Blessed Are TheySýnishorn

Blessed Are the Merciful

As those who are poor in spirit, who in sorrow and humility depend entirely upon God’s mercy for our salvation and righteousness, we have a responsibility to show the same mercy to others. Mercy can be defined as the holding back of a deserved punishment or the releasing of a person from a debt.

The parable of the unmerciful servant told by Jesus in Matthew 18:21-35 gives us a clear picture of what it means to show mercy to others. In the parable, a servant is set free from a huge, unpayable debt—an amount of money equivalent to around 20 years’ worth of wages! The debt is canceled simply because the master “took pity on him” (v27) and showed him mercy.

In our spiritual poverty, we are like this servant; we are forgiven our unpayable debt because God, our master, took pity on us and showed us mercy. But the parable continues and takes a dark turn! The servant who has been offered such mercy demands repayment of a tiny debt from a fellow servant. He shows no mercy to his debtor, instead throwing him in prison until payment is made. The master, upon hearing the story, revokes the mercy he had shown the servant and has him jailed until he can pay back the 20 years of wages!

We have been shown such incredible mercy by God, who has set us free from the debt that we could never pay. How should we show mercy to those around us? We need to be ready to forgive quickly when someone sins against us. We should not hold grudges, get revenge or try to force a wrongdoer to pay us back somehow. We should love our enemies, being willing to serve and bless even those who mistreat or curse us. As we show mercy to others, so God’s mercy will continue to be poured out on us as we turn each day from sin to receive again the free gift of grace through faith in Christ Jesus.

Reflect and pray

Is there anyone from whom you have withheld mercy?

Are you holding a grudge or waiting until you can get revenge on someone?

In reflecting on the great mercy that God has shown to you, ask him to help you set that person free from the debt that they owe you.