Beatitude 5 - Blessed are the Merciful
Blessed are the Merciful
Matthew 5: 7 —Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
The Greek word makarios (Μακάριος) means "blessed," "happy," "fortunate," or "privileged". It appears in the New Testament 50 times. Meaning Makarios is the closest Greek word to the English word "happy". It can describe someone who has a special advantage or desirable position. For example, the ancient Greeks used makarios to describe their gods, who were blessed with divine power.
Etymology Makarios comes from the Greek word makar, which also means "blessed". The name Makarios was highly symbolic in ancient Greek society. Usage Makarios is also used as a Greek given name. In Greek mythology, Makarios was often used to describe people who were favored by the gods.
Bible Illustration: The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37 25
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.
By telling this story of the Good Samaritan, a hated outsider who is the only one to help the business man who had been beaten and robbed and left to die when the respected community leaders ignored the man’s wounds and pain, Jesus challenges us to see ourselves and our social structures realistically.
Sometimes we are the victim. Sometimes we are the ones who ignore other’s suffering and walk by. By recognizing our own brokenness we can move from being judgmental to empathy. There’s a saying in Twelve Step circles, “If you keep doing what you are doing you will keep getting what you are getting.” This suggests mercy is like a boomerang. If we send out mercy it will return to us.
“Blessed are the merciful” reminds me of the basic soundness of the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” It also echoes the Great Commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Does the promise of mercy extend to obtaining divine mercy, or is Jesus merely talking about a rare human exchange of mercy for mercy? What about those instances when our hopes for corresponding mercy simply evaporate? We did not receive corresponding mercy, so what happens? What happens when regardless of our merciful acts, we instead receive condemnation even from those to whom we have shown mercy?
In other words, is Jesus talking here about a quid pro quo dynamic of mercy? “If you are merciful, God will be merciful to you; but if you condemn you will be condemned without mercy.” Is that the meaning of the beatitude?
In Latin, quid pro quo literally means “something for something.” Quid pro quo is an arranged exchange of services or favors between two parties. It's not formalized with a contract, and often isn't even disclosed.
These questions and our innate desire to negate various obvious answers, uncover the paradoxical nature of the beatitudes. How can they be unconditional blessings, if their very outcome seems to hinge on our works, attitudes, or motives as pre-existing conditions to receive the blessing? If the beatitudes are really conditional on anything we perform, then they are laws and not blessings.
All the beatitudes are descriptions of the living Christ. Thus, in this instance, he is the Blessed One because he is innately merciful, and thus obtains mercy on our behalf and for our salvation.
is found in God’s self-identifying disclosure to Moses: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and overflowing with mercy and truth, maintaining mercy (chesed) for thousands, forgiving guilt and rebellion and sin” (Ex 34:6-7).
Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul, became crippled after his nurse dropped him in haste during their flight from the news of Saul and Jonathan's deaths, and later, King David, remembering his friendship with Jonathan, showed him great kindness and restored his family's inheritance.
2 Samuel 9:6: When Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.
2 Samuel 9:7: David said, "Don't be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table".
2 Samuel 9:8: Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?".
2 Samuel 9:9-13: David then instructed Ziba, Saul's servant, to manage the land for Mephibosheth, ensuring he had food, while Mephibosheth would always eat at the king's table. 2 Samuel 9:12:
Mephibosheth had a son named Micha, and he lived in Jerusalem, eating at the king's table, though he was lame in both feet.
The name Mephibosheth in Hebrew means "exterminator of shame". It comes from a Hebrew verb which means "to cleave or break apart", and the Hebrew noun which means "shame".
On this side of the cross we “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2). In despising our shame, he dispelled it forever. Pre-figured by David’s quest, “to whom shall I show kindness,” Christ took the initiative to be merciful to sinful humanity. Willingly he went to the cross, and there he obtained mercy for all Mephibosheth's throughout history.
Jesus himself is our single act of merit, given to us through God’s chesed love, and obtained by faith alone.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy.” — Matthew 5:7