Would you like to receive mercy?
Day 224
October 26, 2020
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” - Matthew 5:7
You noticed her right away. She was crouched over, obviously without a home, her clothes were not clean and she looked hungry. She was walking away from the car in front of you and beginning to make her way with some difficulty to yours. Just then, the light turned green and you stepped on the gas. “I can’t stop to give her anything,” you thought to yourself; “I don’t have any cash…there are cars behind me...I’ll be late to work...she probably doesn’t need it all that much.” Another opportunity to be merciful slips away amidst your excuses and justifications.
Hebrews chapter 2:17 tells us that one of the reasons that Jesus came to earth in the flesh as a man was so that he could be like “his brothers in every respect.” Upon knowing the experience of being human, Jesus could truly be merciful. He was able to understand man’s desperate condition in a fallen world and therefore have mercy upon mankind. This helps us to see even more deeply as to why he came as the humble son of a poor carpenter and his wife. He didn’t come as an earthly king with riches and power, one who could not relate to the lowly. No, he understood what it was to be unseen, looked down upon, invisible, and was therefore able to have mercy.
But oftentimes we don’t. As with the example of the homeless woman above, we just don’t have the time, or we just don’t want to be bothered.
But the greatest mercy Jesus showed mankind was that His time was worth it and He was willing to be bothered, to the point of death, giving His life for us on the cross. The verse in Hebrews goes on to say that he was “a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, (who came) to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” The greatest act of mercy Jesus showed was the compassion he had by taking the place of us all. Propitiation means that He paid the price for the sins of the rest. While He did not deserve it himself, being sinless, He took upon himself the wrath of God, which was the just punishment for sin. Can you imagine having so much mercy and compassion for someone else, that you’d be willing to take their place of punishment just so they wouldn’t experience it? That you’d be willing to trade your life for that woman at the traffic light? This is Christ’s example for us.
So in what ways can we show this kind of mercy? As God’s children, poor in spirit, meek and hungry for righteousness, we can just look around us and see the needs of people. Be they spiritual or physical needs, our hearts need to be in tune with God’s compassion as His spirit leads us in acts of mercy for our brothers and sisters. Don’t let the busyness of your day, or hardness and apathy, keep you from intentionally looking around you with merciful eyes. For as you do this, you too will receive mercy in the times of your need.
And don’t forget that in Christ, we have already received the greatest mercy of all. Even if you have nothing else to share, share that.
Read and meditate on Matthew 5:1-12