Blessed are...

Showing Mercy

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7

On the road from Jerusalem to Jericho a man lay bleeding.[1] Having been set upon by thieves, stripped of his valuables and of his dignity, he was left to die. Others traveled that road, but they did not come to his aid. They did not wish to get involved, or to be inconvenienced. His body, they thought, could have been a trap, left in a shadowed corner, inviting the naïve to draw close, out of curiosity or kindness, until they became victims, too. Mostly, though, the Levite and the Priest passed by because they had other plans, which did not include the ritual defilement that came from contact with the dead. So, they ignored him. They failed to show mercy.

Then came another man. He was not of their race. Indeed, his ancestors had been at loggerheads with Israel for centuries. Devout Jews would go miles out of their way in order to avoid the corruption they called ‘Samaria.’ The home of half-breeds, who had the audacity to worship on Mount Gerizim instead of Mount Zion, Samaria was only tolerated by the Jews because they both lived under the Roman thumb. No-one could have expected a Samaritan to stop, on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. But he did. He showed mercy.

In Jesus’ parable, the Good Samaritan did not seek justice, by running after the thieves. He did not try to change his world by complaining to the authorities, encouraging them to crack down on violence. Instead, he demonstrated that he was a real neighbor to the man in need, because he showed him mercy.

Jesus is our Good Samaritan. He is the bearer of mercy. He does not break the broken reed.[2] He does not quench the smoking flax. He does not pass us by.

Lord Christ,
You would not have me hide behind scruples
in order to avoid the service I need to give.
You have shown that it is better to be ritually unclean,
to bend the rules of religion,
than to fail to show mercy.
May I look for ways to bind up the brokenhearted.
May I be merciful, too.
For Your love’s sake.
Amen.

[1] Luke 10:30-37
[2] Isaiah 42:3