Title: Happiness of the Merciful (Matthew 9:...
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The happiness of the merciful (Matthew 9:13, 5:7) December 16, 2001
It's a story that took place in America when racism was at its peak. A white man was sitting in the garden, drinking beer with the cool breeze. Just then, an American Indian passing by was hungry and thirsty, so he came up to him and said, "Can you give me a glass of water?" And he said, "No!" That's it. "Then I'll give you a glass of beer, even if it's what you drink." I said, "You can't give it to an Indian!" So the Indians left without a hitch.
Just a few days later, the white man went hunting with his hound, and he lost his hound and lost his way, wandering in distress, hungry and thirsty. He was found lying deep in the mountains by this American Indian, and he took him home, nursed him, and made him porridge, so he came to his senses. When he wakes up, he finds that the Indian chief whom he had turned down the water is there. Astonished and startled, the Indian then laughed and said, "If I had done it to you as you did to me, you would no longer be of this world." The Bible calls this mercy.
Compassion is a dynamic love that does not require retaliation, of course. Compassion refers to a loving heart that does not treat those who have harmed them firmly and harshly. That is why Jesus speaks of this theory of happiness. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” The compassion Jesus uses today is one of the most important words in the Bible. Hesed in Hebrew and ele in Greek. It appears more than 500 times as a mon. And more than 90% of the time this word is used is used to show God's love. In a sense, it can be said that mercy is the most representative attribute of God. Because of God's mercy, we are saved from sin and judgment (Ephesians 2:4-5). “God, who is rich in mercy, through the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Christ, who were dead in trespasses, and by grace you have been saved.”
what is mercy
Thomas Watson did a great job of explaining love, grace and compassion. He said, "These three are three righteous sisters who live side by side in the arms of God." Love is giving. Giving the most precious thing for the other person unconditionally. Grace is a favor bestowed upon someone who has no right to receive it. We are all people who do not deserve salvation, but God has given us His grace and we have been saved. Mercy is not to curse the sinner who deserves the curse. It is not ignoring people who can be ignored. It is not abandoning those who should be abandoned.
Watson describes these three things as "If love is like a friend visiting a lover, then mercy is like a doctor visiting the sick. If grace is God's affection toward one in sin, mercy is the disastrous result of sin." It’s affection for a person who is in that state.” Compassion can be expressed in other words as mercy, kindness, and love. When we use the word love, it can be divided into three types depending on the person. One can use the words respect, reverence, and reverence for someone higher than me. The other is called friendship, affection for people like me. Lastly, he says that love for someone who is more difficult than me is compassion, kindness, and mercy. Thinking this way, the meaning of the word mercy will become clear.
Mercy is a heart of compassion. It is a heart to live with compassion for those in need, such as the weak, the suffering, the poor, the lonely, and even the enemies. And mercy is a forgiving heart. Forgiveness comes with pain and responsibility. Matthew 18:35 says, “So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless you forgive each of you his brother from the heart.” Also, mercy is a broad heart without prejudice. Christians should have an open heart to hug others into my broad chest. We must have compassionate eyes, ears, mouths, hands, and feet. It is said that the following words were engraved on the commemorative medal given by Queen Victoria to F. Nightingale, who started the Red Cross movement. "There is not only one way to show mercy. It can be said with words. It can be done with money. If you have no money and cannot speak, you can do it with tears." I think.
people to have mercy on
We should be merciful to all people, but we should especially remember three kinds of people.
We must have mercy on unbelievers.
Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, said to the lame beggar who was sitting in front of the temple gate, "Silver and gold I have none, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk" (Acts 3:6). I did. Silver and gold are not important to man. We must strive to show compassion for the souls that cannot be changed even if we give the whole world. It is a loving heart that grieves for those who have not been saved. Mercy is the heart of God. It is a passionate love for those who are dying without being saved. This is the heart of Jesus. Jesus felt very sorry for those who were not saved and had great compassion for them (Matthew 9:23). “When Jesus saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, for they are afflicted and lost like sheep without a shepherd.”
When Jesus looked at the people in the world, he had great compassion for them if they lived a life without God, regardless of whether they were prosperous or poor, whether they were aristocrats or poor people. But to what extent do you feel pity? It is said that because there is no shepherd, he does not know where to go, so he looks like a struggling sheep, wandering around. This is the mercy of Jesus.
Saint Augustine appeals to the love of the soul: “If we weep in front of the body from which the soul has departed, how can we not cry for the soul that has departed from God? That's a challenge we have to face. Lord, give me a heart of compassion like the heart of Jesus, who pity the unsaved in my heart!
1.1.1 The evangelism movement is about evangelizing at least one person per year. It is to evangelize with the spirit of love for the soul. I hope you will become a person who saves souls from dying with a desperate heart like a rescue worker. I believe that true happiness will be given when there is a saving attachment that loves the soul.
We must have mercy on the weak.
The Lord said in Matthew 25:40, "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me." The least are the weak. It refers to sinners, the sick, the poor, and those in need. Compassion is the attitude the strong should show to the weak. The brothers who sold him over were suffering from famine, and Joseph, who had been sold, became the prime minister of Egypt and was living a life of glory. After many years, he couldn't help the tears from his eyes when he met the brothers who had come down to find food. Because he had a heart of compassion. He reassured his brothers, who were trembling for fear of retaliation for the wrongdoing of the past, saying, “Do not be sad or be grieved because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to save lives” (Genesis 45:5). Said. There are many weak people around us. You must have mercy on them.
I feel sorry for those who are suffering.
As we all agree, the nature of Jesus is compassion itself. That is why Jesus has special compassion for those who are suffering. How merciful the Lord is to the sick, the disabled, sinners who are rejected and despised by the world, those who have suffered accidents, and those in need! So, the four Gospels often describe scenes where Jesus had compassion on those who were suffering, had compassion on them, had compassion on them, felt sorry for them, and sometimes wept together with a broken heart. Jesus' heart was filled with compassion. When he saw those who were sick and in need, he could not endure it because of his compassion. The etymological meaning of the word compassion is to go deep into a person's skin and understand from his point of view. It means sharing love while participating in his thoughts, his feelings, his situation and circumstances. In English, this is called empathy. It means sharing pain and suffering.
T.H. Robinson explains about Chesed: “Compassion is seeing with empathy for others. It is the power to feel with them, to get into their skin and see life from their point of view and point of view.” Therefore, if we were to express the word compassion in other words, it could be called “identification”. It is a concrete act of love that hurts the heart in that person's situation, feels it from that person's point of view, and is in the same situation as that person. When a child is sick, the mother shows her compassionate love for staying up all night with her. This is the incarnation of Jesus. He became a weak human being to try to be in the same position as us. This is the perfect expression of God's mercy. Hebrews 2:17 explains it this way: "Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way. It was to make atonement for the sins of the people by becoming a merciful and faithful high priest before God."
We must have mercy on those who persecute us. It is more difficult to show mercy to those who trouble me, to those who cause pain, or to those who are like enemies, than to show mercy to unbelievers or the weak. David had many opportunities to kill Saul, who was pursuing him relentlessly to kill him, but "the LORD forbids me to stretch out my hand against my lord, whom the LORD has anointed" (1 Samuel 24:6, 26: 11) and saved him. The same goes for Job. While he was innocent and in great suffering, his friends came, mocked and teased him. When you face difficulties, your friend becomes your enemy. But after all the tests were over, God's double blessing was given to him. At that time, Job prayed to God for his friends. (Job 42:10) Stephen said to the people who stoned him to death, as Jesus said on the cross, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (Acts 7: 60) and was martyred while praying. They were able to do this because they had a heart of compassion. We too should live with compassion for the unbelievers, the weak, and those who persecute us.
Blessings of the Merciful
It is said that those who are merciful will receive mercy. What does it mean to have mercy? What kind of blessing is this referring to? Let me tell you three things.
It is an inner blessing.
Proverbs 11:17 says, "The kind person benefits his soul, but the cruel person harms his own body." Those who show mercy are always at peace. However, the person who lives wickedly will first lose his soul. Without forgiveness and love, health is harmed, the mind is tired, and the soul is darkened. Therefore, our souls should be at peace while living with mercy. Among the members of our church, there are many people who care deeply and give their heart to those in difficult circumstances. I am sure that through this work, you will be filled with inner joy and the path of mission will be wide open. May these blessings be filled with you.