Mercy & Peace

Matthew 6:7-12

Introduction

Today, we continue our series, “Summer on the Mount.” Last week, we kickoffed with the first half of Beatitudes. Today, we’ll wrap up the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount with the second half of the Sermon on the Mount.

I’ve always found it odd when people ask for a preacher to preach about a specific sin. What I have observed is that when they make that request, it's never a sin they are struggling with personally. They want a sermon about a sin that someone else is struggling with. Normally, it's a sin that is in the media or a popular topic of discussion in culture. But no one goes preacher; I’m struggling with anger, or complaining, or laziness, so preach on that, please. We want to be comfortable with our sins while listening to others' sins being blistered.

If that's you, I have some troubling news. The sermon on the Mount will, at some point, make everyone uncomfortable. Jesus is going to touch on money, marriage, politics, earthly relationships, and many more topics that, at some point, are going to hit you square between eyes. It might be today’s scripture. So, as your preacher, I want you to know that Jesus loves you, and I love you, but as my dad used to say, after a good ole whipping, one day you’ll thank me.

Matthew 5:7–12 ESV

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Scriptural Analysis

Let’s remember what we said about the Beatitudes last week. When approaching the Beatitudes, we must avoid sliding into two extremes. (1) We must not conclude that Jesus is calling his listeners to a meritorious attempt at earning salvation by living out these character qualities in order to enter the kingdom. Jesus’ Beatitudes are statements of grace, not law. (2) We must avoid making these into burdensome ethical demands on members of the kingdom. There are no imperatives here except to “rejoice” when one experiences the blessing of God. The Beatitudes summarize the essence of the entire Sermon on the Mount. While each Beatitude stands alone, it is linked progressively to the one following it. Each beatitude builds on the previous one.

Verse 7

“Merciful” embraces the characteristics of being generous, forgiving others, having compassion for suffering, and providing healing of every kind. Kingdom servants must reflect in their own hearts the heart of the king. They are “others-oriented.” What we have received in such abundance, we must dispense abundantly. People who are merciful can be said to be “kind” or “forgiving,” or to be “people who take pity on others,” or “people who show mercy to others.” Similarly, then, “God will take pity on them,” “will forgive them,” or “will show mercy to them.”

Mercy is a central biblical theme because, in God’s great mercy, he does not give humans what they deserve; instead, he gives them what they do not deserve. The true disciple has experienced God’s merciful forgiveness toward an undeserving sinner, which in turn produces such overwhelming gratitude and a deep understanding of forgiveness. They will, in turn, demonstrate that same mercy toward other undeserving sinners.

For Matthew, the point is that merciful people realize that because they receive mercy from God, they must extend mercy to others. Mercy is both a gift and a requirement. Summarized, we show mercy because we have received mercy.

Verse 8

The term Matthew used here means pure. A simple but helpful way of looking at the word is to realize that it implies the singleness of purpose without any distraction. Any distracting or corrupting influence a kingdom servant allows into their heart makes that person less effective as a servant. The kingdom servant has an undivided heart, which is a pure heart.

This quality is a natural by-product of the preceding blessings and character qualities. Purity of heart is not manufactured by the believer but is granted by the God of mercy (5:7) to those who mourn their spiritual bankruptcy (5:3–4) and who seek his righteousness (5:6).

There is a difference between having a clean heart and a pure heart. All of us who have embraced the Lord have clean hearts. But a pure heart is one not distracted by the things of the world. Think of it this way: All soap is clean. But only one is over 99 percent pure. Ivory soap doesn’t have deodorants, perfumes, additives, or colorings. Ivory is nothing but soap. Other soaps are clean, but they’re not pure. Summarized, a pure heart is singularly focused.

Verse 9

Those who work for shālôm, peace, and who reconcile with God and each other will “be called sons of God.” Peace means reconciliation, and God is the author of peace and reconciliation. Authentic peace is hard to accomplish because it requires repentance. That kind of peacemaking is very unpopular, and so it often meets stiff resistance. The peacemaker is someone who is first reconciled to God through Jesus by repentance. Without the reconciliation to God, no one can make peace with others.

This peace indicates completeness and wholeness in every area of life, including one’s relationship with God, neighbors, and nations. Peace is both internal and spiritual. It is not primarily physical, military, or political. Peace for the nations flows from peace in the hearts of individuals. Peacemakers are not power brokers but people who love God and others.

Real peacemakers are those who bring the good news that “your God reigns,” and that brings the ultimate harmony between people. The true peacemakers are those who wait and work for God, who makes whole the division created by humans.

Peacemaking flows logically from the meekness and mercy of the third and fifth beatitudes. Because the meek and merciful know they have the love of God within them, they stop promoting and asserting themselves. Peace flourishes when people stop emphasizing and promoting themselves. Moreover, those who have given up self-promotion make peace by settling disputes because they understand the nature of peace through their reconciliation with God. Summarized, peace with God leads to peace with others.

Verses 10-12

Theirs is the kingdom of heaven, which occurs in both the first and eighth beatitudes. This signals the beginning and the end of a section, and it is an example of a literary device known as “inclusion,” which is also found elsewhere in Matthew.

Persecution is simply the clash between two irreconcilable value systems. It is no accident that Jesus should pass from peacemaking to persecution, for the world enjoys its hates and prejudices. So much so that the peacemaker is not welcomed. Jesus reassures, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me” first. Why? “Because you are not of the world, … therefore, the world hates you.… If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18–20). Disciples will be reviled, persecuted, and slandered. Persecution is blessed if one suffers “for righteousness’ sake.” There is no blessing in suffering for sin or folly, but there is a great reward for those who suffer for their allegiance to Christ. This refers to deep, spiritual joy that is unhindered and unchanged by what happens in this present life. A person with righteous character can rejoice and be glad because of the promise that a great reward awaits you in heaven. The persecution will pale in comparison to the great reward.

Today’s Key Truth

Mercy is the Pathway to Peace.

Application

The Beatitudes paint a comprehensive portrait of a Christian disciple. We see him first alone on his knees before God, acknowledging his spiritual poverty and mourning over it. This makes him meek or gentle since honesty compels a transformation of the entire person. Yet he is far from acquiescing in his sinfulness, for he hungers and thirsts after righteousness, longing to grow in grace and goodness.

We see him next with others, out in the human community. His relationship with God does not cause him to withdraw from society, nor is he insulated from the world’s pain. On the contrary, he is in the thick of it, showing mercy to those battered by adversity and sin. He is transparently sincere in all his dealings and seeks to play a constructive role as a peacemaker. Yet he is not thanked for his efforts but rather opposed, slandered, insulted, and persecuted on account of the righteousness for which he stands and the Christ with whom he is identified.

Often, the words grace and mercy are used interchangeably. Let’s define mercy more clearly. God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment. God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress.

‘Mercy’ is compassion for people in need. Richard Lenski helpfully distinguishes it from ‘grace’: “Mercy always deals with what we see of pain, misery, and distress, these results of sin; and grace always deals with the sin and guilt itself. The one extends relief, the other pardon; the one cures, heals, helps, the other cleanses and reinstates.”

The same truth about mercy is echoed in the next chapter of Matthew: ‘If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you.’ This is not because we can merit mercy by mercy or forgiveness by forgiveness but because we cannot claim to have repented of our sins if we are unmerciful towards the sins of others. For to be meek is to acknowledge to others that we are sinners; to be merciful is to have compassion on others, for they are sinners too.

Merciful people realize that because they receive mercy from God, they must extend mercy to others. Mercy implies generosity, forgiveness, compassion, and a desire to remove the wrong and alleviate the suffering. The merciful are those who relate to others with a forgiving and compassionate spirit. God will show mercy to the merciful.

Once we understand the depth and responsibility of mercy, that will transform our hearts. According to Psalm 24 “clean hands and a pure heart” are demanded of persons who would come into the presence of God in his Temple. In this context, the heart represents more than the seat of emotions; it refers to one’s innermost being. The purity referred to means singleness of motive and devotion, as opposed to a divided motive, which is the way most of our lives are lived. People who are pure in heart are “people whose only interest is to serve God,” “whose lives are directed only to serving God,” and “whose devotion to God is complete.”

That single purpose of the pure in heart is to serve the God who has made peace and reconciliation possible through Jesus. Since God is the first peacemaker, peacemakers are called “sons of God.” This involves action, not just passive compliance. Peacemakers actively work for peace to cause reconciliation and end bitterness and strife. This peace is not appeasement but dealing with and solving problems to maintain peace. Arrogant, selfish people do not concern themselves with peacemaking. Peacemakers will be called the children of God because they reflect their Father’s character. This peacemaking starts with reconciliation with God and then reconciliation with others.

As merciful and peaceful representatives of God in the world, you will face persecution. Many times, Christians are being persecuted not because they’re living righteously but because they’re weird. They take some biblical command to an out-of-context extreme and then think they are being persecuted because people look at them like they are an alien. Weirdness doesn’t count as persecution. Persecution is about a pure heart. Few men of this century have understood better the inevitability of suffering and persecution than Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He seems never to have wavered in his Christian antagonism to the Nazi regime, although it meant for him imprisonment, the threat of torture, danger to his own family, and finally, death. He was executed by the direct order of Heinrich Himmler in April 1945 in the Flossenburg concentration camp, only a few days before it was liberated. It was the fulfillment of what he had always believed and wrote: “Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship. The disciple is not above his master.”

The world constantly promotes the ideas of mercy and peace but fails to deliver them. It cannot deliver them because it stands in opposition to God, the author of peace and mercy. Without God, there is no real mercy and peace.

Mercy is the Pathway to Peace.

Conclusion

Peace can be described as tranquility of order. According to St. Augustine, peace depends upon order with oneself, with our neighbor, and most importantly, with God. Sin constantly upsets that order. Sin destroys that order with God because sin is a revolt against His will. It destroys internal harmony within us, so much so that our intellect and will are dragged around by our selfish passions and unchecked emotions, prompting us to act contrary to reason and the Bible. Sin destroys the order with our neighbors; instead of mutual love, people hate one another and do not treat each other with respect and kindness. Since the fall in the Garden, we have had no peace.

If you were to describe this era we are living in with one word, I think that one word would be impasse. We seem to live in this constant status of impasse where we can find no peace and reconciliation. Contemplative theologian Constance FitzGerald describes our era of impasse as a “dark night.” It feels that way, doesn’t it? In our community, in our politics, in our families, in our churches, we seem to be living in an impenetrable impasse. So there is no peace.

But the Beatitudes give us the road map, the pathway to peace. Notice the order of the Beatitudes as well as the message. When we understand God’s mercy, we find God’s peace. Through Jesus, we see God's mercy. Jesus came out of mercy. We didn’t earn that. God didn’t owe us. We were not entitled to the hope, grace, and salvation that Jesus provided. That was all God’s mercy.

That mercy set the stage for our peace with God. Jesus’ mercy toward us led to his sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection. Because Jesus made peace between us and God the Father, we now have hope for this life and a certain home for the next. God's mercy led to our peace with God.

Mercy is the Pathway to Peace.

This formula of showing mercy to make peace goes beyond our relationship with God. It extends to every relationship we have. When we demonstrate God’s mercy toward others, we find peace with others. There is no peace without mercy. Let me repeat that for importance: there is no peace without mercy. When we don’t have peace in our relationships, it is because of a lack of mercy.

Let’s define mercy one more time: Mercy always deals with the pain, misery, and distress that result from sin. Mercy is compassion toward the pain of others.

So let’s just lay it out there: the people you have conflict with, the people you are at an impasse with, need mercy. They need Christ-like mercy from you. Whoa, pastor! Do you know what they did to me? You don’t know the pain they intentionally inflicted on me. Do you know the hurt and suffering they caused me and my family? No, I don’t. But I do know that sin is the cause of their and your pain. Sin caused their misery and distress and your misery and distress. I do know that their attitude and actions are the result of sin in their lives, sin in your life, and sin in the world around us all. I do know they have suffered because of sin, just like you and I. Even if they are a professing Christian, sin is what caused your impasse.

The ministry of peacemaking involves resolving conflict by making sincere apologies and acts of restitution, refusing to seek revenge, and humbly serving and loving others, including those who might be your enemies at present. The key to having peace in your life and in your relationships is showing mercy. There is no peace without mercy.

Mercy is the Pathway to Peace.

Listen, I know there are people who hurt you deeply. I know they are people you are highly frustrated with because of disagreements. I know they are people who, mutually, you don’t have anything to do with at the present moment. But aren’t we tired of living in these impasses? Don’t we know down deep we need to make peace? Don’t we understand the importance of family? Don’t see that the mission of God is more important than our feelings? Aren’t we tired of living every aspect of life at an impasse? There is no peace without mercy.

Mercy is the Pathway to Peace.

Jesus didn’t look at you and me and say, “I’m so hurt by their actions that I’m not going to save them.” Jesus didn’t look at our rebellion and state, “I’m not going to forgive them.” Jesus didn’t look at our selfishness and declare, “I’m done.” He saw the impasse sin had caused, and he had compassion. He willingly chose to show mercy. And he made peace between us and God.

That relationship of yours that's in tatters, that co-worker you’re at war with, that friend that’s no longer a friend, that family member you don’t speak with, show mercy. That former church member that makes you angry, that child who won’t talk to you, that person you sinfully hate, show mercy. Sin has been just as disruptive in their lives as it has been in yours. They might be entirely in the wrong, I doubt it but show mercy. Really, what’s more important: holding onto your negative feelings until they apologize first or finding peace for you both.

Jesus loved us enough to show mercy when we certainly didn’t deserve it. He made peace available to us. As followers of Christ, we must follow his example in every relationship. There is no peace without mercy.

Mercy is the Pathway to Peace.