Show Mercy Series

We could go on about pardons by more recent presidents: Bush, Clinton, Obama, and even Trump. But I am not wanting to dwell on every pardon but the reason why pardons are given. Why was the ability to pardon given to our presidents? We made a decision from the beginning that we needed to be able to show that we were not going to be like the heartless leaders of the past. We are at our roots a civil society. Our framers wanted to be able to grant and show mercy at times to show our heart for God and God shows us mercy every day.

In our beatitudes, we have talked about the heart of God in the early beatitudes that Jesus preached in his great Sermon. Those who are poor in spirit seeking to humble themselves. Those who mourn pouring out their hearts to God for comfort. The meek who do not seek adulation but look to serve others first. Those that hunger and thirst for righteousness because that is the sustenance we all need.

This morning, we go to the next beatitude. Turn with me to Matthew chapter 5 as we read our next beatitude.

MATTHEW 5:7

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

In all the previous beatitudes, the urging of Jesus is to live a particular way and those that do are blessed because their reward is something even greater than the act they are doing. The poor in Spirit receive the Kingdom of heaven. Those who mourn receive comfort. The meek inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst shall be satisfied.

In this beatitude, Jesus tells the people: blessed are the merciful, for the shall receive—mercy. Is Jesus really telling them that if they are merciful, they will also get mercy? But is that true? I know many instances in life where merciful people have been berated, knocked down, trampled on, abused, and have not received mercy in their lives. What is it that Jesus is teaching in this passage? Because it cannot really mean this can it?

Stick with me here. I promise we will sort this all out this morning.

WHAT IS MERCY?

So what is mercy? D. A. Carson wrote: “Mercy is a loving response prompted by the misery and helplessness of the one on whom the love is to be showered. If grace answers to the undeserving; mercy answers to the miserable.”

Theologian Sinclair Ferguson said, “Mercy is getting down on your hands and knees and doing what you can to restore dignity to someone whose life has been broken by sin (whether his own or that of someone else).”

The people of this ancient time in Matthew’s gospel knew mercy. They knew what they were taught about mercy. We heard the plea for mercy in our Scripture reading this morning. Micah, the Hebrew prophet, urged people to end their oppressive ways and to serve those lower than them.

MICAH 6:6-8 [NKJV]

6 With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God?

Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,

The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?