The Bible teaches us that human sin and guilt have certain inevitable consequences:  pain, misery, distress, etc.  The presence of pain, misery, and distress in this world offers us ample opportunity to demonstrate the beauty of mercy.

But that’s not our natural inclination in the face of pain, misery, and distress.

Our tendency is rather to insulate ourselves against all of the trials and tribulations of other people (see Luke 10.30–32).  Our tendency is to find revenge delicious when we feel that someone has wronged us (see 1 Samuel 25).  We kind of cheer when someone says to the bad guy, “May God have mercy on your soul, because I sure as *#$@ won’t.”

But consider the mercy of King Jesus.  How often do we see him healing, helping, extending relief to the miserable, the sick, and the outcast?  And do you remember what he prayed about those men who were hammering him to the tree?  (See Luke 23.34.) The angels themselves must have looked at one another in utter astonishment… “Did you hear what he just said?”

King Jesus shows mercy.  And the faithful citizens of his kingdom must follow him here too, for the king has decreed:  “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5.7).

That is the king’s command.  Those who show mercy find it.

Those who pretend to live under the banner of the king but aren’t showing mercy may one day find that they’ve been climbing a ladder that’s been leaning against the wrong wall (see Matthew 18.21–35).

Rest in the mercy of Jesus.  It’ll grow on you.

The picture used above is of the USNS Mercy anchored off the coast of Jolo City, Philippines, in June 2006. The Mercy’s staff assisted thousands of local citizens with medical and dental care. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Photographer’s Mate Edward G. Martens.

The Bible talks about feasting and food quite a bit.  If you want to let your mind wander through the Scriptures tracing out the theme of food, go read the June 23, 2007 post entitled (creatively enough) “Food.” It won’t do more than just get you started, but you’ll see something of what I’m talking about.  This book is not exactly vegetarian–friendly reading. 

“A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out as good for nothing.”
—Samuel Johnson

“Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat.”
—Fran Lebowitz

Noting God’s interest in food and feasting (both as reality and as metaphor), it shouldn’t surprise us that when the King took his place upon the mountain to teach his people how true godliness is revealed and lived out (Matthew 5.1,2), he said to them, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (verse 6)

God promises complete and utter satisfaction to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

But what does it look like to hunger and thirst for righteousness? 

Is Jesus talking our “legal” righteousness before God — that is, our justification?  If so, then that means to hunger and thirst for Christ Himself, for he is our only righteousness. 

Or is Jesus talking about our “moral” righteousness — a righteousness of character and conduct that is pleasing to God?  If so, then we are again driven to Christ Himself because that kind of infinite righteousness will never be achieved by our merely external conformity to a collection of rules.  That would be the deceptive, self–flattering trap in which the pharisees found themselves.  The moral righteousness that God requires penetrates to heart, mind, and motive. 

But perhaps Jesus is pushing us even beyond that.  Perhaps he’s pressing his disciples to cultivate a hunger and craving for the redemptive good of the world itself. Perhaps we should consider this as a call to a greater interest in a “social” righteousness.  God is quite interested in that form of righteousness too, after all.  Indeed, that’s part of the hunger that drove him to the cross.  John Stott puts it this way:

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Do you remember this character from the movie The Green Mile?  Do you remember the various ways in which the movie portrayed his mammoth strength, his colossus–like proportions, his all–around giganticness? 

Yet, as I search for a contemporary way to illustrate what the Bible means by “meekness,” I don’t think I can do much better.  This man was meek.

One film reviewer, while describing this character, said: “meekness is something other than wimpiness.  His care for others shows gentleness to be force under control.”

Meekness is perhaps best defined as “strength tempered with humility.”

You have to be strong in order to be meek.  A weak person is not meek.  Never can be.  Only a strong person can be meek.  Only a strong person can use their strength, their might, their power in order to humbly serve another.  That’s meekness:  not using great strength to “lord it over people,” but using great strength to humbly serve people.

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Why do Christians celebrate the birth of their King on December 25? 

Here’s what George Grant has to say about that…

Christians have celebrated the incarnation and nativity of the Lord Jesus on December 25 since at least the early part of the third century—just a few generations removed the days of the Apostles. By 336, when the Philocalian Calendar—one of the earliest documents of the Patriarchal church—was first utilized, Christmas Day was already a venerable and tenured tradition. Though there is no historical evidence that Christ was actually born on this day—indeed, whatever evidence there is points to altogether different occasions—the conversion of the old Pagan tribes of Europe left a gaping void where the ancient winter cult festivals were once held. It was both culturally convenient and evangelically expedient to exchange the one for the other.

And so joy replaced desperation. Celebration replaced propitiation. Christmas Feasts replaced new Moon sacrifices. Christ replaced Baal, Molech, Apollo, and Thor. In other words, it wasn’t that the new Christian calendar was an accommodation to the old Pagan calendar, it was that Christ had begun the process of converting the culture. Glad tidings of great joy, indeed.

Gathering his people to the mountain, the King kindly assures each one of them, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5.1,2,4).

John Stott points out, “It is plain from the context that those here promised comfort are not primarily those who mourn the loss of a loved one, but those who mourn the loss of their innocence, their righteousness, their self–respect.”

Jesus is here making promises to those who know the sorrow of genuine repentance.  As Paul would later say (in 2 Corinthians 7.10), this is the kind of sorrow that leads to salvation without regret.

An old Christian prayer includes this statement:  “We acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness.” But, do we?  Do we “bewail” our sins?  I can’t remember the last time I bewailed.  But that’s probably because I still “think of sin but lightly.” I need to sing more…

“Ye who think of sin but lightly nor suppose the evil great here may view its nature rightly, here its guilt may estimate.  Mark the sacrifice appointed, see who bears the awful load; ‘tis the Word, the Lord’s Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.”
—Stanza 3, Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

But whether our sorrow for sin approaches bewailment or not, Christ has promised real comfort to those who mourn their sinfulness and repent.  Repentance is not a dry doctrine.  It’s not a threatening, frightening message.  It’s not a morbid form of self–abuse. 

It’s a gift.  It’s a gift which God grants us so that he might lead us into life.  Real life.

And the “comfort” which Christ promises here is the only comfort that can relieve the distress of sin… the free and full forgiveness of God. 

Genuine repentance of one’s sins is nothing less than ultimate honesty, and one hasn’t gotten very far in the Christian life without it. 

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.”
—The Prophet Isaiah