God commands us to be merciful toward others because He has been so merciful to us. When you think about the people who have hurt you, if you're struggling to let go of the pain that others have caused you, we should stop for a moment and consider all of the flack we've given God.
Let's be honest, the thing that most troubles us about mercy is that Jesus says it's a two way street. Much like the prophet Jonah, we want to be the beneficiaries of mercy, but we struggle to be the dispensers of mercy. We want God to forgive us immediately and completely, but it's so hard for us to forgive others. We would rather harbor grievances and nurture grudges.
But Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, " Those who are merciful are truly blessed. Why? Jesus tells us, "for they will be shown mercy." They witness God's grace. Giving grace is the key to understanding grace.
In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells the story of a king who wanted to settle accounts with those who worked for him. He called in his debtors and told them to pay up. One man owed a staggering amount, ten thousand talents, a debt he could never repay in a dozen lifetimes. He fell on his knees and cried out for mercy. The king had mercy on the man and canceled the debt. His slate was wiped clean. As he was leaving the palace grounds, he encountered a fellow employee who owed him a measly debt. He grabbed the guy by the neck like a Mafia leg-breaker and demanded, "Give me my money, you lousy…." When this poor fellow begged for mercy, none was granted. Instead, this man who had just been forgiven a debt of ten thousand talents had his debtor thrown in jail. When word of this incident reached the ears of the king, he was livid. Jesus said in verse 35, "In his anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed." And then our Lord drops the bomb. "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart."
There is a cognitive dissonance that often happens with this story. We read this and think, "Could someone actually be forgiven a debt of millions of dollars and be unable to forgive the debt of twenty dollars? How petty!" But who among us hasn't cried out for God's mercy and forgiveness on a Sunday morning during worship, and no sooner got home on Sunday afternoon and was suddenly overtaken by an angry and unforgiving spirit toward a brother or sister in Christ that offended and hurt us?
And notice again in the parable what happens when we choose to calibrate our compassion. God turns us over to the jailer to be tortured. We're tortured by our own anger. We're choked by our own bitterness. But worse than that! At the end of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter six, Jesus says, "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." James, the brother of our Lord, says, "judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful."
Brothers and sisters in Christ... what is that one thing you just can't seem to get out of your system?
Maybe you were rejected by a spouse — you were left for someone else? Maybe you were unjustly fired from a job? Maybe you were mistreated by a parent? Maybe you were the victim of discrimination? Maybe you were betrayed by a friend? Maybe you feel unloved or unappreciated by your children? But maybe it's not a big thing. Maybe it's something small. A social slight—not being invited to a party? Maybe at work your boss is showing favoritism toward others, you never receive credit for your good ideas and your hard work? In Proverbs 14:10, Solomon said, "Each heart knows its own bitterness." We all have our own hurts and disappointments. But the Bible warns us: "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many."
Why must we learn to be merciful? Because we owe it to God, we owe it to others, and the Scriptures tell us that we owe it to ourselves! Anger, resentment, and bitterness will eventually metastasize to our very soul and destroy us!
