Matthew 5:7
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” NIV
What does this mean and what does that look like in our lives?
Who do we need to show mercy to? Someone in need of help. But also someone who has wronged us.
Helping means not turning away from others in need. That does not mean you have to assist every one we see who needs someone to listen, or is hungry, or is in need of shelter, or feels alone (and so on). It does mean that we are called to care that people are in that state, help when it is possible and have an attitude of compassion and care for people. That means we stop to consider what life is like for a person in need of mercy and not be hard hearted in our attitude towards them. It means you need to be careful about what you say and think about people who need mercy. Is your attitude one of Jesus’ love or one of hardness and lack of love?
What about someone who has wronged you?
Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer. One of those lines asks God to forgive us as we forgive others (6:12). At the end of that prayer Jesus explains that if we forgive others the wrong they have done to us then God will forgive us (v14-15). In James 2:13 we are told that God will forgive us to the extent that we forgive others.
It can be really hard to forgive another person, especially when that person has done something really horrible. But God knows that if we hold unforgiveness in our hearts then we will become bitter and that is destructive and takes us away from God. He knows how hard it is to forgive and will help if He is asked. We must make a choice to forgive and ask God for help. One of the things that happens when you choose to forgive and ask God for help is that He increases your awareness of the other person and their needs. He allows you to empathise with that person and better understand their motives. Once there is that understanding it is easier to forgive.
In fact, all types of mercy require us to empathise with a person, be they someone in need of our merciful care or in need of our merciful forgiveness. Lack of empathy prevents us from meeting the other person’s needs. It also prevents us from listening to what the other person wants.
So being merciful is about forgiveness and choosing to not judge others, as well as to seek to understand the reasons for a person’s actions. It could be argued that Jesus did just that in coming to live in a man’s body and live as a man. He was seeking to understand us and the reasons for our actions. This is the supreme act of mercy.
For reading and reflecting on over the next few days. Matthew 6
 

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (NIV)

There are many verses that this echoes. One of the most well known is Isaiah 55:1-2 which speaks of how we come to the waters and drink and our souls will be delight in the richest of fare. (NIV).

There are also many references elsewhere in Isaiah such as 41:17 which talks of the poor and needy looking for water and God answering them and providing it. In Isaiah 44:3 water is likened to the Holy Spirit being poured out on people. Here is the person hungering and thirsting for righteousness. Psalm 42:1-2 speaks of the deer panting for water and that is how much the psalmist pants for God. Likewise in 63:1 the psalmist earnestly seeks God because his soul thirsts for Him. The famous scene at the well with the Samaritan woman centres around Jesus’ statement that the water Jesus gives means we will never thirst (John 4:14).

Jesus wants us to need Him as much as the person in a famine needs food and water to prevent death. How intense is your need for righteousness? It is the difference between the seed falling among the weeds or falling on the rich soil.

Hungering and thirsting for righteousness carrying a great cost. It means putting away the desires of the world and placing Jesus at the top of the desire list.

How much are you willing to give up to follow the narrow way?

For reading and reflecting on over the coming days Isaiah 55:1-2, Psalm 42.

Matthew 5:5
“Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” NIV
Who are the meek?
According to the Ancient Greek definition of the word, Meekness was self control, and involved a good balance between someone who is constantly becoming angry with others and someone who does nothing to defend themselves, the veritable door mat. At the time I wrote the original blog about the Sermon on the Mount I commented that Meekness appeared to be a good place for people in this world to aspire to, that the original meaning was closer to our modern meaning of Assertiveness than what is commonly taught today about people never defending themselves and allowing themselves to be taken advantage of. It is interesting that this is seen today as a mark of lack of self respect and certainly Jesus never taught that nor modelled that.
I love the example shown by Jesus of meekness. He did on occasion become angry but his anger was never selfish. It was always about righteousness. An excellent example of this can be found in John 2:13-17 when Jesus cast the money changers and sellers of sacrificial items out of the temple.
Self control is a lovely fruit of the spirit and fits very well with this beatitude. In the original blog I commented on the truth of Galatians 5:22-23 and that when seen in the light of this beatitude it demonstrated how we can use self control because we have Jesus in our lives. This is our wonderful relationship with our shepherd, who is guiding us on the narrow way. We follow in humility, full of the knowledge that because of Jesus we have self control and that we can do nothing without Him.
Psalm 37:39-40 is a lovely verse to end this blog on:
“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of rouble. The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.” NIV
A wonderful blessing to receive.
For reading and reflecting on Psalm 37:1-11, if time read the entire psalm.