03-28-24-ENG.

The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.

Psalm 145:9
God’s mercy serves as an illustration for how we are to be merciful to others. Mercy isn’t contingent on what someone else can do. It doesn’t depend on if the other person deserves it, either. If we needed to earn the air we breathe or the sunrise that gives us light that God so mercifully supplies, none of us would be here. Mercy presupposes that the person receiving it is not entitled to what he or she is receiving. Thus, when you show someone mercy, it’s not a favor. It’s not a business transaction. It’s not quid pro quo. Mercy provides relief from sorrow and pronounces a state of well-being on the recipient, regardless of what they have done up to that point. There are two common reasons people need mercy. One is due to the debilitating impact of sin in their lives. The other is due to the painful weight of circumstances that have arisen as a result of no fault of their own. Yet regardless of the cause of the suffering, mercy extends relief to those who need it, whether or not you agree with them and what they have done in their lives.

One of the most well-known stories of mercy found in the Bible is the story of the Good Samaritan. You may know this story, but it’s worth repeating. A man was walking on the road when he was suddenly beaten up and left broken and wounded. Several so-called spiritual people walked past but showed no mercy to him. They merely saw him and went on their way. But when the Samaritan, a person who was normally racially separate from the Jews, walked by, he felt mercy in his heart for the man in need. Not only did the Samaritan have to overcome a natural tendency to keep walking and attend to his regular business, but he had to overcome a history of racial segregation and hate. The Jews had been less than kind to the Samaritans in both word and deed. And yet this man showed kindness to the man in need. God wants us to be like the Good Samaritan. He wants us to set aside our own selfishness and our own pain or historical wounds in order to show kindness and mercy to whoever needs it most. We often use the trauma of the past as an excuse to live angry and bitter lives today, feeling that somehow means we are pursuing justice. Yet God reminds us that true justice shows up when we show mercy.

This is because it is only when we overcome the evil of hate in our own hearts by showing mercy to those around us that God is freed up to show us mercy as well. God’s mercy is often a prerequisite to His justice. Mercy isn’t always about the other person, although that is a big part of what mercy includes. Mercy is also about fine-tuning the emotions in our own hearts so they reflect the heart of God. It involves our own personal spiritual maturity, so we come to look like Jesus in all we think, say, and do. Jesus didn’t have to show us mercy when He hung on the cross for our sins. But it was love that motivated Him to do it. He loved the Father, and He loved us. Similarly, our love for God and our love for others show up when we show mercy to someone in need. 

Reaction:
Why do you think Jesus used the story of the Good Samaritan to illustrate mercy? How different would this world be if there were more people showing mercy than fighting for their own rights and revenge? What steps can you take to distance yourself from the cultural hate and anger so prevalent in our world today, as well as judgment toward other groups of people? 

Prayer:
Jesus, free me from the need to always be right or to withhold love from those I do not feel deserve it. Show me what a blessing it is to me when I show mercy to others, especially to those I do not feel deserve it. Help me learn through experience that this is a very good thing to do. I love You and am grateful for the mercy You show me every day. In Your name I pray, amen.