WHITEWASHING

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."  Matthew 5: 7 (CSB)

We are starting to consider the four Outward Actions that comprise the last half of the Beatitudes.

First, we need to make sure we understand fully what Jesus means here when He says, "Blessed are the merciful."

Let’s begin our definition by seeing what Mercy is NOT.

It is not just referring to sentimental feelings. Feeling sorry for someone, being sympathetic, is a good quality, but it does not express the proper depth that Jesus is referring to. In fact, James 2:15-16 teaches us that when we see someone in need and only acknowledge the need, that is, feel sorry for them, but do nothing to help them, we’ve really done them no good at all.

Mercy is also not just helpful deeds. Some people equate mercy with kindness. And although being kind to one another is a Scriptural mandate, once again it does not express the true meaning of mercy.

And mercy is certainly not justice. Justice is getting what we deserve. We talk in legal circles about "placing ourselves on the `mercy’ of the court." In other words, we know we deserve a certain punishment but we are hoping that there will be a relaxing of the penalty, a lesser verdict. But even that does not fully explain the depth of mercy, as Jesus describes it.

The word Jesus uses for mercy is "eleos," and it is full of great meaning. It’s used to describe an attribute of God. God is said to be "rich in mercy." (Eph.2:4)  Titus 3:5 tells us that we are saved by His mercy. And Peter tells us that: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope...” (1 Peter 1:3)

“Eleos” in its root carries the meaning, "to wash over." In the Greek culture, wherein Jesus lived, it was used in the context of "whitewashing" a wall or "wiping out" an impurity or "canceling" a debt. You see mercy goes beyond sympathy to empathy. It is "love in action." You not only wash out the deed that was done against you but, and here is the real challenge, you find a way to help the person.

You see mercy is an action, not a reaction. "Eleos" has its greatest meaning in our keyword for this beatitude: we are to be forgiving.

But even forgiveness can be too weak unless we understand that we not only are to wipe out the injury done to us by another but we are to also help them to recovery.  And that’s the rub, isn’t it? It’s one thing to say you forgive; it’s another to become actively involved in mercy.

Mercy’s clearest definition is Jesus Christ Our Lord didn’t just sit up in heaven and passively say, "Okay, okay, whoever believes in Me, I’ll forgive them." John 3:16 doesn’t say, "For God so loved the world that whoever believes in his son will have everlasting life." It says, "For God so loved the world that he...” what? "... gave His one and only Son." 1 John 4:9 repeats the thought- "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might have life... This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

By action He demonstrated mercy, His “Eleos” the whitewashing of our sins, with His blood.

So we need to consider how do I apply this principle in my everyday life? How do I practically demonstrate this action word, this mercy?

Tomorrow, we will look a little deeper into this.