Justice and Mercy
Most people have an innate sense of justice. Have you ever been in a movie theater and the bad guy of the film finally gets what's coming to him and the crowd just erupts with applause...? People like to see justice.
We live in a world that has become upside down with right being called wrong and wrong being celebrated and even given protected status. It can be very frustrating and we just want to see justice!
And then, if you're like me - if someone personally does you wrong, you want to make things right; you want justice. If somebody cheats me or hurts me or takes something from me - they should pay for it, right? - But what if I do somebody wrong? What if I hurt someone? Well, of course, then I want mercy...
Now that I'm back from vacation I want to jump back to our series on the beatitudes. So let's look again at Jesus' words from Matthew 5:1-7 (NIV)...
Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, (2) and he began to teach them, saying: (3) "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (4) Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (5) Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (6) Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (7) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."
This morning, I want us to focus on that particular topic - mercy. Mercy is not opposed to justice, it's not like two sides of a coin – you can have a desire for both justice and mercy. So to get a handle on it let's start with…
I. Understanding Mercy
The dictionary definition of mercy is, "Refraining from inflicting punishment, or enforcement of a debt, right or obligation that is due on an adversary or a lawbreaker."
When someone does something against us - it's natural to feel angry. We get angry because we know it's not fair! Someone hurt us or lied about us or took something of ours or whatever the situation is - but we feel justified because, you kinda have a right to feel angry.
But as followers of Jesus, we repeatedly see Jesus calling us to lay down our rights for the sake of others for His higher purposes. Each of the beatitudes we've looked at so far, "the poor in spirit", "those who mourn", "the meek", "those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" – each of them has to do with letting go of 'self' and focusing on the needs of others. That unrestrained selflessness doesn't always feel natural. And it's not something we always want to do. However, for one who follows Jesus…
A. Mercy is expected
Mercy is just sort of assumed if you're going to follow Jesus. We see Jesus' words from what is called the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:12-15 (NIV)...
'Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (13) And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' (14) For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
It's implied that when we make the request for our own forgiveness that we've already forgiven others. Mercy is expected – it's just what you learn to do as a Christian. And Jesus clearly pointed out the consequences if we don't show mercy; if we don't forgive. I wish that it wasn't that cut and dried – but how could we interpret it as anything else – "if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
We are called to show mercy. Unfortunately, sometimes we can be downright merciless toward others around us who sin, particularly in a different area or different ways than we do. Then, sometimes we can be pretty quick to judge and pretty slow to show mercy.
But mercy is expected. And, as we learn to understand mercy, we also see that God desires...
B. Mercy over sacrifice
What I mean is – God would much rather have us show mercy to someone else even over giving a million dollar offering to Him. And I know this because when the religious people of Jesus' day complained about Him spending time with common 'sinners' - Jesus told them...
Matthew 9:13 (NIV)
But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
We are called to show mercy - but it's much easier to try to get out of that obligation by showing love to God by generous actions towards Him. We then can feel somehow justified. But that's not what God has asked of us. We can't ignore mercy or give time or money instead of showing mercy. Jesus told His critics, "...go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'
I don't know that I always live with that attitude. God desires mercy over sacrifice and we need to understand that mercy is more than just forgiveness. Forgiveness is a huge part of mercy, but mercy is actually bigger than forgiveness. Mercy is different in the fact that God is merciful to us even when we're doing exactly what we're supposed to. God's mercy doesn't just forgive our sins and faults and failures, but also covers our weaknesses and our needs. His entire attitude towards us is mercy!
Forgiveness is a part of mercy as mercy is a part of love. Mercy is love in action. We can show mercy to those who have wronged us as well as those who haven't done a thing against us but need God's love – who need mercy. There are a lot of hurting people in this world who need mercy!
Mercy can white wash over any offense and it can also give help to those in need. Mercy doesn't just forgive and set things right – mercy also brings a blessing over and above any forgiveness or need. Mercy goes further and…
II. Mercy asks the unthinkable
So far we've looked at mercy as an abstract idea - but what does it look like when it's fully lived out?
It was almost 20 years ago when a shooting occurred in Pennsylvania at the West Nickel Mines Amish Schoolhouse. I've shared this story before when talking about mercy, but I simply can't find a more perfect illustration. You may remember, a gunman took hostages and shot eight girls (ages 6-13), killing five of them, before committing suicide. Shortly after the event, journalist Ann Curry wrote this report...
"Today, with tears in his eyes, a minister described to me seeing an Amish mother embalming her 13-year old daughter Marian, who was shot in the forehead at the school. She was carefully and lovingly dressing her girl in white... All around the family watched, crying softly, even the little children, who listened as their grandfather told them not to hate the gunman who did this. "Forgive," he was instructing them, "Forgive, as God forgives us." This forgiveness seems especially incredible, coming on the same day the coroner has reported to have counted almost 20 bullet wounds in the body of a 7-year-old girl."
Curry continued, "An Amish woman told me perhaps the good that might come of this tragedy is, "We can tell people about Christ and actually show you in our walk that we forgive, not just say it, but in our walk of life. You know you have to live it, you can't just say it." Ann Curry's last line of the story was, "I realize I did not know what forgiveness was until now."
That's forgiveness, but in an amazing act of mercy...
"Dozens of Amish neighbors came to the funeral to mourn the man who killed five of their young girls. One Amish man held the gunman's sobbing father in his arms for an hour, to comfort him. One chaplain said, "It's the love, the forgiveness, the heartfelt forgiveness they have toward the family. I broke down and cried seeing it displayed."
And their mercy continued to pour out. The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee, which was formed to handle donations after the shootings, said it had also given a contribution to the gunman's widow, since she was now a single mother of three.
Mercy is love in action. Mercy is more than forgiveness; mercy brings with it a blessing! Not only did those Amish believers forgive the very man who killed their daughters, they ministered to the needs of his widow, and his children, and his father.
My little Evie is 9, the same age as one of the victims. Could I do that? Could I display that kind of mercy in the midst of such a horrific loss? Could I forgive a man who killed my daughter and then actually be a blessing to his family? It sounds outrageous - but that's exactly what God did when He forgave those who killed his Son and then gave us the promise of Heaven!
If I'm ever going to learn mercy, if I'm ever going to have the strength to do the unthinkable – I need to fully understand that, regarding mercy - in most circumstances…
A. No one who needs it deserves it
If a person was good enough to deserve mercy they probably wouldn't need it. All they would need is justice. Justice is getting what we deserve. Mercy's not justice – mercy is not getting what we deserve but being spared from what we deserve.
It's easy to show mercy to those we love. Jesus calls us to go beyond that; to show mercy to those who do not deserve it.
Luke 6:35-37 (NIV)
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. (36) Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (37) Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
If we're honest - most of us don't really care for those verses. We don't want to forgive our enemies. We want justice – we want them to pay for what they have done to us..! - But aren't we fortunate that God doesn't give us what we deserve?
When it comes to 'love in action' – showing mercy to those who don't deserve it…
B. Jesus sets the standard
One of the most well known verses of scripture is John 3:16. Let's look at that verse and the one that follows as well…
John 3:16-17 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:16 doesn't simply say, "For God so loved the world... that whoever believes in his Son will have everlasting life." You can't ignore the phrase, "He gave his one and only Son." God's mercy wasn't just passive – He didn't just forgive. God's mercy was active – it was love in action – He gave His son! Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins when we didn't deserve saving. And not only that, when we accept that sacrifice, we then have the promise of eternal life! That is mercy!
Mercy asks the unthinkable and Jesus lived it out by dying for those who don't deserve it. And just when I get a handle on that, it once again goes further in Jesus' teachings on forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)...
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" (22) Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
Not only am I supposed to show mercy to those who don't deserve it, I am to do it repeatedly – apparently without any limits. The only way we can ever hope to live a life of mercy like that is to rely fully on the power of God's Holy Spirit in our lives! I can promise you that on my own I could never come close to showing that kind of mercy to others in my life. It's only, only by the power of God's grace!
And just as an extra motivator – remember, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." You are to show mercy to others for your own good. We are to show mercy out of love for others, but don't forget, If you want mercy for your actions you have to show it to others who don't deserve it.
Showing mercy is an essential part of the Christian walk. And mercy is a blessing both to the person who receives it as well as to the person who gives it.
So What?
If someone did something awful to one of my kids, would anyone blame me for wanting to beat the living daylights out of them? Would anyone say I don't really have the right to want to do that? Justice may give an immediate sense of satisfaction. But mercy is a harder response because of the delayed gratification.
This call for mercy does not negate justice. God is a just God - but this call for mercy is a personal one to which we are individually called. Those who commit awful crimes still must answer for their sin - but not to me. The responsibility to carry out justice lies with God and those authorities which He has put in place. My responsibility is mercy.
And what about much smaller everyday infractions? What about all of those 'smaller' offenses that people inflict upon us? - Rudeness or gossip or betrayal or disrespect...? Can we give up our rights in favor of mercy?
This message felt particularly hard to preach - but I've seen mercy lived out, both by Jesus and even other flawed humans like myself. And if they can learn mercy - certainly I can, too.
The deeper we get into the Beatitudes, the more frustrated you may become if you feel you aren't measuring up. - Trust me - I get it. But don't give up. God has promised His Spirit in us to help us do the seemingly impossible, no matter what circumstances the world can throw at us. When you allow God to change you and make you a more accurate reflection of these beatitudes - you can possess a peace, a calm that cannot be shaken because your complete trust is in God, not in temporary circumstances.
To whom do you need to show mercy...? Imagine, for a moment - how might that transform your relationship with that person? How might God use your growing acts of mercy to bring others to Him?