“Be Merciful, Just As Your Father Is Merciful!”

“Be Merciful, Just As Your Father Is Merciful!”
It is common to hear expressions like, “who are you to judge me? Jesus says, “Do not judge…” Imagine a society where anybody does what he or she pleases and there is no correctional measures or moral guidelines! Jesus does not relieve us of the need to discern right and wrong. What Jesus condemns is unjust and hypocritical judging of others. Whoever goes to equity must have clean hands.
For example, prophet Nathan told king David the story of a rich man who had many sheep and a poor man who had only one ewe lamb. When a traveler came to the rich man, the rich man rather went and took the lone ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared for the traveler. Upon hearing the story, “David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.’ Then Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man!'”
David’s judgment was hypocritical. He had committed a worst evil than the rich man of Nathan’s story. He killed Uriah and took his lone wife Bathsheba, despite the fact that God had given him more than enough(II Sam.12:1ff).
One would have expected David to mete on himself a higher measure of punishment than the one he meted on the fictitious rich man of Nathan’s story; but he did not! He did not go to equity with clean hands.
It is foolish and hypocritical to criticise someone for a fault while remaining blind to your own considerable faults. Life is measure for measure. Whatever you radiate is what you attract to yourself. When you condemn others, so too others will condemn you in double measure. When you forgive others, you too will be forgiven by others and by God.
It is hypocrisy when we parody the words, “…Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us…” while at the same time we vow tovdeal with those we consider our adversaries.
Mercy stands above law. If the law cannot show a human face among Christians, then the voiceless are doomed because the powerful would use them as toys.
That is why Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful”(Lk.6:36-42). Without mercy, none of us shall be saved.
My friend, in your daily interaction with others, learn to always tamper justice with mercy; for without mercy you will not be saved.
Week’s prayer: Lord give me a heart full of pity and mercy. Let me not condemn in others that which is in me. Amen.
Welcome back to a new working week! Have a blessed day and week! Peace be with you!