Be Merciful

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

If someone is going to show someone mercy, it means that they show compassion or forgiveness toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. It is showing kindness towards someone when they might not deserve it, but it is given anyway.

An example of mercy: Say you have a classroom of kids, and one day a new student joins that class. Now imagine if there was one student who was kind of a bully and mean and rude to that new student. Continually making fun of the way they look, doing mean pranks or calling them names. And then one winter day as the kids are playing outside on the playground, the bully slips on some ice, falls down and sprains their leg. Extending out their hand, the new student helps pull them back up, takes and puts an arm around the other’s shoulders, and helps them back to go get help. That is an act of mercy. The bully might not “deserve” to be helped, but the other student chose to show compassion and mercy.

Like that bully, we don’t deserve forgiveness. We don’t deserve to spend the rest of eternity in paradise, much less even have it offered to us. We were disobedient, unloving, unkind sinners. 

But Jesus reaches His arms out to pick us up when we fall. He offers us His mercy and forgiveness, so that one day we can be with Him and the Father someday in Heaven.

Another example of mercy found in the Bible is when Jesus was taken to be crucified, people asked Peter if he had been with Jesus. Three times Peter was asked this, and three times he denied Jesus.

But Jesus showed mercy to Peter. He had compassion on him even after what he had done. He tested Peter 3 times, asking Peter if he loved Him, and he did. And Peter took that mercy and did great things for the Lord with it. 

I have written about this before, but to be a Christian means that we are followers of the teachings of Christ. What would Jesus do? Whatever Jesus would do, we need to do as well. And that includes being merciful to others. 

Jesus told this parable in Matthew 18.

“Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 

And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 

The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.” Matthew 18:23-27

This servant owed the king a bunch of money, and because he didn’t have the money to pay back the king, the king was going to sell everything that the man had in order to reclaim back the money. But that servant pleaded with the king, asking for more time. Moved with compassion, the king showed his servant mercy, and completely forgave him of the debt. Now read what happened next.

“But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.” Matthew 18:28-30

So the man who had just had all of his debts cancelled went out to someone who owed him money and demanded to be paid, and the same thing happened. The other servant asked for patience, and he would eventually get the money. Except that instead of forgiving the other servant of his debt, he had him thrown into prison. He didn’t have mercy and compassion, even though it had just been shown to him. Well, news of this came to the king, and what did the king do once he had heard what happened?

“Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.” Matthew 18:32-34

Because this servant didn’t give others the same mercy and compassion that he had been given, he was punished. He was unmerciful, and it all came back upon him again.

Unlike that unmerciful, unforgiving servant, God IS filled with an unlimited amount of mercy. The only way that someone could block themselves from receiving His mercy and forgiveness is if they themselves won’t show mercy to those who ask for it.

“So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” Matthew 18:35

Do you want to be forgiven? Do you want to receive mercy from the Lord when you meet Him at Judgement Day? Then make certain that you show mercy to others when they come for it.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7

In Christ,

Andrew