Bible Study Weekly Recap - The Merciful
- jerrybaca18
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
By Jerry Baca
And it came to pass, that as he had come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging: And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passes by. And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. (Luke 18:35-38)
I used to think of mercy as forgiveness. Although that is part of it, there is more to being merciful. Jesus healed this man, thus showing him mercy. The Bible says to be merciful, even as your(heavenly) Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:36)
So, being merciful, or showing mercy is characterized by compassion, kindness and a willingness to forgive or be lenient towards others. Our Father in heaven is merciful, Jesus is merciful, and if we want to be more like God, we should be merciful as well. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Matt. 5:7)
Mercy is not merely an emotion but a deliberate expression of God’s heart in action. Mercy is who God is. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (Psalms 103:8) When we live mercifully, we become living reflections of God’s nature in a broken world.
We need mercy and can cry out for it in prayer when we are weak, in trouble, or in need. Biblical mercy involves withholding judgment that is deserved and responding with compassion instead, especially in a harsh, judgment driven world. Mercy is His divine signature, and it is the reason that humanity still exists.
Choose to forgive, help someone in need, be kind to strangers, don’t retaliate when others wrong you, be patient with others, encourage the brethren, give second chances, pray for mercy for others. Forgive them, Father, don’t write it against them. Living mercifully is living like Jesus, what a beautiful attitude is this beatitude.
‘God’s mercy is so great, that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favors and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. As John Bunyan well says, “It must be great mercy, or no mercy; for little mercy will never serve my turn.” (Charles Spurgeon.)
If you missed the study on Saturday, you can catch it here in the PowerPoint and zoom video:
Hope to see you all next time when we explore the pure in heart!
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