Week 5
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.”
Matthew 5:7
Preamble and context
There is a pivot in the Beatitudes now. This began in the last beatitude and is now firmly entrenched in the remaining four - our clear focus is now on how we can ‘love our neighbor.’ We must put a note of caution in however, we can’t believe that the remaining Beatitudes are things we can do in our own strength. If this is the case then there’s no need for Christ nor to call them Christian, they are simply good works done by people with a moral compass. Yet it was Christ who spoke these words and it’s been clear from the first four that to live them out requires surrender and obedience to Jesus. Thus as we move to number five we can see that in all actuality it flows out of number four. When we hunger and thirst to stand rightly before God in our own lives it then results in us looking for others to also be free from injustice so that they too may stand rightly before God. And what is one way we do this? We act with mercy to those around us.
A distinction can be made at the start between grace and mercy however we need to understand that within our faith they are to live together. Mercy, as we will see, is both the heart and action to reach out to those around us, and those around the world, to right that which is wrong. This may be through financial means or physically helping in some way or extending mercy where it isn’t deserved (for example, through forgiveness etc.). In all of these forms we are extending mercy to our neighbor, both local and global. So what is grace? Mercy extends relief, grace grants the pardon. Mercy cures, cleans and helps, grace forgives and restores.
Some have argued that mercy is the necessary balance to a world that fights only for justice. There is a clear need for justice in the world though sometimes our justice is exclusive and rational. Yet mercy goes beyond this - it can seem irrational when it extends beyond those we deem worthy of it and we give mercy to all.
At the root of mercy in this Beatitude is a key question: Is mercy a feeling or an action? Am I simply moved with emotion when I see those in great need or am I a dispassionate philanthropist giving away millions but without engaging in the need? Theologians would remind us, once more, that it must be both and. Mercy is something we feel. We need to cultivate a heart that “mourns with those who mourn.” We need to feel the tears of the pain around us. This can only take place when we are actively engaged in the world. When we hear the story of those who have no power or agency or live in poverty that we are moved to tears or compassion wells up within our heart - this is the beginning of mercy. Yet the feeling must translate into action. This was of great concern for the Reformers because of their fear that it would result in a belief that we can ‘save ourselves and others’ simply by what we do. However, this can be avoided when we realize that the compassion we feel is the compassion of Jesus. And the anger we may feel at injustice and poverty is the anger the Lord feels over the brokenness of the world. And we know that we must act in response to this. This is the mercy of this Beatitude.
So how can we live a life of mercy to those around us? For all of Christian history there has been broad agreement that mercy is rooted in financially helping those around us. Through the last two thousand years Christian thinkers, theologians and apologists have considered financially helping the poor as the heart of this beatitude: we show mercy when we relieve the suffering of others.
But what if we are actually the poor? How do we give mercy if its main expression is financial? We need to appreciate that mercy is actually a much broader umbrella than simply financially giving, as important as this is.
Additionally, within this Beatitude is the mercy we extend when we forgive those who have, or continue to wound us with their words or action. We are merciful when we forgive them. We see this Beatitude be unpacked later in this Sermon on the Mount when Jesus talks about forgiving our enemies. We can think of many examples of Christians who lived this out. When the ‘rational’ thing to do would be to not forgive them they have chosen to be merciful and forgive. An action that our culture would see as weak and further demonstrating their powerlessness yet it is, in fact, the opposite. The ‘upside-down’ nature of God’s rule and reign in our lives is when we choose to be merciful by forgiving the other we are set free from the prison we have been living in when we have held on to our bitterness, anger-fantasies, shame and brokenness because of our unforgiveness. The merciful set the merciless free.
One final way we are merciful is in inviting the outsider into our friendships and community. When we choose to ‘leave an empty seat’ at core group for someone to fill; or invite that person sitting by themselves in the dining hall; or walk past the room of someone in your suite and there by themselves and you invite them to Chi Alpha live, in all of these ways you are extending mercy.
Through these three, clear, explicit examples (financially, with forgiveness, inviting the outsider in) of mercy we are doing something greater than we can imagine: we are showing others who Jesus is and we are imitating God with our actions. How? We are reflecting what God has done for us. He has extended us mercy when we were undeserving, he has invited us into his divine community, and he has provided for us over and over again. Thus, our acts of mercy point people towards God.
Finally, what is the ‘reward’ or reversal we see in this Beatitude? This one is like no other, it seems to show a clear connection: when we are merciful we are shown mercy.
If we’re not careful in how we interpret this, the problem can become that we believe that this is a simple linear equation: we are merciful because we have been shown it and we can begin to live expecting the reward. I will be merciful just so that I can receive mercy. This is an unhealthy logic and needs to be put to the side. It is more appropriate to see it in a circular manner as it has at its heart that it begins with Jesus being merciful to us when we didn’t deserve it. When we grasp this reality we are more likely to realize that with the mercy we have been shown we choose to show others - not to get mercy but because living mercifully before others is how Jesus calls us to live. The reward is that we will receive mercy but we don’t live mercifully just to win something for ourselves.
Questions to discuss and consider
How would you define the word ‘mercy?’
Can you think of someone who has shown you mercy? What did that look like?
Do you consider yourself a merciful kind of person?
Do you think our world is merciful towards others? Take some time to unpack this idea with concrete examples?
How would you distinguish between mercy and grace?
Do you think mercy is a feeling or an action or both? Can you think of times when you have been ‘moved by mercy’ but not acted upon it? Can you think of times where you’ve done the opposite?
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Read Luke 10: 25-37 (The Story of the Good Samaritan)
In what ways did the Samaritan show mercy? How would you distinguish this between mercy and grace?
What can you learn from this story? How would you apply this in and through your own life?
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What are the three main expressions of mercy from this Beatitude? Which one do you resonate most clearly with and why? Which one would you find most challenging?
Do you find it hard to forgive people? Do you find it difficult to extend mercy to them? What prevents you from doing this? How could you do this?
Do you invite others into Chi Alpha? Are you merciful to them? What prevents you from doing this? In what ways is this preventing them from finding mercy? What kind of mercy may they find if they were invited in?
What is the reward of living mercifully according to Jesus’ word in this Beatitude? Do you sometimes feel like you live for the reward more than the act of living mercifully? How can you confront this?
Spiritual Practice for the week
This week, take time to think about your relationships. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to any where you hold unforgiveness toward that person. Ask the Holy Spirit to show the effect, or impact of that unforgiveness on your life. How is it affecting your thoughts, emotions and actions? Ask the Lord to forgive you (you may not feel it and that’s ok) and audibly forgive the individual (again you may have negative or no feelings attached to this and that’s ok). Find someone you trust within Chi Alpha and begin to walk a life of freedom through forgiveness of them - give them the mercy they don’t deserve but they need.
Practical demonstration for the week
As a core group, think about the three examples of mercy tied to this beatitude (financially helping the poor/forgiving others/inviting the outside into this community) and develop a clear and simple plan as to how you will live out these three together. Decide how you can help someone or a group of people financially; each of you consider how to forgive someone and to hold one another accountable for this; and finally put a clear plan in place as to how to invite someone into your core group.