Merciful

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I Can Relate

Experience has a way of forming and tempering who we are.  Not only in the way we react and respond to a particular situation, but also in the way we view the words and actions of others.  Our presumed knowledge of another’s experiences often determines if we trust their counsel, advice, and help when we are in need.  We really are looking for two things, someone that has been in similar circumstances so we feel we can relate to them and we want that person to have overcome whatever difficulty that you had in common. 

We all probably know people who claim to have the solutions for all of our problems, all of our communities’ struggles, and all of the world’s ills.  I quickly become skeptical when it appears as if they have never struggled with any of the problems that I, my community, and the world face.  The answers are too neatly packaged because they do not reflect real life.  On the other hand, it is equally frustrating to have someone try to convince me they have the solution I need when they are worse off than I am.  I know many people who try to teach on the benefits of Godly financial stewardship, yet their personal financial picture is in ruins.  I believe there is great benefit to handling finances in such a way that God is honored and He comes first, but I’m not sure it helps a lot to have someone try to teach that principle when their life appears like they haven’t lived it.

That is why the verses in our study from Hebrews 2:14-18 are such an encouragement.

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death — that is, the devil — and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.  For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.  For this reason he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.  Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Jesus not only experienced the human-ness that we have, and everything that entails, He overcame the temptations that continually cause me to stumble.  He knows how hard it is and He can relate to the difficulty you and I have in living life in faithful obedience.  He is not a “pie in the sky” God that looks down his nose at us and questions why we don’t get it right — He did it, why can’t we?  He knows that sin and temptation can be overcome, but He also knows how hard that is.  Jesus had the same struggles we have in facing the temptations to sin, yet he refused to give in.  In the struggles we have, He says, “I can relate”.  His mercy comes from an understanding of the frailty of mankind. 

This is a Savior I can trust!  He has been where I am at and He has successfully conquered every problem that I will face.  It wasn’t an easy, natural thing for Him any more than it is for me.  I can trust Him to walk me through each temptation without my having to give in to it because He has already been down that path without sin.  I can also trust Him to show mercy and forgiveness if I stumble and “don’t get it right” because He understands just how hard it is.  His challenge that I “have not yet resisted temptation to the point of shedding blood” is a poignant reminder that He does know just how hard it is — He shed His blood. 

Praise God!  His mercy endures forever! 

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Mercy Received, Is Mercy Given?

I wrote in an earlier post, Seventy Times Seven, about Peter asking Jesus how many times he should forgive someone.  Not only does Jesus give the short answer of seventy times seven (or seventy-seven, depending on the translation), He goes on to tell a parable to illustrate why we ought to forgive and show mercy.

As you read this familiar parable, ask God to help you see accurately where you are in it.  In Matthew 18:23-34, Jesus says;

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.  Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
The servant fell on his knees before him.  ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’  The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.  He grabbed him and began to choke him.  ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.  Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.  When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
Then the master called the servant in.  ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.  Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’  In anger his master handed him over to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.”

We read the account of that servant and we think, “What a jerk!”  His enormous debt was canceled and he goes straight out of his master’s presence and demands justice be served on a fellow servant who owed him a minute fraction of what he had just been forgiven of.  This servant had received mercy of a magnitude that is really hard to imagine.  In an American culture and equivalent, this debt that was forgiven could be approaching the five billion dollar mark (see note below).  I can almost hear Peter and the others who may have been listening, gasp when Jesus first brings up the amount of this servant’s debt.  It would have been clear to them that there was no way this debt would be re-payed — ever!  I can also imagine the surprise, and the relief — Jesus had said this story was about the kingdom of heaven — when the master took pity and canceled the debt.  Wow!  Who would have thought such a debt would ever be forgiven? 

That is why the second part of the story had to come as such a shock.  Here is a man who you would think would be filled with joy and gratitude.  A man that should have such an immense feeling of relief and freedom.  And yet we see this man go out and immediately abuse, threaten, and take to court a fellow servant who owed him much, much less than he had just been forgiven of.  Again, our American culture equivalent could approach ten thousand dollars (see note below).  Obviously not an insignificant amount — at least not until you compare it to the first servant’s debt.  I’m sure that nearly everyone who hears this story for the first time has the same response that the rest of the fellow servants of these two men had — they were outraged.  How could someone who had been forgiven so much treat another human being with such contempt?  The unfairness of it all took the fellow servants to the master to report all that had happened.  The result is predictable.  The master becomes angry that the first servant had not shown mercy on his fellow servant in the way that it had been shown to him.  The punishment is declared and swiftly carried out.  The man is thrown in jail to be tortured until he should pay back his debt — a debt so large it seems beyond repayment.

It is a nice, challenging story that we can walk away from thinking, “Good story.  Serves him right.  That guy deserves an extreme punishment.”  At least we could if it wasn’t for verse 35 where Jesus makes the application to us.  He says, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart.” 

So, where do you see yourself in the story?  We are all there — at least in the beginning.  It is a story about the kingdom of heaven.  We are all that first servant who has accumulated a debt that we can never repay.  As Christians, we have received mercy from God.  He has paid the debt Himself and canceled our obligation to the penalty of sin.  So, what is our response?  How do we treat other people, even fellow Christians, who “owe us”?  What is our reaction when a fellow servant sins against us? . . .  A servant of the same Master who has forgiven us our sin against Him.  How often do we abuse, threaten, and take to court a fellow Christian whose wrong pales in comparison to the sin God has forgiven us of?  Paul says this shouldn’t be.  Jesus says, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” 

You and I have received much mercy.  Our response needs to be a giving of much mercy. Just as the unmerciful servant was handed over to be tortured for eternity — until he could pay back an un-payable debt — Jesus says God will treat us in the same way if we do not show mercy.  May you and I be mercy givers because we have been mercy receivers.

  

         — note:  Here is my math.  The commentary I looked at listed a talent as 20 years of a day laborer’s wages.  To use round numbers, I used a figure of $25,000 a year for a laborer times 20 years is a half million dollars per talent.  10,000 talents times .5 million dollars is 5,000 million dollars, or 5 billion dollars.  The same commentary lists a denarius, or silver coin, as the daily wage of a laborer.  Using the same annual figure and a 5 day work week, I come up with $100 a day, or denarius.  100 dollars times 100 coins equals 10,000 dollars.  At least that is the way my math works with the information I have. 🙂

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Mercy: What A Delight!

I had the opportunity to preach Sunday evening about the mercy of God.  Preparing for that made me think about the whole idea of mercy and what it is.  I looked up the word mercy in the dictionary and it gave the definition as “compassion: kindness or forgiveness shown especially to somebody a person has power over”.  While I would quickly agree that compassion, kindness, and forgiveness all have something to do with mercy, I felt that the definition given was just too weak . . . too inadequate for this characteristic of God that we call mercy. 

You see, I think the dictionary was missing a key element of mercy — at the heart of mercy is the fact that it is undeserved.  If we deserve the compassion, kindness, and forgiveness shown to us, then it is something we earned and not mercy at all.  No, real mercy comes when we know we deserve punishment, condemnation, consequences, or retaliation and it is not given out to us.  I used the following illustration Sunday night that I think many people can relate to.

A few years ago I was on my way to a graduation open house on a Sunday afternoon with my mind a million miles away.  I was in full time youth ministry at the time and Sundays were days that were jam-packed full of activities and responsibilities that kept my attention all day long if they were to be accomplished well.  Anyhow, this particular afternoon I was simply driving to my destination without paying much attention at all to my surroundings or where I was.  As we were nearing the house we were headed to, my wife tells me that the sheriff’s car that had just went by us just did a U-turn and was likely coming after me.  Sure enough, the flashing lights appeared in my rear view mirror and as I pulled over to let him by he simply pulled in behind me.  I was caught.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t really sure what I was caught at.  This section of road was actually a fairly notorious speed trap, so I assumed I was its latest victim.  However, I wasn’t paying any attention and didn’t even know for sure if I was speeding and if so how fast I had been going.  The officer soon approached my car window and asked the question, “Do you know why I stopped you?”  I don’t know if that is a normal question, but it seems like a strange question to me.  Especially at this moment because my answer was something like this, “I’m not real sure, but I would guess I was driving too fast.”  And so I told him the truth.  I was paying absolutely no attention to what I was doing and therefore had no idea how fast I was driving.  He took me back to his car to show me the radar reading and sure enough, I was doing 47 in a 35 mph zone.  I simply told him that if that is what it said, then I must have been doing that.  I apologized . . . I expressed my regret . . . I confessed my wrongs of driving too fast and not paying attention.  I acknowledged that I was caught and I was guilty.  And then the mercy came.  He calmly and mildly reprimands me and tells me to pay attention when I drive and watch my speed.  Thank you and have a good day!

Wow!  Individuals that know me and were also going to the open house, gave me a hard time about my little roadside visit.  When I told them the officer just wanted to chat about my driving habits and encouraged me to pay attention and do what I ought, they couldn’t believe it.  It seems that “everyone” who gets caught on that section of roadway gets a ticket.  For me, it was mercy in action.  I didn’t demand it, I didn’t really even request it.  I definitely didn’t deserve it.  I simply confessed my sin and humbly took responsibility for my actions that I knew were wrong.  Any other course of action would have made mercy unlikely at best. 

God is a lot like that.  Micah 7:18 says He is a God “who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance.  [He does] not stay angry forever but delight[s] to show mercy.”  God longs to show mercy if we would just come to him in humility.  A broken and contrite heart, He will not turn away.  His anger over our sin will melt away when he sees us come to Him in repentance.  God is always calling us to Himself, longing for us to recognize that we are guilty and in need of His mercy.  Mercy that is freely given to all who humble themselves and confess their sin as He is “faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

May you and I bring delight to God by being honest with Him in our need for His mercy.