Daily Devotional For Friday, August 23, 2024

Well good morning Southside! It is not “Freaky Friday,” but “Fabulous Friday.” As the Bible says, “This is the day the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24). Today, give your best “shout out” to our Lord for He is good all the time. If you have been reading these devotionals you know we are looking at the best and most famous sermon ever –Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount. This is found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, 7. We are looking at The Beatitudes. Notice they are called the “Be-Attitudes,” not the “Me-Attitudes.” If you are self-centered, self-righteous, you can’t do them. Why? Because they are not about “me,” but “Be.” They are spiritual attitudes we must be, not attitudes we should flee. 

Today we come to the 5th Beatitude in Matthew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (NASB). Pastor and author John MacArthur writes this about Matthew 5:7 in his introductory remarks:

“The first four beatitudes deal entirely with inner principles, principles of the heart and mind. They are concerned with the way we see ourselves before God. The last four are outward manifestations of those attitudes. Those who in poverty of spirit recognize their need for mercy and  are led to show mercy to others (v. 7). Those who mourn over their sin are led to purity of heart (v. 8). Those who are meek always seek to make peace (v. 9). And those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are never unwilling to pay the price of being persecuted for righteousness’ sake (v. 10)” – (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 187).

As I have been telling you in our look at the Beatitudes, each one builds and leads to the next one. Jesus intentionally put these in the order He did for a very specific reason. When we read and study the Bible, the hope and idea of mercy is a common theme in both the Old and New Testaments. When we study the life of Jesus, most of His life, and primarily His 3 year ministry, it was not characterized by being One who received mercy, but the One who gave mercy. The religious leaders constantly harassed, insulted and maligned Him and His character. 

And when Jesus showed mercy to children, lepers, women, Samaritans, Gentiles, and tax collectors, they came after Him like vultures on a dead animal corpse. If you live in the Wilmington area, we have these little nagging and pesting insects we call “No See-ums.” Their official name is Ceratopogonidae. There are more than 5,000 different species of these worldwide. They are called “No See-ums” because they are small, and when they bite you, you feel them but usually do not see them. And when you are outside near dusk, they will swarm your exposed body parts and bite and bite and bite. Their bite is irritating and where they bite you, that area of your skin will itch. If you scratch that area, you only irritate it more causing it to itch more. The religious leaders of Jesus acted like “No See-ums” in that they constantly swarmed around Jesus biting HIm with their condemning words.

In Jesus’ day, typical Jews would not say their religious leaders were characterized by mercy, but by judgmentalism, condemnation, conceitedness, and self-righteousness. Jesus was different. He said that if you only love and show mercy to those who love and show mercy to you, then you have the same kind of shallow, selfish love that sinners and tax collectors had in Jesus’ day. Instead, Jesus said our love should be this in Matthew 5:43-47:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ (44) But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, (45) so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (46) For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? (47) If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (NASB).

But many people misunderstand and even misinterpret Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:7. They say Jesus said there is a reciprocation principle here. But that is a selfish and humanistic point of view. They say that Jesus is saying that if we are merciful to people that will cause those people to be merciful to us. Mercy shared will be mercy secured to us by others. Therefore, we selfishly give mercy to others so that we receive mercy from them later. 

When we apply this principle to God, they are right. We see this in the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. (15) But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (NASB). But this principle does not work with people. We know this from personal experience. People are fickle and self-serving of what benefits them the most. Roman philosopher Lusius Annaeus Seneca said that “Mercy is the disease of the soul” (Source: http://essays.quotidiana.org/seneca/diseases_of_the_soul/).

In Jesus’ day, Roman fathers had the “right of patria opitestas.” This gave Roman fathers the right to decide at the birth of their child whether that child lived or died. As the infant was held up for him to see, the father would turn his thumb up if he wanted the child to live, down if he wanted it to die. If his thumb turned down the child was immediately drowned. Citizens had the same life-or-death power over slaves. At any time and for any reason they could kill and bury a slave, with no fear of arrest or reprisal. Husbands could even have their wives put to death on the least provocation. (Source: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/SMIGRA*/Patria_Potestas.html). 

Pastor and author John MacArthur puts it right when he writes this: “Today abortion reflects the same merciless attitude. A society that despises mercy is a society that glorifies brutality” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 189).

We see this kind of selfish and narcissistic attitude even in our American culture with cultural proverbs such as, “If you don’t look out for yourself, no one else will.” I believe the Gospels show that Jesus Christ as the most merciful person to ever live. He showed mercy to lepers, healing them. He showed mercy to children, by inviting them into His presence and lap. He showed mercy to hated tax collectors. He even asked one to be His disciple. He showed mercy to prostitutes, adulterers, the demon possessed and even the dead. When Jesus shamed those who wanted to stone to death the woman caught in adultery in John 8, look at their response in John 8:57, “So they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple” (NASB). So much for reciprocating mercy. 

The ultimate end result of Jesus showing mercy was that the totalitarian Roman government joined hands with the self-righteous legalistic conceited and prideful Jewish religious leaders to crucify on a cross the best example of mercy. Even from the cross, Jesus showed mercy. Luke records Jesus said this in Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (ESV). Contrary to the false teaching/preaching of this Beatitude that says mercy brings mercy, what it does say is that when we show mercy to others, God shows mercy to us. In Matthew 5:7, God is the subject and object here in the second clause as He is in the previous Beatitudes. It is God who gives the kingdom to those who are poor in spirit. It is God who comforts those who mourn, gives the earth to the meek, and satisfies the hungry and thirsty.

The Greek New Testament word translated as “mercy” is [ἐλεέω, eleeo, eleemon]. This is where we get our English word eleemosynary, meaning beneficial or charitable. Hebrews 2:17 describes Jesus this way: “Therefore He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (ESV). This Greek New Testament word is the equivalent of the Hebrew Old Testament word “chesed.” This word means mercy, love, lovingkindness, or steadfast love (Ps. 17:7; 51:1; Isa. 63:7; Jer. 9:24; etc.). The basic meaning is to give help to the afflicted and to rescue the helpless. It is compassion in action. 

We all need to listen to the words of pastor and author John MacArtthur:

“Jesus is not speaking of detached or powerless sentiment that is unwilling or unable to help those for whom there is sympathy. Nor is He speaking of the false mercy, the feigned pity, that gives help only to salve a guilty conscience or to impress others with its appearance of virtue. And it is not passive, silent concern which, though genuine, is unable to give tangible help. It is genuine compassion expressed in genuine help, selfless concern expressed in selfless deeds.

Jesus says in effect, “The people in My kingdom are not takers but givers, not pretending helpers but practical helpers. They are not condemners but mercy givers.” The selfish, self-satisfied, and self-righteous do not bother to help anyone— unless they think something is in it for them. Sometimes they even justify their lack of love and mercy under the guise of religious duty. Once when the Pharisees and scribes questioned why His disciples did not observe the traditions of the elders, Jesus replied, “Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death’; but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, anything of mine you might have been helped by is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down” (Mark 7:10–13). In the name of hypocritical religious tradition, compassion toward parents in such a case was actually forbidden.

"Mercy is meeting people’s needs. It is not simply feeling compassion but showing compassion, not only sympathizing but giving a helping hand. Mercy is giving food to the hungry, comfort to the bereaved, love to the rejected, forgiveness to the offender, companionship to the lonely. It is therefore one of the loveliest and noblest of all virtues” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” pp. 189-190).

Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll affirms what John MacArthur says:

“The “merciful” are those whose hearts are moved for those in need, having a desire to step in and assist in relieving their pain. This kind of mercy goes beyond merely feeling sorry for people or having pity or sympathy. It may start with such emotions, but it doesn’t end there. The merciful person empathizes with those who suffer and then actually does something to help. James 2:15–16 says, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” Similarly, 1 John 3:17 admonishes, “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” The effects of a lifestyle of mercy are both future (heavenly) and present (earthly). In light of the fact that God has had mercy on us and will, in the future, show us mercy through Christ (Jude 1:21), we are called to show mercy to others; and when we engage in acts of mercy, God will show mercy toward us” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Matthew,” Vol. 1A, pp. 89-90).

Questions To Consider

1. This Beatitude from Jesus is not about reciprocation, but reduplication. We reduplicate to others the mercy shown to us by God. We give people what they need (mercy), not what they deserve (condemnation). This is how God treats us. Would you say this describes you with all people? Why or why not?
2. We have become a country that glorifies brutality. We see it in our movies and in abortion. We have taught generations that life is not sacred and then we act shocked when a school shooting occurs. If children are not taught to be merciful, especially to the innocent, the powerless, and the helpless such as an infant in the womb, how can we expect them to be merciful when they grow up. Today, college students engage in violent protests destroying public property and private businesses because nothing is sacred to them. We have removed God from our public schools and that vacuum has been filled with merciless, enraged and violent individuals. What can you personally do to help make a change in this?
3. Our culture is more merciful for a baby seal than a human baby. Mercy is an emotion and feeling we have for those who are victims and powerless to do something to help themselves. You are around lost people every day on the way to hell. How can you show mercy to them to build a bridge to share Jesus with them?
4. Just as in Jesus’ day the Jewish people model the examples of their religious leaders. How can you personally model to others Jesus’ example to the poor, the lonely, the sick, the afflicted, the homeless, the abused, the unborn, the criminal and the lost?
5. What do you think is the most challenging aspect of showing mercy to people we deem not deserving of it and why?

Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 18:25, “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, wow this is a tough one for me! There are people I simply do not want to show mercy towards. Yet, I am reminded in Luke 12:48 that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” I do not deserve your continued mercy and yet You still continue to give it to me. Please help me to be more like You in this area. There are times I want retribution, not absolution. It is not my role to judge, but Yours. Help me to model mercy to others so that they come to Christ and/or commit to walk with you deeper. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!--Pastor Kelly