“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
Matthew 5 v 7
Mercy is the beautiful sister of grace. Grace is receiving favour when none was earned. Mercy on the other hand is not receiving punishment when punishment is thoroughly earned. Both are attributes of God’s love towards is. There is a real sense that the most pressing need is for mercy, for one awaiting sentence “mercy!” is the cry.
But you might say that the verse seems to reverse this order. It says that those who are merciful will receive mercy, which sounds like cause and effect. To think this however is to misunderstand the whole nature of the gospel which always begins with action from God and never from us. This is also a trap which is easy to fall into when we separate and divide scripture down into individual verses, as if more could be learned by the components if they were split apart and laid on the work bench.
The beatitudes are clearly progressive so this “happy man” has already dealt with his standing before God and his desperate need for righteousness. It would be nonsense to pluck a man from the kingdom of darkness and demand he be merciful. It is however the attitude you would expect from someone who had himself been plucked from the very jaws of judgement.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 18 v 23-35
The gospel always leads to radical change, to real, fundamental transformation. Where this encounter with God is genuine, fruit is always apparent - the distribution of mercy being such fruit. Where there is no genuine work of God, the fruit can never be manufactured.
We mix these up at our peril.
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