“Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy (Matthew 5:7)” – Jesus
Today, in our Spiritual Wisdom of The Beatitude Series we are talking about mercy. The
Photo by: Richard Beck
spiritual wisdom found within this 5th Beatitude is two-fold:
- Mercy is a Divine Characteristic.
- This verse teaches the Law of Karma (what goes around comes around; & as we sow, so shall we reap).
Is there anyone who truly believes that our God is not merciful? Just think of the wrongs you have done and ask yourself have you received the penalty & punishment which you truly deserve?
Therefore, you have experienced though your own life that mercy is an intrinsic quality of God’s Divine Nature. And God, Himself, has said, through the prophet Hosea, “I desire mercy & not sacrifice” (6:6). So, wise children of God seek to cultivate this characteristic within themselves. For example, look at Jesus’ own life.
Jesus came as a witness to our God who is so gentle, merciful, & loving. It was the love & mercy of the Father, which Jesus showed to the world, when, instead of condemning the woman caught in adultery, he sought to pardon her; it was the mercy of our Lord, which Jesus showed, through his healings and forgiving of people sins; and it was the mercy & love of God, which he showed when instead of condemning, judging, or cursing those who would crucify him, he asked for their forgiveness.
God doesn’t desire the death nor receive any pleasure from the punishment of any of wrong-doers. God is merciful and wishes that a sinner would repent & live (Ezekiel 18:23). God looks upon us as a loving father looks at his young children. If a young child strikes you, you don’t want to hit them back in vengeful retaliation. You gently and calmly correct the child for what he/she has done, because they don’t fully understand the wrong. Well, God looks at the sinner in the same way.
Think of it this way: When you were children how many of you fully understood the reasons for the rules your parents had set? Many of us may have had curfews or household rules which we had to follow; and at times perhaps we thought that our parents were being tyrants or overly strict by these rules. But the truth is that they had set these rules because they loved us. The wanted to protect us, keep us safe, and help us mature into good men & women. Yet, many of us may have broken the rules; i.e. snuck out of the house, because we didn’t truly understand the reason for them. This is the way God sees us. He is merciful because He sees sinners as children who don’t fully comprehend Him &/or the goodness of His ways.
Now the second aspect of this beatitude speaks of the Divine Law of Karma; also expressed as “what goes around comes around” & “as we sow so shall we reap”. If we are merciful; we shall receive Divine mercy for ourselves. If we are friendly; we shall have friends. If we are loving; we shall bring more love into our lives. This Law is Truth; and it never fails.
Therefore, as this 5th beatitude says, if we desire to receive Divine Mercy then let us be merciful. Let us all try not seek to correct others through condemnation & criticism. And let us not judge others for any errors which we way see. The spiritually wise are merciful because they see all people as children of God. They don’t judge or condemn others because these children deserve sympathy & help because of their ignorance. The wise see sinners as children who simply need guidance because they have gone astray. The spiritually ignorant are still children of God and all need help and understanding from merciful souls. And those of us who are able to cultivate this Divine quality with us shall be bonded in love to the heart of God.
May God continually bless you during your own spiritual walk & remember to always – Heed the Spirit,
Anthony