A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW      

BLESSED ARE THE MERCIFUL 

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” 

Jesus said to His Disciples, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) Likewise, Jesus taught, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (Luke 6:36)  

Showing love to others as God has loved you and being merciful to others as your heavenly Father has shown you mercy is the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Part and parcel of Christian discipleship, of witnessing your faith in Jesus is loving and being merciful to your neighbor.   

Jesus told a parable that speaks of a servant showing mercy after the servant has first received mercy from his King. (see Matthew 18:23ff) The forgiveness of the servant’s huge debt by the King caused the King to expect the servant to show the same mercy he received to his fellow servant who owed him a very small debt.   

Your Christian discipleship , being you have received mercy from Jesus, is empowered to show mercy to others. In the context of the Beatitudes, you stood before Christ poor in spirit, mourning over your sins, hungering, and thirsting for righteousness. He met your need completely so you received all you needed freely out of His love for you.   

You have by God’s grace become united with Jesus to in turn show mercy to those with whom you come in contact who are needy. Professor Jeff Gibbs comments on today’s devotional verse, “The force of this (statement of Jesus to show mercy): ‘Those who are mine, and who therefore have begun to be merciful, are . . . blessed, for on the Last Day they will receive my mercy in all its fullness.” 

Prayer: As You, O Lord, have shown me mercy, by Your Spirit move me to show mercy to those in need of it. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Come, Thou Fount of ev’ry blessing,   
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;  
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,  
Call for songs of loudest praise.  
While the hope of endless glory   
Fills my heart with joy and love,  
Teach me ever to adore Thee;  
May I still Thy goodness prove. 

Here I raise my Ebenezer,   
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;  
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,  
Safely to arrive at home.  
Jesus sought me when a stranger,   
Wandring from the fold of God;  
He, to rescue me from danger,   
Interposed His precious blood. 

Oh, to grace how great a debtor   
Daily I’m constrained to be;  
Let that grace now like a fetter   
Bind my wand’ring heart to Thee:  
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel lit;  
Prone to leave the God I love.  
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,  
Seal it for Thy courts above. 

Oh, that day when freed from sinning,  
I shall see Thy lovely face;  
Clothed then in the blood-washed linen,  
How I’ll sing thy wondrous grace!   
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry;   
Take my ransom’ed soul away;  
Send Thine angels soon to carry   
Me to realms of endless day.  (LSB 686)