Wrapping up the lessons we’re taking from the Pharisees, we want to look at Matthew 9:10-13, where Jesus says to the Pharisees, after they question his association with tax collectors and sinners, “Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice. For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” He is quoting from Hosea 6:6 on this occasion, accusing the Pharisees of sacrificing mercy for the sake of their legalistic attitudes. The lesson for us is evident – we must defend the faith, must preserve the old ways, but we must not forsake mercy.
Mercy is kind action motivated by compassion. In learning what God means that He desires mercy more than sacrifice, we must understand it is more than an emotion. It is more than a feeling. We can feel compassion for someone and do nothing about it, but we are merciful when that compassion drives us to do something about it.
The Importance of Mercy
If we would be like our God, we must be merciful, for mercy is a characteristic of our God. Exodus 34:6 records God describing Himself as one merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in love. Psalm 145:8, Joel 2:12-13, Jonah 4:2 – these passages and more explain or demonstrate the mercy shown in our God’s dealings with man. If this is who He is, it is who we should be too.
Furthermore, mercy should be a part of our lives, for it is what we expect God to have for us. Luke 18:13 records a tax collector’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” God’s mercy is requested some forty times in the psalms, and we entreat God’s mercy when we repent and lay our sins at His feet. Just as we expect mercy from Him, God expects mercy from us. Romans 12:8 calls on us to be gladly merciful. Luke 6:36 records Jesus saying we should “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
Hosea 6:6, which Jesus quotes, and Micah 6:6-8, both are in the midst of half-hearted repentance. There is no heart in their appeal for mercy. They face judgment in asking for the mercy they refuse to show, but James 2:13 teaches that mercy triumphs over judgment. Micah 7:18 tells us God’s anger is only for a time and that He pardons iniquity and delights in love. If we have been merciful, we have no fear of an unmerciful judgment. Like we are taught to be forgiving to be forgiven, so we should be merciful to receive mercy.
Our Need to Show Mercy
We need to better show mercy to the lost. Consider the numerous exchanges between the Pharisees and Jesus. Those religious leaders viewed the lost as enemies, as undesirables, as arguments to win, as opportunities to prove our own rightness. When we are not moved by compassion, we show no mercy. Sometimes we act as if the gospel is only for the righteous, and we fail to show mercy to those who need it most.
We also need to be more merciful to new converts. We often expect too much of those new to God’s family. We grow exasperated and impatient for their failure to understand and accept convictions we already hold after years of service. Instead of giving them time to mature, we are unmerciful and unkind. These are the ones who need to be lifted up, to be supported, whose paths need to be cleared.
Finally, we sometimes fail to show mercy to our own Christian family. We listen to gossip about other Christians, and we accept these third and fourth-hand reports as fact. We condemn the very appearance of something without the benefit of the doubt. We do not listen to learn; rather, we listen to ambush. Doing so, we violate Galatians 5:14-15, destroying our strength and hindering God’s work.
Jesus quotes Hosea once more in Matthew 12:7 when the Pharisees criticize Jesus’ disciples for picking grain to eat on the Sabbath. Like them, because we do not understand mercy, we criticize what we do not understand in others. We condemn the innocent. Instead of fighting the devil, we fight one another. If we are to walk uprightly and rightly divide God’s word, we must be a people of mercy.
Hebrews 8:10-12 describes God’s mercy toward our iniquities, and Hebrews 12:16 encourages us that we can receive His mercy by approaching the throne of grace. In doing so, we must also put on mercy, acting in humility, kindness, and loving kindness in all we say and do.
lesson by Tim Smelser
Mercy is kind action motivated by compassion. In learning what God means that He desires mercy more than sacrifice, we must understand it is more than an emotion. It is more than a feeling. We can feel compassion for someone and do nothing about it, but we are merciful when that compassion drives us to do something about it.
The Importance of Mercy
If we would be like our God, we must be merciful, for mercy is a characteristic of our God. Exodus 34:6 records God describing Himself as one merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in love. Psalm 145:8, Joel 2:12-13, Jonah 4:2 – these passages and more explain or demonstrate the mercy shown in our God’s dealings with man. If this is who He is, it is who we should be too.
Furthermore, mercy should be a part of our lives, for it is what we expect God to have for us. Luke 18:13 records a tax collector’s prayer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” God’s mercy is requested some forty times in the psalms, and we entreat God’s mercy when we repent and lay our sins at His feet. Just as we expect mercy from Him, God expects mercy from us. Romans 12:8 calls on us to be gladly merciful. Luke 6:36 records Jesus saying we should “be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.”
Hosea 6:6, which Jesus quotes, and Micah 6:6-8, both are in the midst of half-hearted repentance. There is no heart in their appeal for mercy. They face judgment in asking for the mercy they refuse to show, but James 2:13 teaches that mercy triumphs over judgment. Micah 7:18 tells us God’s anger is only for a time and that He pardons iniquity and delights in love. If we have been merciful, we have no fear of an unmerciful judgment. Like we are taught to be forgiving to be forgiven, so we should be merciful to receive mercy.
Our Need to Show Mercy
We need to better show mercy to the lost. Consider the numerous exchanges between the Pharisees and Jesus. Those religious leaders viewed the lost as enemies, as undesirables, as arguments to win, as opportunities to prove our own rightness. When we are not moved by compassion, we show no mercy. Sometimes we act as if the gospel is only for the righteous, and we fail to show mercy to those who need it most.
We also need to be more merciful to new converts. We often expect too much of those new to God’s family. We grow exasperated and impatient for their failure to understand and accept convictions we already hold after years of service. Instead of giving them time to mature, we are unmerciful and unkind. These are the ones who need to be lifted up, to be supported, whose paths need to be cleared.
Finally, we sometimes fail to show mercy to our own Christian family. We listen to gossip about other Christians, and we accept these third and fourth-hand reports as fact. We condemn the very appearance of something without the benefit of the doubt. We do not listen to learn; rather, we listen to ambush. Doing so, we violate Galatians 5:14-15, destroying our strength and hindering God’s work.
Jesus quotes Hosea once more in Matthew 12:7 when the Pharisees criticize Jesus’ disciples for picking grain to eat on the Sabbath. Like them, because we do not understand mercy, we criticize what we do not understand in others. We condemn the innocent. Instead of fighting the devil, we fight one another. If we are to walk uprightly and rightly divide God’s word, we must be a people of mercy.
Hebrews 8:10-12 describes God’s mercy toward our iniquities, and Hebrews 12:16 encourages us that we can receive His mercy by approaching the throne of grace. In doing so, we must also put on mercy, acting in humility, kindness, and loving kindness in all we say and do.
lesson by Tim Smelser
