The Message and Ministry of Mercy

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[Thanks to the Brownsville Press newspaper for offering the opportunity to publish this article and work to reclaim Christian culture in our country.  This article was published on September 27, 2017.]

 Mercy is a perplexing reality.  We hear frequently of God’s mercy, made manifest in Jesus Christ, from pastors and fellow Christians.  We read of God’s merciful provision for His people, and of Jesus’ acts of mercy, throughout the Sacred Scriptures.  Mercy is central to the perfect prayer that Jesus taught us: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Mt. 6:12; emphasis added).  Still, it is difficult for many of us to understand and apply the full extent of God’s mercy.  Quite often, we desire that God’s mercy be extended to us, for we know that we are sinners, but we are slower to extend God’s mercy to others.  We simply don’t get the fact that God’s mercy is for everyone, every time.

During the past couple of Sundays (and the one coming up), the Scripture readings during our worship service have brought the message of mercy to us.  We have heard the story of a king settling accounts with servants.  One servant begged the king to exercise forbearance, which moved the king to compassion and forgiveness of the entire debt.  That servant was called “wicked,” however, when he turned and abused a fellow servant for not paying a much smaller debt.  The king exclaimed, “I forgave your entire debt because you begged me to.  Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” (Mt. 18:32-33).  Don’t we do this too frequently?  We ask the Lord to forgive our own sins and shortfalls, but we are much less merciful to others who have harmed us or those close to us.  All too prevalent in our minds should be the violent protests in St. Louis and other areas around our divided nation; or the Holly Bobo case.  These are exactly the kinds of situations through which we can begin to rebuild a culture of mercy.

Jacob Willemszoon de Wet, Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (ca. mid-1600s)
 Just this past Sunday, we heard the parable of the generous landowner who hired laborers for his vineyard.  Despite the fact that several sets of laborers worked for shorter amounts of time, the vineyard owner paid all of them an equal amount.  The laborers who began first complained, “you have made them equal to us” (Mt. 210:12).  This is exactly what God the Father does: He levels the playing field and makes all people equal.  The words of the landowner in the parable are instructive: “What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?”  The point is that our merciful God has generously granted his grace and life to each of us, which none of us deserves because of our sin.  The Good News is that those who have lived in ways contrary to the Lord’s plan still can become equal in the Kingdom with those who never have strayed.

This coming Sunday, we will hear a reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.  In his great hymn about Jesus, Paul remarked that Jesus “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant” in order to bring the Father’s love to humanity.  He also implored his audience, “Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5, 7).  It is an act of mercy to become the servant of another, to empty ourselves as Jesus did in order to raise up other human beings.  Jesus and the Church always have given us this mission, specifically through the works of mercy.

Some of the works of mercy are more difficult than others, such as forgiving injuries or bearing wrongs patiently.  Yet, these are the works of mercy that help us become most like Jesus in his spiritual mission.  More than feeding thousands or healing disease, God’s greatest miracle and work is the forgiveness of sins that allows human beings to return to right relationship with Him.


It is good for us to spend time thinking and praying about mercy, but we should do this in a specific way.  How can I be more merciful to those God has placed in my life?  Whom do I need to forgive so that both of us can be restored?  Do I need to request mercy from someone else?  Do I need to ask the Lord to show me that He has been “rich in mercy” toward me (Eph. 2:1-4)?  We are able to spread mercy only if we understand the real ways that God has brought mercy into our lives.

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