Monday | Matthew 5:7

Those Who Are Merciful | Matthew 5:7

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

My wife really enjoys watching criminal-type TV programs, especially those that involve CSI scientists and when I do catch a couple of these episodes with her, I tend to think that the CSI portion is a great supplement to the overall theme: justice served.

When justice is served, there is a great deal of accomplishment and morality that comes with it because someone who committed a wrong was caught, apprehended, and then served with a penalty. I think it’s somewhat natural for us to feel that way in real life. That is, when we are wronged or sinned against, we desire for justice to be served. And justice served could like an individual coming back and apologizing to us, seeing others sinned against, or even for someone to receive some sort of sentence. 

However, in today’s beatitude, Jesus tells us that the merciful receive mercy. The question, at least in my mind, is “why?” Similar to last week’s post, the individual who is merciful is first poor in spirit because if an individual is first poor in spirit then mercy will be all the louder to them. In other words, mercy is not natural for us apart from the work of the Holy Spirit in us. 

The Christian who is merciful understands two things: grace and repentance. We define grace as unmerited favor from God to sinners. You see, in grace, God gives us mercy. What we do deserve (judgment or sentencing), we don’t receive. And what we do receive (grace) is what we don’t deserve. 

In repentance, we are making a decision to turn away from our sin as we respond to the grace and mercy of Christ for us. This, in turn, affects how we respond and interact with one another. It’s not that we become passive toward sin around us or committed against us, but that we can actually engage one another not as a beacon of morality, but a reflection of grace and mercy whether that’s through the lens of forgiveness, encouragement, or even rebuke. 

May the God who demonstrates great mercy and grace to those who fear Him continue to shape us in the image of Jesus for His glory and our good.