that out in our daily lives.
Remember, the Greek word for mercy means much more that feelings of compassion. "The general meaning is to have compassion or mercy on a person in unhappy circumstances. ...implying not merely a feeling for the misfortunes of others involving sympathy, but also an active desire to remove those miseries." (CWS-NT)
Matthew 25:31-46 (NASB)
[31] "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
[32] "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
[33] and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
[34] "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
[35] 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
[36] naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'
[37] "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink?
[38] 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?
[39] 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
[40] "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Now if Jesus had stopped His discourse here, we could say, "Well that was not meant for us." But, He went on because this was important for all of mankind. No one is excluded from His teaching here. Dare I say, not even the poor.
[41] "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;
[42] for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;
[43] I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.'
[44] "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'
[45] "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'
[46] "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
There are two very important lessons taught by Jesus in this passage.
To grasp the essence of what it means to be forgiving, loving, merciful, and compassionate to those around us, Jesus tells us that we need to express these qualities by meeting the real needs of those around us.
What am I to do? Essentially Jesus wanted us to think about and take actions to help meet the needs of others.
Now, this is not a checklist that we are to put into our daily schedule, checking each item off as we have accomplished it. It is a list of things to be aware of so that when God puts one of His children with a need in front of us, we will be ready to help them. Remember, this goes beyond having merciful or compassionate feelings for someone in need. It involves taking actions to meet that need.
Perhaps the reason we stay at home is because we don't want to get involved in having to put ourselves to the trouble of meeting the needs of others. It's easier to associate with those who have their needs met on the same level as I do so I don't have to do anything for them. After all, they have as much as I do.
By example, Christ associated with those who had both physical and spiritual needs. By example and by command, Christ would have us to place one foot in the church and one foot in the world.
I believe that part of the responsibility we have for meeting the needs of others is to keep ourselves in a position to be able to help meet those needs. We must plan in advance to help others, which might mean setting aside some money in case we need it to help someone.
That leads into the second part of what Hosea is saying about what God desires of us. What about the consequences for our choices in being merciful to others? What about our lifestyle?
It has never been popular to talk about eternal punishment, and it is also true today. We do not like to hear about the judgment, but it was part of the Gospel message that Jesus taught His disciples. And, quite frankly, there are those who will only consider coming into the Kingdom of God because of a dread for what will happen to them in the eternal future after they die.
As soon as one feels the conviction and guilt of their sin, Satan will whisper; "There's really no eternal punishment, how can a loving God who gave His only son to die for sinners, condemn someone to an eternal punishment?"
Eternal punishment has two aspects.
This choice we make to accept the plan of salvation, when properly understood, involves an acceptance of God's love that is lived out in the actions of our lives every moment of every day.
It is fatal to think that Salvation is a single moment of acceptance of God's love that has little or no effect on our daily lives. That brings us back to the passage we just read in (Matthew 25:31-46).
Action is an overflowing of the experience one has had in his or her acceptance of the love of God in the plan of Salvation. Action is an important part of the daily life of every follower of Christ. That's what the Christian Journey is all about.
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give the thirsty a drink of water... This is a result of experiencing the love God has shown us in His plan of Salvation. God forgives us and has mercy on us; He meets our needs.
A natural result of experiencing that from God is our participation in the Gospel. But sometimes we make it impossible to participate in the Gospel by giving to others because we have so much debt. Purchasing things with money we do not have, and things that we do not need, blocks us from fulfilling Jesus commands to us in this passage.
We purchase things that eventually end up in a yard sale, sometimes with the price tag still on them. How many of us pay monthly fees for a storage unit to hold on to things that are never used, and who's value is far exceeded by the rent we pay on the storage unit?
I do not mean to say this in condemnation but in an attitude of revelation. What if we decided we would get out of debt and place ourselves in the financial position that we could help others as Christ commanded us to do? What if we got rid of that storage unit full of stuff that is only collecting dust and rotting?
We could give those things we don't need to YAC, so they can raise funds for their mission trip to Mexico. We could use that monthly fee to support two or three children through NCM. Thus doing our part to fulfill Christ's command to feed, clothe, and give drink to those who really need it.
How many villages in Africa have no clean water? What if we could collect enough money to put a well in a village in Africa, which would supply them with clean drinking water? The possibilities are unlimited if we will just have mercy on others and stop thinking only about ourselves.
You see the consequences of our lifestyle can have a tragic affect on what God can do through us to show His mercy to a lost and dying world.
Matthew 5:7 (NASB)
[7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
Please stand. Let us pray.
Chambers, Oswald, My Utmost for His Highest (HIGH). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2000.
NASB - New American Standard Bible (NASB). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2002.
NASEC - NAS Exhaustive Concordance (NASEC). Cedar Rapids: Laridian, 2005.
CWS-NT - AMG Complete Word Study Dictionary - New Testament (CWS_NT). Cedar Rapids: Laridian Electronic Publishing, 2007.
I want to thank my research assistants, Debi Peck and Robyn Harper (HARPER), who do hours of research to provide some of my study resources. I also want to thank Vonda Watson-Bostick and Robyn Harper, who help me with editing.