THE BEATITUDES (6)

Blessed Are The Merciful

Matthew 5:7

Victor M. Eskew

 

          Matthew 5:7 is a continuation of The Beatitudes of Jesus.  He said:  “Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy.”  The word blessed is often defined as “happy.”  However, Jesus really seems to be saying is:  Those who have these qualities or practice these behaviors do so to their greatest good.  Jesus knows exactly what is best for man.  In John 10:10, He proclaims that He came to give everyone an abundant life.  Those, therefore, who put into practice Jesus’ instructions will receive all that is of the highest order both here and in the world to come.

          One of the behaviors of the child of God should involve the bestowal of mercy upon others.  Mercy involves kindness.  Mercy involves forgiveness.  Mercy involves giving what is best to another.  Mercy springs from a heart of understanding and benevolence.  The fountain of mercy begins with God.  It should flow through the hearts of everyone upon whom it has been bestowed.  When mercy is poured out upon others, it results in strong, healthy relationships between the givers and the receivers.

          Let’s look at two different stories.  One is a true story that happened in the Old Testament.  This story manifests the merciful nature of king David.  During the reign of Saul, David was treated with hatred and disdain by the king.  Two times Saul tried to slay David with a spear.  For a long period of time, David was chased by the monarch through the wilderness.  It would have been easy for David to develop a hard heart toward Saul and his descendants.  This David refused to possess.  When David was on the throne of Israel, he asked if there were anyone from the lineage of Saul upon whom he might shew kindness, that is, mercy.  “And David said, Is there yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?  And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba.  And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba?  And he said, Thy servant is he.  And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?  And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet” (2 Sam. 9:1-3).

          Was this sincere desire that David had?  Or, was this a ploy to ferret out any relatives of the previous administration in order to dispose of them?  The answer is revealed quickly in the Biblical text.  “Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.  Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence.  And David said, Mephibosheth.  And he answered, Behold thy servant!  And David said unto him, Fear not:  for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually” (2 Sam. 9:5-7).  The remaining five verses of the chapter reveal David’s fulfillment of his promise to Mephibosheth.  Was David kind?  Absolutely!  Did his actions involve forgiveness?  He certainly did not hold the evil of Saul against Mephibosheth.  Did David bestow upon Mephibosheth that which was best for him?  There is no doubt about that at all.  David displayed tender mercy upon a young man who was lame and who was not deserving of his blessing.  “Blessed are the merciful.”

          The second story is a parable told by Jesus.  Whether this event literally happened or not is not important.  The fact is that is that it could have happened.  A servant was brought before a king because he was deeply indebted to him.  When the man cried out for the king to have patience with him, the king “was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.” (Matt. 18:27).  The servant’s debt was ten thousand talents.  It was a debt that he would have never had the ability to repay.  The story, however, does not end there.  “But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him a hundred pence:  and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  And he would not:  but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt” (Matt. 18:28-30).  Here, we see an unmerciful individual.  A servant’s fellow servant owned him a small amount of money.  He begged for the individual to have patience, and he would pay back the money.  The servant refused.  Instead, he “went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.”  He was not kind.  He was cruel.  He was not forgiving.  He was unforgiving.  He did not bless the life of his fellow servant.  Instead, he made his life much more difficult.  This story is dark and ugly.  The beauty of mercy is not found therein.

          As with all of the beatitudes, there is a promise attached to this beatitude.  “Blessed are the merciful:  for they shall obtain mercy.”  Mercy is the promise to the merciful.  David had sinned severely in during his reign. Adultery and murder were two of his sins.  When confronted with his transgressions, David confessed them.  Even though consequences were meted out, God was still merciful to the king.  David was allowed to live.  Too, he retained his kingdom.  His reign became the example to all other kings who followed.

          This was not the case with the servant who was unmerciful to his fellow servant.  Let’s go back to the parable.  The lord was told what his forgiven servant had done.  “Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:  should not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee.  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due him” (Matt. 18:32-34).  All of the mercy that had been extended to him was removed.  Mercy turned to punishment.  James sums up what transpired in James 2:13.  “For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy…”

          Every human being stands in need of the mercy of God.  We have sinned.  We are helpless when it comes to paying our debt.  God is loving and compassionate.  His mercy is bountiful.  However, His mercy is conditional.  We, too, must be loving and compassionate.  We must be willing to extend mercy to those who have accumulated debt against us.  This ought to be a simple process.  God’s mercy should flow though our hearts and into the lives others who stand in need of mercy. God’s mercy toward us should beget our mercy toward others.  Dear readers, if you will extend mercy, you can take comfort that God’s mercy is available to you.