Showing Mercy
What does it mean to show mercy?
Verse of the Day
‘Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”’
Today’s Devotional
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum? ” When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Matthew 9:9-13)
In this passage, Jesus is very clear about what He is telling us to do. Go and learn the meaning of this Scripture. Go. Learn. Learn what it means to show mercy to others. Learn what it means to be merciful.
It’s helpful to know what mercy is. A very helpful thing I’ve learned is the difference between justice, mercy, and grace that is taught at my church. “Justice is getting what I deserve. Mercy is NOT getting what I deserve. Grace is getting what I don’t deserve.”
From gotquestions.org: “In the Bible, mercy is extended to an offender in the form of forgiveness or to the suffering in the form of healing or other comfort. In any case, mercy can be characterized as compassionate treatment of those in distress. Whether the distress is caused by the guilt or penalty of sin or by a debilitating physical condition, mercy is there to help.
Mercy is what we express when we are led by God to be compassionate in our attitudes, words, and actions. It is more than feeling sympathy toward someone; it is love enacted. Mercy is more than a feeling; it is always followed by an action.”
If Jesus is telling us to learn how to show mercy, this would imply that we need to learn how to treat others with mercy. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan man was merciful toward the injured man by taking time out of his life to help him, costing him time, money, and likely inconvenience. When was the last time I was willing to serve another human in a way that was inconvenient or that cost me time and/or money?
If mercy also has an element of forgiveness, how quickly am I willing to forgive the people in my life who offend, anger, or irritate me? Do I need to set the record straight before I am willing to forgive? Do I need to make sure the other person is appropriately sorry for his/her actions first?
Mercy is hard work. Mercy requires that I die to self. Being a person who freely extends mercy requires that I am constantly aware of how merciful God is to me. I leave you today with two more verses.
‘God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’ (Matthew 5:7)
‘There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.’ (James 2:13)
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How has another person shown you mercy?
What does being merciful mean to you?
How do you describe God’s mercy toward you?
How can you show mercy to someone today? What might that look like?