Sermon Matthew 5:1-8 “Being Merciful”
Pittsgrove Presbyterian Church
January 20, 2020
Two weeks ago we followed Jesus up the mountain to hear his teachings and learned that those who are poor and those who are in mourning are happy because of their dependence on God. Last week we learned from Jesus that those who submit themselves to God’s will and have a strong desire for a relationship with God are happy because of their adaptability. Today we will see that, what we do and how we think also impact our happiness.
Will you pray with me? Lord Jesus, we thank you for teaching us about happiness. We are grateful for your comfort when we need you. We are willing to follow you wherever you might lead us. And we promise to do God’s work in the world with a singleness of purpose. We pray this in your strong name, Amen.
Matthew 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Merciful” is a wonderful word. It is an attribute of God. An ancient creed goes this way:
Psalm 86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Mercy refers to God’s favor upon us which we don’t deserve. It is a gift from our creator and the reason we come to worship. Our merciful God has forgiven our sins and sets us into a right relationship with Him through Jesus Christ our Lord.
But what does the word “merciful” mean when it is applied to us? In what way can humanity be merciful? The ancient Greek version of Proverbs 17:5 says,
“Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished, but the one who shows mercy to the poor will receive mercy.
And Proverbs 14:24 says, “Happy are those who show mercy to the poor.”
So those who are merciful to the poor, those less fortunate in our society, will be happy because they will experience God’s unmerited favor.
We are commanded to be merciful. There will always be those who are poor and in need on the earth and we, as the people of God, are to be compassionate to them and care for their needs. In ancient times the Israelites were encouraged to lend money to those who had nothing. The poor were expected to pay the loan back. But every seventh year a Sabbath took place when all of these loans would be forgiven and the poor would find themselves debt-free. They received mercy, unmerited favor, from those people of God who with compassionate hearts forgave their debts.
To be merciful to the poor we must start by seeing the injustice around us. Several years ago a beautiful young woman, twenty-something, was gunned down in front of a trendy restaurant on the West Side of LA by crossfire from rival gangs. Television and newspapers covered the event for days. An LA city councilman offered a reward for information. And the LA police department assigned 30 officers.
The following week a 60-year-old woman sitting in a wheelchair in front of her South-Central LA apartment was struck in the eye by a bullet and died. There was a small mention in the newspapers and the LA police assigned two officers.
Most of us choose to see what happens to young, wealthy, beautiful people in affluent neighborhoods. But the merciful see those things that others of us often miss. To be merciful means that we actively look for injustice, and see it when it occurs.
But it is not enough to just see injustice. We must also try to understand it when it is happening. This requires listening which leads to understanding. In Victor Hugo’s book, Les Miserable, a bishop sees a thief trying to steal silver candlesticks. He knows that justice requires the thief to be handed over to the authorities, but mercy requires that he listen to the thief’s story. After listening to the injustice he had faced in his life the bishop had compassion on this poor man and showed him mercy. To be merciful we must listen to the stories of the poor and understand their situations.
But it is not enough to just see and hear about injustice. We are called to do something about it. Jesus taught this in a parable which we know as the Parable of the Good Samaritan. You remember the story. A man was attacked by robbers and left on the side of the road to die. A Priest and a Levite walked by doing nothing, but a Samaritan filled with compassion saw the man, understood what had happened, and personally cared for his needs.
Recently an experiment was conducted at Princeton Theological Seminary. Forty students were selected and told to dictate an impromptu talk into a tape recorder in a nearby building. Some were told to talk about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Others were given a contemporary issue to talk about. While walking to the nearby building each person encountered an actor who groaned and slumped to the ground. 60% of the students walked right by without doing anything. Seminary students were no better and no worse than the general population on this test. And there was no difference between the students thinking about the Parable of the Good Samaritan and those thinking about something else.
60% of us are too busy searching for happiness to deal with those who have fallen along the way. But according to Jesus, if we stop our frantic happiness long enough to care for those who are in need, then we will find true happiness.
Mercy has eyes that see injustice, ears that listen and understand what is going on, and hands that help the needy, but even more is required. Mercy requires a voice that cries out against injustice, pleads for the powerless and defends the defenseless.
In April of 1963, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. went to Birmingham Alabama as a voice for the powerless. He organized well-publicized protests of the city’s segregationist policies by having Blacks sit-in at segregated lunch counters until removed by the police. He then prepared for mass protests by first training volunteers in the principles of nonviolence.
Each participant was required to sign a Commitment Card which said:
“I HEREBY PLEDGE MYSELF – MY PERSON AND BODY – TO THE NONVIOLENT MOVEMENT. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP THE FOLLOWING TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
2. Remember always that the nonviolent movement in Birmingham seeks justice and reconciliation – not victory.
3. Walk and Talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free.
6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. Refrain from violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health.
10. Follow the directions of the movement and of the captain on a demonstration.
I sign this pledge, having seriously considered what I do and with the determination and will to persevere.”
Once trained in the principles of nonviolence, King’s volunteers marched on City Hall. A group of African Americans silently walked double file toward the city center and were confronted by the police. Councilman Bull Connor ordered them to disperse. When they refused 42 of them were arrested. They allowed themselves to be taken peacefully, singing freedom songs all the way to jail. Daily demonstrations and economic boycotts began. A court injunction to stop the demonstrations was ignored.
On Easter Sunday, Rev. King preached at the Zion Hill Church and personally led a demonstration into the heart of Birmingham where he was arrested. The situation became more and tenser. Violence erupted between police and protestors on May 3. The eyes of the nation were focused on Birmingham.
Rev. King and business community of Birmingham worked out the following agreement which included:
1. The desegregation of lunch counters, restrooms, fitting rooms, and drinking fountains.
2. The upgrading and hiring of Blacks on a nondiscriminatory basis.
3. Cooperation on the release of prisoners from jail on bond.
4. Communication between Blacks and Whites would be established preventing further demonstrations.
The President of the United States then told the nation that extremists would not be permitted to undo this pact.
The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. saw the injustice of segregation, heard and understood its effects, did what was necessary to mitigate those effects, and used his personal charisma and principles of nonviolence to focus the nation’s attention on the problem. This is what Jesus talked about as being merciful. And we can be confident that even in his martyrdom Rev. King has received God’s mercy.
Martin Luther King Jr. also showed a singleness of mind. He was totally committed to ending the injustice of segregation. Jesus would have called this focused commitment purity of heart. And purity of heart comes with it a promise of receiving our greatest happiness, seeing God.
Jesus is teaching us today to use our eyes to see the injustice and need in the world around us, use our ears to hear and understand what is going on, use our hands to help those in need, and use our voices to make injustice known to the world. By doing these things we are merciful and will receive God’s unmerited favor. And Jesus promises that if we are merciful will all of our hearts, all of our souls, and all of our strength then our purity of heart will receive the greatest reward possible, and we will be supremely happy because we will see God.
Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, give us eyes to see the need around us, ears to hear and understand the need, hands to help the poor, and voices to speak out against injustice. Help us to do this without equivocation, with a singleness of mind, and purity of heart that will allow us to see you at work in the world. Amen.
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