This is the seventh of the Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:7:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Another translation puts it this way: “Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them.”
What Is Mercy?
What exactly is mercy?
In our general understanding, mercy is something we can all relate to because, in one way or another, we have all benefited from it. Mercy is one of the reasons many of us have been able to overcome our mistakes, failures, and shortcomings.
Mercy can be defined as leniency or compassion shown towards an offender by someone who has the authority to administer justice. For example, when we offend our parents, we appeal to them for mercy. When we offend our employer or superior, we may plead for mercy. Even among our peers and fellow human beings, we sometimes ask for forgiveness and compassion when we have done wrong.
But mercy goes beyond responding to an offence.
Sometimes, people find themselves in difficult circumstances not necessarily because they have done anything wrong. They may be poor, afflicted, oppressed, sick, discouraged, or simply in need. If we have the ability and opportunity to alleviate their suffering, and we choose to do so, we are showing mercy.
Therefore, mercy is also the disposition to show kindness, compassion, and goodwill towards those who are suffering or in need.
Mercy is not merely about forgiving an offender; it is also about seeing someone’s distress and doing something to make the person’s burden lighter.
We show mercy when we help the needy, encourage the discouraged, defend the oppressed, forgive those who have wronged us, and extend a helping hand to those who cannot repay us.
One important thing we must understand is that mercy is a seed.
When you sow mercy into the life of another person, you may not immediately see the result. It may even appear as though your act of kindness has simply disappeared. But God’s principle remains:
“Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Galatians 6:7
When you sow mercy, you are sowing a seed whose harvest may come at a time and through a channel you never expected.
This is why Jesus says:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
Nobody is so powerful that he will never need mercy. Nobody is so rich that he will never need compassion. Nobody is so intelligent, influential, or self-sufficient that he will never depend on the kindness of another person.
And, above all, none of us is beyond the need for God’s mercy.
To imagine that we can live entirely without mercy is to misunderstand our human condition. Every one of us needs mercy from God, from our families, from our friends, from our colleagues, from those in authority and, sometimes, even from strangers.
Therefore, when God gives us the opportunity to show mercy to others, we should not regard it as a weakness. It is an investment in God’s kingdom.
Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters
This principle reminds us of Ecclesiastes 11:1:
“Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.”
When bread is cast upon flowing water, it appears to be lost. The current carries it away. You may wonder, “Where is it going? Will I ever see it again?”
But Scripture teaches us that what we release in faith is not necessarily lost.
The same is true of mercy.
When you forgive someone who does not deserve it, when you help someone who cannot repay you, when you show kindness to someone who may never be able to return the favour, it may appear that you are simply giving something away.
But God sees it.
This is where God comes into the picture. God is the multiplier of the seeds of mercy that we sow.
What we can not recover by our own strength, God is able to return to us in His own way and in His own time.
There is a powerful illustration of this principle in Matthew 18:23 vs 35 the parable of the unforgiving servant.
A servant owed his master an enormous debt, one that he could never possibly repay. When the master demanded payment, the servant pleaded for mercy. Moved with compassion, the master cancelled the entire debt.
Imagine that!
A debt that could not be repaid was completely forgiven.
But shortly afterwards, that same servant encountered another man who owed him a comparatively insignificant amount. Instead of showing the mercy he had just received, he seized the man, demanded payment, and eventually had him imprisoned because he could not pay.
When the master heard what had happened, he was furious.
The servant had received mercy but refused to extend mercy.
He had been forgiven a great debt but could not forgive a small debt.
That is the danger of receiving God's mercy without becoming merciful people ourselves.
Sometimes, we forget how much God has forgiven us. We remember the wrong another person has done to us, but forget the many things for which God has forgiven us.
We remember somebody's offence, but forget our own failures.
We demand justice from others while pleading for mercy for ourselves.
Jesus, therefore, teaches us a very important lesson: those who have experienced mercy should become channels of mercy.
Mercy Is a Reflection of God’s Character
As Christians, we are called to reflect the character of the God whom we serve.
God is merciful.
Psalm 103:8 says:
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”
If we have received such mercy from God, then that mercy should become visible in our relationships with other people.
Mercy does not mean that we approve of wrongdoing. It does not mean that we abandon justice or allow people to continue harming others. Rather, mercy means that even when justice is necessary, our hearts are not dominated by hatred, revenge, or cruelty.
Mercy says, “I could punish you, but I choose to forgive.”
Mercy says, “I see your weakness, and instead of condemning you, I will help you rise.”
Mercy says, “I remember what you did, but I will not allow your offence to destroy my capacity to love.”
The seventh Beatitude, therefore, challenges us to examine our hearts.
Are we merciful?
Do we easily forgive?
Do we notice the suffering of others?
Do we help when we have the ability to help?
Do we remember the mercy that God has shown us?
Let us never forget that mercy is a seed. Every act of compassion, forgiveness, kindness, and goodwill that we sow is seen by God.
The world may forget your kindness. The person you helped may never repay you. Your act of mercy may appear to disappear like bread carried away by the waters.
But God does not forget.
And Jesus gives us this beautiful assurance:
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
May we, therefore, not only be people who receive mercy but also people who give mercy.
For the mercy we show today may be the mercy we ourselves need tomorrow.
Ven Olusegun Onafeso
CRM