Be Merciful

Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. (Lk 6:36)

Be merciful. That sounds so churchy, doesn't  it? So pious and religious. And, I'm guessing, most of us really do show some degree of mercy to the folks we interact with on a daily basis. A wife may withhold a harsh word that her husband deserves. A parent may forgive a debt owed by a child. An employer may overlook a late arrival of an employee. The list could go on. Each of these are genuine signs of mercy.

And yet, I don't think these are quite what Jesus was getting at in Lk 6:32-36. Jesus' call for mercy is to show mercy to those who cannot (or would not) show us mercy in return. Praying for for someone else is definitely a sign of mercy, but how often (seriously!) do we pray for someone who would never pray for us? Not just someone who doesn't know us (like a missionary), but someone like an unbelieving neighbor or co-worker. Or, better yet, someone who is theologically or philosophically opposed to you? How often do we forgive the debts, financial or social, of those whom we are friends with? Yet would we ever do the same for someone we don't know or don't care for?

I say all of this to reiterate Jesus' incredibly insane point. This is a picture of God's mercy to us. He was not on our friends and family list before He invaded our lives. We did not know Him, love Him, seek Him or want Him. Talk about praying for your enemies! (Lk 23;34) And Jesus' radical call is for us to imitate Him and show mercy to those who deserve no mercy nor would they show us mercy if the roles were reversed.

Is this easy? No way. Does this go against both our human nature and the culture we live in? Without a doubt. But it is a command of our King. Let us strive today, and every day, to be merciful as God has been merciful to us.

To God Alone be the Glory