How Much Mercy Do You Want?

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.²”^(ESV)

What we see, what we carry, and what we learn shape who we are. If not careful, they become our habits. In ancient Rome, mercy was seen as a weakness rather than a strength. Emperors were crowned with the spoils of conquest. Warriors were celebrated for how much damage they could deliver. In that setting, Jesus stood before a group of people who would understand this.

Two words caught everyone off guard: Blessed are the merciful.

Spurgeon described the Beatitudes as a “ladder of light”¹, with each step building on the last. Notice the order: poverty of spirit, mourning, meekness, hunger, and thirst for righteousness. All of these are about what God changes inside us. Now, verse 7 marks a shift. The change happening inside begins to show outwardly.

Mercy is the first quality here that you can both receive and share. That order matters. You cannot give what you have not received. God, who has all power, humbled Himself for us. He knew all our failures and secrets. Instead of giving us the justice we deserved, He gave us mercy.

God’s mercy saves us from the full penalty of death and separation. An immeasurable gift. The joy comes not just from receiving mercy, but also from being able to share it with others. We are meant to pass it on, not keep it to ourselves.

There is a story about a police officer who was called to take a drug addict to a shelter. When he got there, he found a pregnant woman in distress. He spoke to her kindly and calmly asked what was happening.

She answered quickly and honestly. She said she was a drug addict, homeless, and pregnant. She needed to get to a recovery center but had no way to get there. Clinging to everything she owned, she reluctantly let the officer load them into his SUV to take her to the shelter.

But that’s where mercy set in. Recognizing she likely hadn’t eaten in a while. He stopped at a restaurant, sat with her, and shared a meal.

Not a duty required, but mercy for someone in need.

Spurgeon captured the principle here: They forgive, and they are forgiven. They judge charitably, and they shall not be condemned. They help the needy, and they shall be helped in their need. What we are to others, God will be to us.

The world says being tough is strong and showing mercy is weak. It says giving someone what they don’t deserve is foolishness. But someone who has never faced the cross and realized how much they have been forgiven is not truly strong. They are just unbroken, and unbroken people often cause harm in their marriages, teams, and families.

Mercy and meekness are not signs of weakness. They are what make strong people truly powerful.

Where do you need to show mercy today?
Where is your power on display instead of your mercy?

Stay on Mission


^{¹ C.H. Spurgeon, “The Beatitudes,” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 3155, 1873. spurgeon.org}