Matthew 5:7 7Blessed are the merciful, because they shall receive mercy.
Mercy (eleēmones) is an expression of kindness and compassion, especially towards those who have disappointed or hurt us. It is an attitude that is willing to see things from the perspective of the other person. A way to show mercy is through forgiveness. God is merciful (Exodus 34:6-7) and wants his children to be merciful (Hosea 6:6).
Mercy is an action word in the Bible and something to be shown to others. A citizen of God’s kingdom is merciful because we take on the nature of our King who has shown mercy towards us. Mercy is closely linked to forgiveness. Like Jesus, we carry the failings of others as an expression of love, even when it hurts us, so that they might experience God’s salvation. Jesus taught that our forgiveness of others is directly linked to how God will forgive us (6:14-15).
Being merciful requires us not to be quick to take offense but to be patient because our hearts are filled with love (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). We have an irresistible love for the weak, unlovable, downtrodden, hurt, and lonely. The world passes judgment on such people, but kingdom people offer mercy. These people need mercy, and we must be more than willing to give it to them. Mercy is not a characteristic that we find too much in our world. We more often find revenge and unforgiveness. People will act to protect their honor, power, and position rather than be shamed by helping those in need. The way of the world is to seek revenge, to fight for our rights, to jockey for position, to establish the pecking order. As disciples, we begin to act like Jesus who hung out with sinners and tax collectors, who were the rejected people of his day. Jesus embodied mercy and calls his followers to be like him (9:10-13).
Those who show mercy will also receive mercy. The assumed source of this mercy is God. We should be forgiving and compassion to others because that is how God treats us. We must show full and complete mercy, not just temporarily or partially forgiving until we can use the situation as a weapon in the future but forgiving, forgetting, and moving on to new relationships.
Showing mercy to others frees them from their past and provides the open door for them to move forward in their lives. Showing mercy should not be a passive thing, where we just forgive people and then send them on their merry way, but it involves positive action of helping them become all that God has created them to be. Being merciful should help them find new life in Jesus Christ.
God does not give up on us and neither should we give up on the people around us. We need to realize that people will have their faults and sins. We can give them space and show them mercy. It is not our mercy that we show but the mercy God has given to us. Because of his mercy towards us, we are able to extend mercy to others. We realize how much we have been forgiven and, therefore, are more than willing to forgive others. We owe our very lives to the mercy of God. Like with all the other beatitudes, we look to the cross for our example. The way of the cross is mercy. Those who are merciful are blessed because we have a merciful Lord.
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