Meaningful Mercy (Beatitudes Part 5)
Beatitudes Devotional Series by Jamie Osborne
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
~ Jesus, in Matthew 5:7
I was a single parent for over a decade before Nick and I joined forces. During that time, as much as I hated to admit it, I needed help. I was a student trying to get a teaching degree while raising a son on my own, which meant I was far below the poverty line. Additionally, I was essentially alone, scared, and in need of someone to walk with me.
Some of God’s people were amazing. Groceries would magically appear on my doorstep. Anonymous envelopes of cash would arrive in the mail. People embraced me and my son into their homes and made us feel welcome and worthy.
Yet some of God’s people were not so amazing. The church ladies in my parents' church mostly just liked to gossip about me. Few people who saw me struggling chose to enter my life and walk alongside me, preferring to keep me at arm’s length. Many judged and underestimated me because all they saw was a "sinful single mother". This was very damaging for me and severely impacted my trust of the church.
Jesus calls us to be merciful. Mercy is simply “kindness or goodwill toward the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them”. In Matthew 9:13, while talking to the religious leaders, Jesus admonishes, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”. Mercy is more important than any churchy ritual, yet it’s not something that comes naturally, and it's also easy to avoid.
To cultivate mercy, we must first remember how merciful God is to us. God has certainly been kind to you and I and has helped us immensely. We cannot repay the favour directly to him, but we can extend the same mercy we’ve received to those he brings across our path.
When we are tempted to ignore those who are in need, Augustine calls us to remember:
"You hear the voice of a beggar, but before God you are yourself a beggar. Someone is begging from you, while you yourself are begging. As you treat your beggar so will God treat his. You who are empty are being filled. Out of your fullness, fill an empty person in need, so that your own emptiness may again be filled by the fullness of God."
As we receive mercy, so too should we show mercy, following Jesus’ example. Throughout Matthew, we see Jesus embody mercy in his dealings with the outcasts and unclean. He touches a leper (8:1-4), heals a bleeding woman (9:20-21), and engages with a pagan woman (15:21-28). Each of these snapshots demonstrate Jesus’ compassion for those who are suffering and isolated. Later, in his final week, he explicitly outlines how to embody mercy as he did: by feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick and imprisoned (Mat 25:35-46).
It's clear that, like practicing righteousness, mercy is love in action. Mercy means stepping into the suffering of others as an act of gratitude to the one who showed us mercy. It is far easier to run from the messy lives of others, but Jesus calls us to run toward those in need. Mercy requires personal sacrifice, time, and resources.
The church today needs to realign with this vocation and prioritize coming alongside the downtrodden and suffering, instead of merely reducing Christianity to a corporate worship gathering once a week. Mercy will do more for the kingdom of God than your church attendance ever will, and it can change someone’s life - just as the lack of mercy can severely damage them.
PAUSE and REFLECT:
Considering all the people God currently has brought into your path, is there anyone who is especially struggling? Who needs mercy?
What feelings and emotions come to mind when you think about entering into that person’s life? Why might you feel reluctant to walk with that person? Take time to process your reluctance to be merciful in prayer and/or journaling.
What is one small step you can take this week to practice mercy, love in action, with someone God brought to mind?