THE BEATITUDES:
Blessed Are The Merciful
The Lord revealed attitudes which lead to obedient faith (poor in spirit, mourn, meek, v 3-5), and then encourages the pursuit (hunger and thirst) of righteousness through God's word. In the next few beatitudes, areas of growth in the Christian are identified. He begins,
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. (Matthew 5:7)
Merriam-Webster defines mercy as "compassion or forbearance shown especially to an offender or to one subject to one's power; ...a blessing that is an act of divine favor or compassion; ...compassionate treatment of those in distress..."1
In this beatitude, both the blessed and the blessing deal with mercy. However, we must be careful not to reverse the Lord's word. It is not that those who have obtained mercy will themselves be merciful, rather, if we show mercy, then we ourselves shall receive it. What we receive is dependant upon what we will give.
Jesus told the parable of the master who had forgiven his servant a great debt, showing compassion upon him. However, that servant immediately went out and demanded a fellow servant repay a debt he owed. When his fellow servant sought mercy, he would not, but cast him into prison. When his master heard it, he said:
'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' (Matthew 18:32-33)
As a result, his master delivered him to the torturers, until such a time that he could repay all (NOTE, it was a debt which a servant could not pay, v 24-25). Then Jesus makes the application:
So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses. (Matthew 18:35)
If we will not show mercy, then we shall not be recipients of mercy. If we will not forgive, then we will not be forgiven. As Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He made the simple statement,
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)
The Lord then explains,
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:15-16)
James, in his writing stated,
For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13)
“If we will not show mercy, then we shall not be recipients of mercy.”
Friend, is that not a scary thought? If we will not be people who show mercy to others, then we place ourselves in the pitiable situation of not being a recipient of God's mercy in judgment.
However, what a blessed hope is our's if we will be merciful. If we will show compassion upon those who are distressed, we will receive the compassionate care of the Lord when we are in times of distress. If we will extend patience and a willingness to forgive toward those who have sinned against us, then we can have the assurance that God is patient with us, willing to forgive as we repent also.
Merriam-Webster identified mercy as "...an act of divine favor..." Friend, quite simply, we need to be imitators of the character of God. Later in the same sermon, Jesus called for us to
...be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust... Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:45,48)
What a high calling! What an immense blessing! To imitate our heavenly Father, knowing that as we do so, showing mercy and compassion upon others, that the Father will shower His mercy and compassion upon us.
Works Cited
1) Merriam-Webster, online.
We are sad not to have had the chance to meet our little one, but rest in the hope which David proclaimed of his young son who passed from this life, "I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:23) We want to remember our unborn child by name, not as the baby Shelly miscarried in March 2009. We've chosen the name Jesse Brephos Stewart. Jesse, a Hebrew name meaning "God exists" or "God's gift". Brephos, a Greek term meaning "babe", and used in Scripture to describe a child in the womb. Indeed, Jesse Brephos was a gift from God in Shelly's womb. We anticipate meeting Jesse in eternity, and rest in hope that God will again open the womb for conception. |
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Answering The Atheist
Complaint:
Should Christians pray in public (1 Timothy 2:8), or not (Matthew 6:5-6). Is there a contradiction?
Response:
In Matthew 6, as Jesus taught His disciples about prayer, he contrasts the humble prayer life He desired in them with the arrogant, self-centered prayers of the hypocritical religious leaders of His day. The Pharisees would select a location to pray in where they would be readily visible to men, so that they might receive praise from them for being so "spiritual". This is what Jesus condemns.
It should be understood that the prayers which Jesus speaks of in Matthew 6:5-6 are personal prayers, not prayers offered in a public worship assembly. The Bible speaks of both. Our private prayers need to be just that - private. They are between us and God, and we should not place ourselves on display for the world to see.
However, when the church is gathered together, or, in Old Testament times when the people had gathered at the temple or the synagogues to worship, it is understood that there are those who will lead those gathered in the study of God's word, in the singing of songs, and in prayer.
When Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:8, "I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands" (KJV), Paul is not saying that we should enter a bar and pray there, stand on a street corner and pray there, stand in th middle of the mall and pray there, etc.
In commanding that "...men pray everywhere...", the apostle is addressing spiritual leadership. In any spiritual setting, if there be a mixed assembly (men and women), Paul's instruction is that the men pray. This is his instruction for all Christians in all places (everywhere).
There is no contradiction.
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