Key Verse: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 CSB)
If you are a sports fan, you may be familiar with the “mercy rule.” Typically it’s only used with kids’ sports and comes into effect when one team is completely dominating the other and there is no hope for the losing team of mounting a comeback. In order to prevent further humiliation, the officials end the game earlier than expected or just stop keeping score.
In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us His own rule or principle of mercy by which to live. “Blessed are the merciful,” He said, “for they will be shown mercy”. What is Jesus talking about when He speaks of showing mercy? To show mercy means to extend compassion or pity toward the lowly. Another simple but helpful definition of mercy is: “not getting what you deserve.” If a police officer pulls you over for driving faster than the speed limit but decides not to write you a ticket, this is mercy. You’re not getting what you deserve.
Why is showing mercy so important to Jesus? Why should it be a priority to someone who is serious about following Him and pursuing His kingdom? One of the biggest reasons is because mercy is part of the character of God. The author of Hebrews describes Jesus as our “merciful and faithful high priest” (Hebrews 2:17). Isaiah reminds us that, “The Lord is waiting to show you mercy, and is rising up to show you compassion, for the Lord is a just God” (Isaiah 30:18). Merciful is who God is. Showing mercy is what He does. So to follow Him means to do the same.
Another reason why mercy should be so important to us is because we are recipients of it ourselves through Jesus Christ. The Scriptures teach us that we are all deserving of God’s wrath toward us because of our sin. But the incredible good news is that “God who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4). God “saved us, not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy” (Titus 3:5). At one point, “you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:10). This is our gospel hope through Jesus Christ!
Jesus tells us, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”. To be clear, being merciful is not how we earn God’s mercy. Mercy is a gift graciously extended toward us. What Jesus is telling us is that the extension of mercy toward someone should be the right response of someone who has been shown mercy by God. A heart that has truly been transformed by the mercy of God through Jesus Christ will be quick to extend that mercy to others.
To whom in your life do you find it challenging to show mercy and compassion? Take some time today to meditate on the incredible mercy that you have received in Jesus Christ. Invite God to flood your heart again with His mercy so that it can overflow from you into the lives of others.
Prayer: God, you are full of mercy. Thank you for showing me mercy. Instead of death, you have given me life. Instead of hostility, you have extended peace toward me. It is all because of what you, Jesus, have done for me at the Cross. As I meditate on this today, help me to show the same kind of mercy to those around me. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
