In a world that seems to be so riddled by violence and chaos, mercy has been largely forgotten. It’s growing increasingly difficult to turn on the news or scroll through your social media feed and not find an example of one person inflicting harm upon another. However, having a better understanding of God’s mercy allows us to better display that mercy to those around us.
Webster’s Dictionary defines mercy as “compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm.” As human beings, we have a naturally sinful nature that causes us to be separated from God. No matter how many good works we perform, we still possess a sinful nature. Because of that nature, God, who is the epitome of holiness has it within His power to punish us. However, God has elected to show us mercy. Despite the fact that we are undeserving, He has a desire to call us into a relationship with Him and give to use every benefit that comes with that relationship. That is mercy in action.
Mercy in the Old Testament
When many people think of the stories in the Old Testament, they envision a wrathful and vengeful God who obliterated the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. While those stories certainly reveal information about a part of God’s character (His holiness), the Old Testament is still full of stories that display His mercy toward creation.
You don’t have to dig through much of your Bible to find the first display of God’s mercy. In fact, God established Himself as a merciful creator within the first few chapters of the Book of Genesis. God had spoken everything into existence, yet He made man from the dust of the earth. After quickly realizing that it wasn’t good for the man to be by Himself (Gen 2:18), He quickly decided that Adam needed human companionship and Eve was created. The world’s first couple lived in a literal eutopia. Think about it; every plant and every animal had been created by God. Sin hadn’t entered the world and the pair lived in a literal paradise on Earth.
There was only one rule: they could not eat the fruit that grew on a particular tree. In Genesis 2:17 (ESV), before He created Eve, God gave Adam the following command:
“but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
While we aren’t going to dive into what this tree was and the knowledge of good and evil, the fact remains that Adam and Eve not being allowed to eat the fruit that grew on that tree was literally the only rule that God gave them. However, after a conversation with Satan who had taken on the form of a serpent, Eve ate of the tree and convinced Adam to do it too (Gen 3:6). The first sin had taken place and the need for divine mercy had been introduced to humanity.
God had a choice to make in the moment. It was His creation, after all. He would have been fully within His rights and His power to totally erase the Garden of Eden and these newly formed humans. However, God chose to respond with mercy.
Firstly, God came to Eden to talk to Adam (Gen 3:8) Instead of turning His back on His creation, God came looking for them! Up until this point, Adam and Eve had been naked in the garden, completely unashamed of that fact. Since there had been no sin, there was also no shame. The Bible says that once they realized they were naked, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves (Gen 3:7). God’s second act of mercy came when God Himself made Adam and Eve garments of skin and clothed them (Gen 3:21).
Yes, God did remove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. The presence of mercy does not absolve us from the consequences of our sin. However, God did not send them out hopeless, helpless and without protection. Why? Because God was merciful in the face of blatant disobedience.
Mercy in the New Testament
In the weeks leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus began to prepare the disciples about the events that would take place. While He was telling them about the way that they would be persecuted after He was gone, He also mentioned the fact that Peter, the most vocal of the group, would deny him.
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.” John 13:38 (ESV)
Peter was sort of the unofficial leader of the disciples. He was typically the first one to shout out the answer to a question and had often been quick to tell everyone exactly what he thought. However, in this verse, Jesus tells Peter that when faced with real adversity that Peter would deny even knowing Jesus! Of course, things happened exactly the way Jesus said they would. In John 18:15-18 and 25-27, we read how Peter denied Jesus three times.
When Jesus needed friends the most, Peter denied even knowing Him. Since Jesus was God in the flesh, He was obviously aware of this betrayal. It would have been easy for Jesus to wash his hands of Peter and leave him to his own devices. However, when the women found the empty tomb on the day of the resurrection, the angel who God had posted at the door told them to do something:
“But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him just as he told you.” Mark 16:7 (ESV)
Did you catch that? Go tell the disciples AND PETER. Even though Peter had denied Him, Jesus wanted to be sure that Peter was with the disciples when they were reunited in Galilee. Why? Because of mercy. Peter, the disciple who denied Him was the only one who Jesus left a message for by name. Shortly after that interaction Peter, the denier became Peter the preacher who stood and delivered the message on the Day of Pentecost when the modern church was born (Acts 2:14). God’s mercy causes Him to view you as what you can be more than what you have done.
Mercy Today
Until we recognize our need for a Savior and accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are walking in sin. That sin causes us to be far from God and means that God has no obligation to give us a chance. However, God’s mercy causes Him to relentlessly pursue us with His mercy. Because of that mercy, we are called to extend mercy to others.
No, that probably won’t look like it did in the Garden of Eden. You and I don’t have the power to expel someone from a garden paradise while still ensuring that all of their needs are met. But don’t we all have someone in our lives who has let us down? Show them mercy. No, we will probably never find ourselves alone and facing crucifixion. But don’t we all have someone in our lives who has walked away when we needed friends the most? Show them mercy. “But they don’t deserve mercy!” That’s an easy declaration to make until we realize that we didn’t deserve mercy, either.
Maybe your opportunity to show mercy doesn’t even look like the forgiveness of a betrayal. Maybe it looks more like extending understanding the next time a waitress gets your order wrong. No, this doesn’t mean you have to choke down food you didn’t order, but it may look like a polite, “I’m sorry, but this isn’t what I ordered.” Our world needs mercy. And who better to show them that mercy than the products of mercy?
A Prayer for Mercy:
God, I thank You for Your mercy. I recognize without it I would be eternally separated from you and constantly seeking something to fill the void in my life. Now I ask You to help me to extend that mercy to those around me. Help me not to look at them through the lens of what I believe they deserve. Instead, allow me to see those around me the way that You see them: as potential recipients of Your mercy. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen!