Mat. 5:7 ... "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."
In these articles on the importance, the value, and the need for good character, the assertion is made that the best model is Christian character, as revealed to us in the life and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The scope of His model is far greater than these articles will encompass. But what they will project, I hope, is enough of that model to encourage the reader to recognize its superiority and concede to build into his own life the components revealed. The focus so far has been the essentials of character commended in the Beatitudes with which Jesus introduced the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Four of them have already been featured in previous articles: humility, feeling sorrow for the presence of sin and its damage in human life, gentleness, and righteousness. The fifth one is presented in v.7, being merciful. To be merciful means to extend mercy to fellow humans in situations where it is justified and will effect improvement. Mercy is justified when a person has blundered, caused trouble, and offended. If the offender is amenable to guilt for the problem he has caused and indicates the desire to rectify it and avoid further offense, mercy to that person will result in significant improvement.
Mercy is essentially suspending the demand of justice and giving a person a second chance after he has blundered. This is how God shows us mercy. It is demonstrated in John 8 when a woman was arrested in the very act of adultery and brought to Jesus for justice. The prevailing law specified that the woman should be stoned to death. Jesus did not approve of what the woman had done, for it was an act of sin. Neither did He deny the application of the Law, but He did modify it by reminding the accusers that another law impinged on the case and must be applied as well: "The one who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her," (v.7). The implication in the words "without sin" is being innocent of the specific sin for which the arrest was made, adultery. Jesus meant that any one of the accusers who was not himself guilty of adultery was to be first to throw a stone and begin the woman's destruction. Verse 9 reports that one-by-one the men quietly slipped away from the scene. Soon only the woman was left in the presence of Jesus. He looked up and asked her where were the men who had arrested her and sought her condemnation. Verse 11 then reports, "She said, 'No one, Lord.' And Jesus said, 'I do not condemn you, either. Go, from now on sin no more.'" This is a remark-able case of mercy extended. Jesus perceived that the woman could learn from the incident that adultery is a sin and is due death, which is really the penalty for ALL sin, (Rom. 6:23). So, He suspended the application of the law and extended to her a second chance for continued life, but with an exceedingly important provision: "Go, from now on sin no more." Again, the reference is to the same sin, for the woman would indeed sin again, (I John 1:8,10). But this woman saved by mercy must NEVER commit adultery again! That prevention was indeed within her ability to accomplish.
Everyone one of us, from the person whose occupation is religious down to the criminal in prison, sins and deserves the penalty for sin. And our continuation in life testifies that God is extending mercy to us with the intention that we will recognize our sin, feel genuine remorse for it (Beatitude No. 1), seek God's forgiveness, and be released from the terrible penalty impending upon us. This disposition of God toward us is revealed in II Pet. 3:9, "The Lord ... is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." God does not want to zap sinners, for He gave them a soul in His own Image, (Gen. 1:27). He wants us to see our sin, repent of it, and "from now on sin no more." He wants everyone to live in His presence in heaven for eternity. This is the purpose and great blessing of mercy.
We all know that there are people who refuse to show mercy and forgive a person of an offense. Those who hold such grudges are beset with a very serious character flaw. In fact, it is a character flaw that is fatal. In Mat. 18:21-35 Jesus told a parable about a man who was released from an enormous debt by a great act of mercy. But that man then refused to remit the small debt of a man and had him imprisoned. Because of this iron disposition of being unmerciful, Jesus said the man must be "handed over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him." That is, the mercy that excused him of a colossal debt was withdrawn until he should repay it. And that "until" meant "forever," because the debt was too immense to repay. Jesus concludes the parable by stating a principle by which God deals with man: "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
To exclude yourself from God's mercy, the only thing that separates you from eternal torment, just do not be merciful. Mercy is, therefore, a basic component of real character, and a wonderful and beautiful thing it is. And finally, it does not cost you anything to show mercy to another person. But it will cost you an eternal fortune if you don't.
