by Brian Franks

Anyone who has ever accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, repented of their sins, and been baptized is the recipient of great mercy. To need mercy, you must have done something wrong, but you can’t afford to make restitution because the cost is too high. The cost of the sin each of us has committed must be paid by our own death — but for the mercy of God. Any of us who believe can ask God for mercy, provided through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

This merciful transaction so clearly depicts the character of God to us. Indeed, one of the long names for God in the Bible (Exodus 34:6) includes the word hesed, most often translated “mercy” or “merciful” in the New King James Version.

Though any professed Christian has received this amazing grace, Christians are too often known for their judgmental smugness. Why? Because mercy is so hard to give to others. Our human nature, sinful as it is apart from God, is unwilling to grant to others what it cries out to receive for itself. This sad fact makes Jesus’ statements on mercy so challenging to those who claim to bear His name yet act unmercifully.

Mercy in action

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). This sermon is Jesus’ manifesto of the kingdom of God. As part of it, this beatitude tells believers that we must show mercy to others, regardless of who they are.

We see Jesus doing this in His earthly ministry. In response to Pharisees who were angered that He would talk to and eat with tax collectors (thought of as traitors and swindlers), Jesus says, “Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (9:13). At the end of the parable of the good Samaritan (Samaritans were an ethnic group the Jews hated and avoided) Jesus poses a question: “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

A law expert recognizes what the good Samaritan did and gives the right answer: “The one who had mercy on him” (Luke 10:36, 37).

These passages show mercy as an action that sacrifices its rights to serve others. The reality of “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” is that every believing Christian has received mercy from God. None of us deserves it either! Therefore, we must show mercy to others. Jesus reached out to tax collectors, sinners, and even the corrupt religious leaders because He wanted to demonstrate mercy. Even those we think of as enemies and might despise should receive definitive acts of compassion. Living this way can change the world.

Bridging the gap

If mercy reflects the character of God and if our human nature apart from God isn’t particularly interested in showing mercy to others, how do we bridge the gap?

The first step is simply to pray to be more merciful. It would be easy to procrastinate and make excuses as to why other theological issues are more important to engage, but the prayer to be more merciful should be a priority for any who bear the name Christian. If God is ruler of a kingdom built on mercy, and if Jesus’ quintessential act — His atoning sacrifice of Himself — demonstrates profound mercy, then how can we not see the necessity to be people of mercy in a sinful world?

Praying to be more merciful is no suggestion; it is an imperative of the highest degree. If you have prayed to receive mercy from God to become a Christian, you’ve experienced the receiving side of it and know how life-giving it is. Therefore, pray to be more merciful to others. Follow the example of Christ, and be a light in this cruel world.

Second, read and meditate on the teachings of mercy in the Bible. Besides the ones mentioned, consider Joseph forgiving his brothers (Genesis 45); that God’s throne in the tabernacle/temple is called the mercy seat (Exodus 25:17-22, NKJV); David’s mercy shown to Mephibosheth and his plea for mercy after the Bathsheba affair (2 Samuel 9; 11, 12; Psalm 51). Also consider God’s mercy on the pagan Ninevites and on Israel’s wayward prophet (Jonah 1-4); the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32); the woman caught in adultery (John 8); and Paul’s transformation (Acts 9), among others.

Another significant story is the parable of the merciless servant (Matthew 18:21-35). The servant owed his master an impossible-to-repay debt. Yet when he asked for mercy, his master forgave the debt. This servant, free of his tremendous burden, immediately found a fellow servant who owed him far less — a manageable amount. The wicked servant threatened and choked the other servant and had him tossed into a debtor’s prison to work off the small amount he owed. When this was reported to the master, the merciless servant was given the judgment he wished on his fellow servant.

It’s no stretch to see God as the master, us as the servant, and humanity, including Christians, as the other servant who owes us a little debt. Often we cannot see past our impatience and anger toward our fellow servants who owe us. We lose sight of the debt of sin that God’s mercy paid for us.

Practice mercy

This brings us to the final point: Practice mercy, a key attribute of God and a sign of true faith in Christ. We surely can think of people who have wronged us or who do things we can’t stand, or even people we might try to hide from and decline to help. We might judge individuals or groups in our hearts, and excuse our behavior because we didn’t do anything bad to them in practice. As we pray for mercy and study instances of it in the Bible, we will surely have the opportunity to reach out with mercy to others. In so doing, we live out the kingdom of God and add to it those in need of mercy.

Just be prepared. As you try to show mercy, it will be impossible to do so, save for the grace of God giving you the wisdom and strength and purity to do it. Also, be prepared that some will not receive mercy and will not respond in kind. Remember, Jesus did everything perfectly and was still persecuted, even unto death on a cross. When we take on His name, we walk with God in newness of life and serve as conduits of mercy. But doing this puts us in conflict with the broken and dying world God desires to save. Do not let the world’s pain and darkness deter you from offering the mercy God has shown you in Jesus Christ.