Thought for Today
Psalm 23:6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.
Zechariah 7:9 Thus says the LORD of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another;
Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
2 Timothy 1:2 To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
mercy: “compassion or forbearance . . . shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power: imprisonment rather than death imposed as penalty for first-degree murder; a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion . . . “ (merriam-webster.com)
mercy: “Kind and compassionate treatment extending biblically to forgiveness and the gracious bestowal of that which is not deserved. It is an important descriptor of God’s character and activities and characteristic of the Christian.” (Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms)
The word ‘mercy’ appears 100 to 200+ times in the Bible. There are at least 2 words in biblical Greek we translate as ‘mercy:’ ἔλεος (aleos) and χάρις (karis). This morning, as I read from my 3 devotional guides, I thought about mercy. Mercy is a word Christians sometimes carelessly bandy about without much careful consideration. What is the ‘Christian understanding’ of mercy? Just what do we mean when we use that word?
The Greek lexicon in my computer app lists as possible translations for χάρις kindness, grace, good will, favor, mercy. For ἔλεος it lists mercy, compassion, sympathy, lovingkindness, faithfulness.
The Bible speaks much about mercy, about God’s mercy toward God’s children and about our duty to be merciful to each other. In our current daily lives we probably encounter thoughts of mercy more in terms of kindness and compassion. If you enjoy watching crime dramas or courtroom dramas on television, you are probably familiar with the concept of someone ‘throwing themselves on the mercy of the court.’
How much mercy do most of us encounter in our daily lives? Do we see much compassion or kindness offered when our bills are due? Will the power company extend mercy and compassion toward us when we cannot pay our bills? Should companies be required to extend mercy toward those unable to pay for goods and services?
If we form our understanding and ideas of mercy based on what we see in nature, in God’s Creation, we might get a completely different understanding of what mercy means. Does the lion show mercy to the antelope or any other prey? Does the wolf lie down with the lamb, or does the wolf devour the lamb? Even within the plant kingdom, does the stronger tree show mercy to the weaker and allow its root system preferential access to the water and soil nutrients?
Interestingly, in the devotional this morning which sparked my thoughts on mercy, the author wrote of being merciful primarily in terms of extending forgiveness. That writer equated mercy and forgiveness with grace. Paul, in the introduction of his second letter to Timothy mentions grace, mercy and peace. Are forgiveness, grace, mercy and peace separate or even separable emotions or states? Can we have peace when there is no mercy? Is there any grace in life when there is neither mercy, peace nor forgiveness?
Of those definitions above, I prefer the theological definition. As a Christian, I cannot understand any of those terms outside the boundaries of my faith. As a child of God, I understand mercy, grace, peace and forgiveness in terms of the Creator God I worship and love. When I receive mercy, grace, peace and forgiveness from God, I know that I do so not because I merit such consideration from God, but rather because such behavior is characteristic of the nature of God.
When I think of mercy, grace, peace and forgiveness, I remember Paul’s words, “Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-“ Not because I merit salvation, but because I believe.
Stay safe, be merciful, trust God,
Pastor Ray