NEW TESTAMENT TEACHINGS ON MERCY

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8

Mercy to Enemies
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Romans 12:20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

Mercy to Strangers, Fatherless and Widows
Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Matthew 25:35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Mercy to neighbors and brethren
Luke 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

I Corinthians 8:13 Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.

Mercy to the Poor
I John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from
him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

MEMORY VERSE: Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. —Romans 13:10

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The spirit of mercy is at the very heart of pure religion. The principles of mercy in the law were re-echoed in the teachings of Jesus, preached by his disciples, and practiced by the early morning church.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Hebrews 13:2 “Entertain strangers”: to show warmth, friendliness and hospitality to strangers.

Matthew 25:35 “Hungred”: hungry. “Ye took me in”: bring together; receive with hospitality.

James 1:27 “Visit”: to look upon in order to help or to benefit; to have a care for; provide for. “Affliction”: distress; tribulation; internal pressure, especially when feeling “there is no way out”.

Luke 10:37 “Mercy”: kindness or good will toward the miserable and afflicted, joined with a desire to relieve them.

Galatians 6:1 “Meekness”: mildness; gentleness; kindness; temperate; displaying the right blend of force and reserve, avoiding unnecessary harshness, yet without compromise. —HELPS Word Studies

I Corinthians 8:13 “Offend”: to set a snare; to cause to stumble; to hinder right conduct or thought.

I John 3:17 “Shutteth up his bowels of compassion”: closes his heart and turns away from him.

Romans 13:10 “No ill”: no inner malice or evil.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Consider these descriptions of the early Christians:

“It is mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See, they say, how they love one another. . . See, they say about us, how they are ready even to die for one another. . . —Tertullian

“We who used to value the acquisition of wealth and possessions more than anything else now bring what we have into a common fund and share it with anyone who needs it. We used to hate and destroy one another and refused to associate with people of another race or country. Now, because of Christ, we live together with such people and pray for our enemies.” —Justin Martyr

“He impoverishes himself out of love, so that he is certain he may never overlook a brother in need, especially if he knows he can bear poverty better than his brother. He likewise considers the pain of another as his own pain. And if he suffers any hardship because of having given out of his own poverty, he does not complain.”—Clement

Surely the Spirit of Christ shown in the manner of the early Christians is what we should earnestly seek for today.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Motivation: What prompts true kindness and hospitality?

2. As unto Him: When we show mercy and kindness, to Whom are we really giving it? When we withhold it, Who are we really cheating?

3. Restoring the fallen: What should we remember and consider as we deal with those who have erred?

4. Bounds of liberty: If our “liberty” causes us to do things that cause offense, is this showing true Christian mercy?

5. Reality check: If we neglect showing love “in deed and in truth”, can we expect Christ’s “Well done”?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

Today’s lesson brings it home. In every aspect of life, we are to love mercy. From deep inside, our very heart-beat should be that of compassion. For the lost, for the unfortunate, for the struggling brother or sister, for the injured or wounded.

I think the story Jesus told about the merciful Samaritan sums it up. Here a man used to feeling shut out and put down by “God’s people” became first responder to one of them who lay dying, when the religious leaders of that dying man wouldn’t lay a finger to help him. What a lesson is in that story! How many of us have felt so jaded by the disappointments in life that we decided we would close our hearts and walk on by that suffering brother or sister? How many times have we justified our stand-offish behavior and ignored the heart-cry from that one who is strange, smells badly, or is difficult?

The true neighbor is the one who shows mercy. It’s going to take getting down on our knees and calling on God to reveal just what kind of mercy His holy standard is requiring of us.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

A few weeks ago I was privileged to be in New York City. Not far from the Twin Tower Memorials was a very old church built out of stone with a graveyard in the front lawn and tombstones that had weathered many, many years. It was said that our first President, George Washington, went to this church to pray after he was inaugurated as president.

In this church hung a banner that touched my heart. It read: “To New York City and all the Rescuers: Keep your Spirits Up….OKLAHOMA LOVES YOU!!” The banner had many signatures all over it. The church building was used as a sanctuary for food and rest to the weary after 9/11. There, high on the balcony, still stood the banner offering hope and support in a very dark and dreary time.

Not far from all of this stands the Statue of Liberty with her arm uplifted with the message:

““Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

—Bro. Bob Wilson