7. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Mercy reaps Mercy

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Matthew 5:7)

Being merciful simply means to help someone. In our busy lives, it often takes effort to slow down long enough to show mercy. To do that, we don’t necessarily need to run off to disaster-stricken areas, nor do we need to go to great expense. All we need is to have the heart of Jesus and be available.

One event during Jesus’ ministry here on earth never fails to baffle me. In Matthew 15:22, a Canaanite woman came to Jesus, crying, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.”

Jesus did not answer. His disciples were even worse, urging him to send her away. Finally, Jesus said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Couldn’t he have made one exception? He is a merciful God, isn’t He?

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

He replied, “It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.” 

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus would have been unmerciful had He stuck to the rules and kept on refusing her request. He knew the rules, and He could have enforced them, but His amazing mercy allowed her faith to bend the rules.

Consider the two sons who were sent to work for their father in Matthew 21: 28-31. The one said yes, he would go, but never went. The other refused at first, but prompted by the mercy in him, he went.

This beatitude is about sowing and reaping. When I see a car broken down on the side of the road, I often stop and see if I can help. As a result, the few times my car has broken down, I’ve never had to wait more than a few seconds for help to arrive. Once, on a trip, I had two flat tyres in a row. The first time I put the spare on. When the second tyre went, I pulled off the road and, as I opened the door, I saw a car coming. The man, driving at a high rate of speed, slammed on the brakes as if some power forced him. He took me, my dog, and my two tyres to the next town quite a distance away, where I had them repaired. Without having to wait, I got a lift back in a truck. I reaped mercy.

Sometimes being merciful demands something from us. It demanded that Jesus bend the rules of His calling. It demanded that the son in the parable change his mind, and it sometimes demands that we change our plans, be late for an appointment, or sacrifice effort and energy on behalf of others. However, if we calculate how much effort, money, energy, and time we would waste should disaster come our way, it would be handy to have some mercy in our bank account.

In some prosperous countries, people rely on insurance, and therefore mercy seems unnecessary. If your car breaks down, you do not need to depend on the help of others; you call the tow truck for which you’ve paid. The same applies for medicine and law. Living in such a country, one easily gets the impression that everybody is covered by some sort of insurance, but if one digs a bit deeper, he will quickly realize that a lot of people need help.

Because these citizens are expected to be self-reliant, they are often reluctant to announce their need. Those who are prepared to show mercy and to help often stop doing so because of the message that nobody needs help. In the process, someone needing help might not get it.

The Kingdom of God, however, has a Master who desires to show His mercy in practical ways. We need to learn to depend on Him and to listen when He commands mercy and help.

Jesus also taught us to love our enemies. Since it's not really possible to feel love towards your enemies and those you don't like, acting out mercy and helping them when they need it is one way of loving them.

Mercy and help are not meant only for the physical and material needs such as in poor countries. Prosperous areas need mercy and help in other areas such as emotional, psychological, and social deprivation. Quite often, wealthy people can afford anything they want, but they can’t buy peace, joy, and happiness, so they need mercy.

As servants who look after fellow servants, we need to be righteous and merciful according to divine standards.

For the Children and Adults who will learn in a Childlike Way