Mercy

Christians need to focus on being kind. It’s a general statement I admit but we live in a world where people are needing grace and mercy more than ever.

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2 v 12-13)

As mentioned before James relies a lot on the Sermon of the Mount. Within that message Jesus said these words, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5 v 7)

Jesus brought mercy and nowhere is that more seen than in His death.

At the cross we see justice and mercy collide. Justice poured out on Jesus and mercy poured out on the world. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve, judgment. At the cross It looked like the world had taken advantage of God. God loses and the world is free. God waits and as He waits He continues to show mercy.

On that mountainside Jesus taught the disciples in ear-shot of the crowds. Who were these people? “… people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed …” (Matthew 4:24)

Would you have these people on your team?

Within those crowds were also the Religious leaders and the Roman sympathisers, ruling with oppression, judgment and condemnation.

Is this the message: blessed are the strong, those with back-bone and those who uphold the standards of God?

Who is right amongst the crowd? Is it those who don’t break any rules?

Jesus says those who are right are those who look like God. They are merciful. They look like the world has taken advantage of them. It looks like they have lost and their world has won. The world has hung a sign up saying, ‘You are not welcome here’. Happy are these people in the kingdom. Happy not because they have achieved mercy but mercy in disqualifying them from their world has opened for them the door to the blessed kingdom. This is not a list it is about being last.

Have you been taken advantage of? Walked right over? Ignored by your world? Forgotten in your brokenness? It is a mirror of God at the cross. Mercy is yours.

So if you have received mercy then James says you must give mercy. In fact if you don’t give mercy then you haven’t received mercy.

James tells us there is another law as well as the Royal Law. It is the Law of Freedom. We don’t get judged as we deserve so even though we may be law breakers, we can live under the law of freedom where God’s mercy flows free, all because of what Jesus has done for us. God acts in mercy, so we too are to do the same.

When we truly grasp that we are under the law of freedom, we too are to speak and act under that same law. Jesus came to show mercy. We demonstrate Jesus when we show mercy. This is why those who do not show mercy will not receive it – because their lack of mercy shows they have never really grasped the gospel of mercy.

The way we reveal mercy to others will indicate whether we truly know Jesus. 

So James is saying to us by being partial and showing favouritism, we’re not just breaking God’s law, but we may not have understood God’s gospel either.