Love MercySample

How often do you feel like you have to "put on a mask" before interacting with someone you don't like? Of course, we all have. We can force ourselves to say something nice while hating someone in our hearts. Yet, tolerating one another isn’t what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus wants something way more difficult than fake-smiling at someone you want to punch. Jesus tells us to love our enemies.

Helping those who harm us, loving our enemies, and praying for persecutors are traits that should distinctly mark Christians. These things are only possible with God’s help. The Bible is clear that anyone can be good to their friends, but only someone who is being transformed by God’s Holy Spirit can act mercifully toward those who are unjust. When issues of justice come up, instead of seeking vengeance, Jesus calls us to love mercy.

Reflection Questions:

Jesus says in Matthew 5:39, “ . . . do not resist an evil person!” What do you think he means here? We know we should resist evil, so how do we resist evil but not an evil person?

Justice is when wrongs are made right. Consider how mercy, as Jesus describes it in this passage, would be a better tool for doing justice than vengeance.