“Lord, Have mercy on me!”
This is the most common use of the word “mercy” (Greek eleeo) in the New Testament. Everywhere Jesus went he had people asking him for mercy. People who were blind, who had leprosy, whose children were demon possessed - they all asked Jesus for “mercy”.
As we continue to look at the “beatitudes” we come to Jesus who says:
This is the most common use of the word “mercy” (Greek eleeo) in the New Testament. Everywhere Jesus went he had people asking him for mercy. People who were blind, who had leprosy, whose children were demon possessed - they all asked Jesus for “mercy”.
As we continue to look at the “beatitudes” we come to Jesus who says:
Matthew 5:7 (NIV) 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
When I hear the word mercy, I think of Elvis Presley exclaiming “Mercy!” or having “mercy fights” as a kid with my friends. These clearly are not examples of the ‘mercy’ Christ is referring to.
mercy – 1. n. compassion, forbearance, shown by one to another (esp. offender) who is in his power and has no claim to kindness; God’s forbearance and forgiveness of sins.
– The Concise Oxford Dictionary (Oxford University Press: 1989)
Mercy refers to going above and beyond. Doing more than is required. We know that God did much more for us than we deserved. Those healed by Jesus did not request a healing – rather, they asked only for mercy.
In our society we are obsessed with our rights. Few of us like to admit that we are in someone else’s power and therefore at their mercy. We focus on what we deserve rather than what we get. As we look at mercy over the next week, I think it would be good to first look at ourselves and identify the ways we are receiving mercy both from God and others. We need to change our way of thinking about the healings we desire (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual) and see them as cries for mercy and not about our rights. We need to recognize each breath as a gift of God’s divine mercy. We need to understand that giving me today my daily bread is no less an act of God’s mercy than forgiving my sins.
This beatitude in a sense is backwards. We have already received mercy and are now called to be merciful. If we want to be merciful to those we serve, to those in our families, to everyone around us, the key is to focus on the undeserved kindness that has been shown to us.
Romans 5:8 (NIV) 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Undeservedly,
Mark Wallace
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