I was shown mercy today. There was a situation beyond my control, and I was nervous that I was going to get in trouble for it. I was quick to apologize, and prepared to explain myself. Instead, I was met with mercy.
It was a bit unexpected; I didn’t have to fix it, we all learned from the situation, and we made a plan to avoid a similar issue in the future.
But in that moment of group reflection, I wanted the person who had made the original mistake to be held accountable. Even though I could have been proactive and helped to avoid the disaster altogether, I wanted a scapegoat. I brushed off the mercy and sought judgment.
My gut instinct was not to extend that same mercy to the one who probably could have been blamed for the trouble (who, by the way, wasn’t present to defend themselves).
I know my flesh loves conflict. My flesh is also quick to assign blame, to be right, to defend myself and my reputation.
But as God reminded me on the drive home, mercy triumphs over judgment. He delights in showing mercy. And He invites us to do the same.
He brought to mind a powerful story from Matthew 18:21-35. I’ve heard it preached on a few times. I encourage you to look it up and read it all (and even the whole chapter for context).
I’ll attempt to summarize: there’s a king who is settling debts with his servants. There’s one who owes him 10,000 talents. (One talent was equal to 20 years’ of wages; one estimate states this was the equivalent of 60 million days of work for one laborer.) An impossible amount to pay back right then and there. (I wonder how he racked up this much debt in the first place??)
He, his whole family, and all of their possessions were going to be sold to allow for repayment of the debt. The man fell to the ground and begged for mercy and patience, promising to pay back everything.
The master didn’t just say yes; he said YES. The phrase in the Greek that’s used to describe the pity and compassion he felt is a doozy… splagchnizomai; it means “to have the bowels yearn, i.e. (figuratively) feel sympathy, to pity; to be moved as to one’s bowels, hence, to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity).” That is a definition; I’m still wrestling with the fullness of its meaning, but this king felt compassion from the inside out. It moved him. He released the man, and forgave the debt. Every. single. cent.
A clean slate.
A picture of mercy.
Imagine if the story ended here, his life radically changed, every interaction different from that day forward. What if that encounter with a merciful king had forever changed his heart and he couldn’t help but show mercy to every single person he interacted with for the rest of his life?
He had been shown mercy, but I’m not sure he received mercy.
Unfortunately, as you hopefully read, the story has a different ending. The next verse (Matthew 18:28) says that the servant went out and found a fellow servant. (If he found him, it means he was looking for him. Think of the intentionality implied in that.) This peer owed the man one hundred denarii. (One denarius was one day’s wages, so 100 days of pay. *Compared to his debt of 60 MILLION days.)
Sadly, he didn’t follow the king’s example at all. He seized the fellow servant, began to choke him, and demanded payment. Even though his own debt had been cancelled and he likely didn’t need this small repayment at this very moment.
The mercy he had been shown had not changed his heart.
The fellow servant had the exact same reaction as the man – he fell to the ground, begged for mercy and patience, and promised to pay him back. Surely this reenactment of his own actions could have been a gentle reminder of the compassion he had just experienced.
But the man was not like the king; he was unwilling and threw the fellow servant in prison until the debt could be paid.
Honestly, that could have been the end of the story. But there were other fellow servants; they were deeply grieved, and they didn’t stay silent. They relayed every detail to their master. And then, we see justice.
Again, I encourage you to read the whole story, but I want to highlight Matthew 18:33 – “Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?”
The Greek word for “mercy” here is eleeō, which means “to compassionate (by word or deed, specially, by divine grace); to be gracious, to have mercy, to spare, to console; to have mercy on; to succor one afflicted or seeking aid.”
“To compassionate” isn’t a typo; it’s an action. It’s not passive. The master had extended mercy to the man in debt; shouldn’t he have shown mercy in the same way?
As seen in my life today, it’s not always that easy. And I don’t believe we can give away something we haven’t truly received and appreciated. In my simple example from today, I think the mercy was so unexpected that I didn’t let it sink in. I went to my natural response to defend and blame. I wish I could have been gracious to the other parties involved and made sure mercy was extended to them as well.
A quick note about grace and mercy, because they are different. So many people have been attributed with saying this, I’m not sure where these definitions originated; I think every pastor I’ve had has said it. “Grace is getting what you don’t deserve; mercy is not getting what you deserve.” So when we make mistakes or sin, and we’re shown kindness, compassion, and forgiveness instead of punishment – that’s mercy.
There is a beautiful cycle within mercy. God the Father shows us a holy example of mercy. The one who has been forgiven much, loves much (Luke 7:47). The one who has been shown mercy (and received mercy in the depths of their soul) can’t help but show mercy to those they interact with. Especially to those who maybe don’t deserve it. (Because if they did deserve it, would it even be called mercy?)
“With the merciful, You show Yourself merciful…” – 2 Samuel 22:26 (Psalm 18:25)
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” – Matthew 5:7
“Be merciful [prove yourselves merciful], even as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:36
“For judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.” – James 2:13
“Mercy” in James 2:13 is eleos, meaning “of uncertain affinity; compassion (human or divine, especially active); mercy, kindness or good will toward the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them; of men toward men – to exercise the virtue of mercy, show oneself merciful.” It’s active; it seeks out those who are miserable and afflicted. It’s not easy, but it opens the door for heart transformation. As we bring relief to those in need, it positions us to be shown mercy when we need it. It changes our hearts; it prepares us to receive.
The Greek word for “triumphs over” is katakauchaomai (that’s fun to say); it means “to exult against (i.e. over); to glory against, to exult over, to boast oneself to the injury of (a person or a thing); mercy boasts itself superior to judgment, i.e. full of glad confidence has no fear of judgment.”
Mercy trumps judgment. It’s superior. It’s greater. It’s bigger. It covers. It’s enough.
Don’t miss the opportunities throughout your day to extend mercy, to be active in compassion, to show kindness. Follow the Father’s example; to the extent that He has been merciful to you, just as He was, in proportion to His mercy… be merciful. Remember, the merciful will receive mercy. Bring relief, not remorse.
Mercy over judgment.
For more thoughts on mercy:
Songs on Repeat:
- Mercy by Amanda Cook
- What A God by SEU Worship
- The Blood by Bethel Music, David Funk
My Race to Run 