Blessed Are The Merciful

 

In this world there is a great lack of mercy. People, in the church and the world are ready to “crucify” anyone who they wish to see justice, and who they are stirred up to hate. What if it was you and people were baying for your judgement? Worse, our LORD was in that position, people crying “crucifying Him!,” (Luke 23:21), and few save Pontius Pilate sought some mercy for Him. 

In this age of interconnectivity, people have become a large pool of that crowd crying for crucifixion on Reddit, Social Media, Forums, Discord, iand more. Rather than consider, what if your day is coming when someone with crucify you before others over a mistake or misdeed, people get the rocks or comments ready to join in revelry over someone’s day of judgement. How tragic that we human beings have lost compassion, and mercy, and allow ourselves to be like people asking for nails to be driven in Jesus’ hands, and feet, rather than the faithful disciples standing by cross weeping and speaking to Him. Jesus said “they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another,” (John 13:35), and it is not very loving to find fault in someone, and join those who want them to be crushed and shamed. The same Jesus said, “blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7). That is a promise form Jesus, that if we show people forgiveness, and mercy; that is rather than destroy them, even if the law demands it, we say, “we were once sinners and enemies of God, and he loved us, I show you mercy.” 

Our Lord told a parable of a man who was forgiven a great sum, the one to whom he owed showed mercy, rather than collect the debt, or make him a slave, the Man forgave the debt (Matthew 18:21-35). How many of us are in same place when the Tax Agency audits or say a Bank demands the whole sum, would we not beg mercy?! And yet what does this servant in the parable do? He finds a man who owed him a little sum, and decided to punish him severely, and even make him a slave till he pays the debt. How many of us have become like that? We receive Mercy, and rather than paying it forward to someone else, we exact retribution on people? Just remember that your mercilessness will receive the same in kind! For “as you sow you shall reap,” (Galatians 6:7-9). 

I with tears watch as people pounce message boards, on social media, and even in den of politics to destroy someone when a sin is revealed. And yet how many of us are hiding our own transgressions? How many of us have addictions? How many of us have a past where did things we regret? Are we to hold it over people? If we do so we condemn the Bible, for The Apostle Paul who wrote two thirds of the New Testament was a murderer and Chef of Sinners, “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them.” (1 Timothy 1:15). He was given a second chance, and still struggled with sin, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” (Romans 7:15-20).Should Pau have been prevented from his great contribution to the Scriptures? 

We rejoice over ‘justice’ when we see people punished. While I understand when it is truly an evil person, but more often than not it is a scapegoat, we are putting our vitriol and violent emotions on them when we carry as many flaws, and sins. We delude ourselves into thinking that we are somehow different, more righteous, and would never stoop to make such reprehensible acts; that is until you are in their shoes, and hard choices press down on you. Mercy is about not giving people what they deserve because humans are frail, mankind is broken since Eden, and desperately needs the Savior Jesus who is All Merciful, because while we were God’s enemies he saved us, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” (Romans 5:6-11). 

I weep like Jeremiah for these generations who are so stirred to cry “crucify them!” When they are as blotted with darkness as those they accuse and wish to tear down. I fear for the church, as “love is growing cold,” (Matthew 24:12) inside it, and people destroy those who have errored and made mistakes. It is one thing to deal with a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, its another to put on the stake a fellow saint because they slipped in an area many can, or have we forgotten Jude’s words to rescuing our brother when they are faltering, “And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives” (Jude 1:22-23). We are suppose to behave when brother is failing, like someone going into V-Fib in an ER, and do what we can to save them! Not gloat and say, “die you sinner!” When is the Church going to have mercy?! How can world even see mercy save through us by God’s Spirit?! We judge people so harshly, so harshly! Broken, traumatized, and drowning people, and say like Pharisees, “I will not stain myself with their company,” and yet Jesus called Prostitutes and Tax Collectors, and said they would enter heaven before the Pharisees! (Matthew 21:31). 

I am so broken hearted as I see mercy getting lost. As people are like crowd asking for our Savior’s blood, his humiliation, and death. We were suppose to be different. We are running out of time, the hour grows late Church, are we going to do like Jesus said and go to our brother in private over offenses (Matthew 18:15) or humiliate them in public? Shall we Rescue our faltering brother (Jude 1:22-3) or let them be put to the flames? And finally will we withhold judging others?, “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3) or join the hypocritical judges? Decide! AMEN.