Blessed are the Merciful
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Intro —
Introduction —
3 “Ceci aussi est un paradoxe, c’est à dire, une sentence contraire au jugement commun des hommes.”—“This also is a paradox, that is to say, a sentiment contrary to the general opinion of men.”
A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. "In English," he said, "a double negative forms a positive. In some languages though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a negative.
Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Vol. 1, pp. 263–264).
“ It is an aversion to everything harsh, cruel, oppressive or injurious; a propensity to pity, alleviate or remove the miseries of mankind; an unwillingness to increase personal emolument or indulgence by rendering others uneasy; a willingness to forgo personal ease, interest or gratification to make others easy and happy ” (Thomas Scott) .
However," he pointed out, "there is no language wherein a double positive can form a negative."
A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right."
Trans —
“ It is an aversion to everything harsh, cruel, oppressive or injurious; a propensity to pity, alleviate or remove the miseries of mankind; an unwillingness to increase personal emolument or indulgence by rendering others uneasy; a willingness to forgo personal ease, interest or gratification to make others easy and happy ” (Thomas Scott) .
We are moving from what we can call the negative characteristics of Jesus’ followers to the positive.
Second, he reaps mercy at the hands of his fellows: the overruling providence of God causes him to be dealt with mercifully by others. Third, he receives mercy from God: “ with the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful ” () — contrast “ he shall have judgment without mercy that hath showed no mercy ” (). Mercy will be shown to the merciful in the Day to come (se e , ; ). Then let us prayerfully heed the exhortations of ; ; .
What is Mercy?
What is Mercy?
Positively —
The first act of mercy upon the taking notice of the miseries of others, it grieves for them, there is a compassion towards those that are in misery: A merciful man will not slight the miseries of others, much less will he despise them, or condemn others that are in misery. Secondly, From these there is a working desire in his soul to relieve them; oh that I could tell how to relieve and help souls as I see to be any way in misery, bodily misery, or spiritual misery.
Burroughs, J. (1660). Sermon XXII or The Severall Workings of Mercy in the Heart. In The Saints’ Happiness (p. 340). London: William Greenhill; John Yates; William Bridge; William Aderly; Philip Nye; Mathew Mead.
Secondly, From these there is a working desire in his soule to relieve them; ô that I could tell how to relieve and help souls as I see to be any way in misery, bodily misery, or spirituall misery.
Negatively —
Burroughs, Jeremiah. (1660). Sermon XXII or The Severall Workings of Mercy in the Heart. In The Saints’ Happiness (p. 341).
“This paradox, too, contradicts the judgment of men. The world reckons those men to be happy, who give themselves no concern about the distresses of others, but consult their own ease. Christ says that those are happy, who are not only prepared to endure their own afflictions, but to take a share in the afflictions of others,—who assist the wretched,—who willingly take part with those who are in distress,—who clothe themselves, as it were, with the same affections, that they may be more readily disposed to render them assistance.”
Calvin, J., & Pringle, W. (2010). Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Vol. 1, pp. 263–264).
This mercy is something more than a feeling: it is an operative principle. It not only stirs the heart, but it moves the hand to render help unto those in need, for the one cannot be severed from the other. So far from it being a well shut up or a fountain sealed, this mercy is a copious source of acts of beneficence, from which issue streams of blessing. It does not exhaust itself in profitless words, but is accompanied by helpful deeds. “ But whoso hath this world ’ s goods, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? ” ()
Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”
Negatively —
Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
“The point is that God wants his people to be alive in their hearts. He wants them to have feelings of affection toward him and mercy toward each other. He does not want a people who do their religious duties in a perfunctory or merely formal way.
Here in Jesus saw sinners as sick and miserable people in need of a physician, even though they were the rich money movers of the day, the tax collectors. They were sick. He had medicine.
But all that the Pharisees saw was a ceremonial problem with becoming contaminated by eating with sinners. Their life seemed to be a mechanical implementation of rules. Something huge was at stake here. But they could not see it or feel it. They were enslaved to the trivial issues of ceremonial cleanness when eternal sickness was about to be healed.” (John Piper)
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which it was not lawful for him to eat nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Or have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are guiltless? I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.
“What is the opposite of mercy in these stinging words of the Lord? The opposite of mercy is the straining out of gnats. The opposite of mercy is when your religious impulses are exhausted after you have decided whether to tithe your gross income or your net income or your birthday gifts.” [JP]
How Do We Develop Mercy?
How Do We Develop Mercy?
Think about where you are/have been.
Think about where you are/have been.
For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
Poor in Spirit. Mourning. Meek. Hungering and thirsting.
Worship God
Worship God
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity
and passing over transgression
for the remnant of his inheritance?
He does not retain his anger forever,
because he delights in steadfast love.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
Exodus 34
For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles,
and sing to your name.”
Romans 15:
This is no small point. What we think God is like we will be like.
Do you, in the deepest recesses of your heart, believe God to be cold, distant, easily exhausted?
God is merciful. Without needing mercy!
What is the Outcome for the Merciful?
What is the Outcome for the Merciful?
They will be shown mercy.
So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Jas
This is not works righteousness!
First of all, if what we are receiving at the end is mercy, then it is not works that get us there.
Remember that all of this comes after ‘poor in spirit.’ We have nothing.
This is really a way of Jesus saying a couple of other things:
People who are merciful demonstrate that the have been worshipping the King of Mercy.
People who are merciful demonstrate that they have been trusting the King of Mercy.
They trust the Lord enough to engage in the struggles of others.