Jesus spoke to a crowd that had desperate needs.
The crowd was comprised of failures and misfits; people who had been marginalized by society because they didn’t measure up in some way. I wonder if you can relate? Have you ever experienced what it's like to not measure up? Have you ever felt like you were on the outside, looking in?
This crowd was too fat, too short, too poor, too unhealthy, too unattractive, too uneducated, weak, unemployed, secular, immoral, anddesperate. The people in this crowd were too fringe to be accepted by the mainstream. And so they were cast aside.
Lara and I went to see that animated Warner Brother's film called "Happy Feet." You know, that chick-flick about the little penguin named Mumble that can dance but cannot sing? Mumble was an Emperor penguin, and all Emperor penguins sing. Singing is how they meet their mates. It's how they relate with and belong to each other. Since all the penguins look the same, singing is also how they recognize each other! It’s their identity.
But little Mumble couldn’t sing and whenever he would try, he would let out an ear-splitting screech. And no matter how hard he tried singing, he couldn’t measure up! His singing was so bad that his own father was forced to denounce his "hippity-hoppity" ways by saying, "It just ain’t penguin." Even the elder penguin, Moses, is forced to denounce Mumble and banish him from the penguin community! Grown men in the theater were weeping and sobbing just because they had to be there. On Wednesday nights when the choir is warming up, I always try to sneak into the back and sing a few notes of my own. But the penguins quickly banish me!
The crowd couldn't measure up to religious standards.
It’s one thing to not measure up to penguin standards. But among the crowd there was this sense that they couldn’t measure up to religious standards either. The religious leaders had a way of pointing out fault, blaming, judging, and condemning. When the religious leaders saw the crowds, they saw people undeserving of a second or third chance. To the leaders the people in the crowd were getting what they deserved. Their desperate needs were evidence that they were being chastised by God himself. The leaders thought that they should go away to learn their lesson.
We live in a world where there is so little grace and so little true compassion. But then, cutting against the current and pushing upstream against the popular sentiment, we hear the words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5. "Blessed are the poor in spirit." "Blessed are those who mourn." "Blessed are the meek." "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness." "Blessed!"
If you would have been standing among the crowd that day, you would have heard a collective gasp. "Blessed?! Did Jesus just say what I think he said? How can people like us be blessed? We're outsiders! We're fringe! We don’t measure up! We don’t belong around the table!"
In spite of our shortcomings, Jesus says that we are, "blessed."
"Blessed!" said Jesus. If we could just grasp the magnitude of that simple word, our lives would be changed. It was music to the crowd’s ear and a welcome change to the screeching condemnation of the Pharisees and the religious elite. Even if they couldn’t dance, as Jesus spoke, I'll bet they tried! Just like us,they lived in a world where there was so little grace and true compassion, and here Jesus was putting an extra chair at the table for them and welcoming them into his kingdom. They could be accepted. They could be restored. They could find grace and mercy!
Yesterday I was talking with a friend who is not a churchgoer. It was one of those moments where the other person just really opened up and talked through things at a level that he had not talked with me previously. But this person kept saying things like, "I’m not perfect. I’ve made mistakes." He was saying that he didn’t measure up.
None of us measure up to God's standards.
As he spoke to me I kept thinking, "Who does measure up? Do you realize that not a single one of us measures up? We all fall short of each other's standards and of God’s standards." I’m not a pastor because I am perfect or because I never fall short! I’m a Christian because I desire God’s redemption, because I continually fall short, and because I want the power of sin and death broken in my life. I'm a Christian because I crave God’s mercy and grace and forgiveness. Because apart from Christ, I find myself on the outside looking in.
The truth is that you sin and I sin. There are no insiders and outsiders here. There is no one better than another. Apart from Jesus Christ we're all in same boat, and the boat is sinking. What should define us as Christians is our collective need for God’s mercy.
If only we could grasp Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NIV). "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited pateince as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life." The ideal is that we begin seeing ourselves and everyone around us in terms of our common need for God’s mercy. We all fall short. We all need God’s grace equally.
Diagnosis: Hardened heart (Unmerciful).
When we are spiritually sick with a hardened heart, we are under the bondage of an unforgiving spirit. What typically happens is that a double standard settles into place. On the one hand, we want God to have unlimited patience with our shortcomings. But when it comes to other people? It's three strikes and they're out.
In Matthew 18:21 (NIV) Peter comes to Jesus and asks, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Did you notice the attitude reflected in that question? "Jesus, I want to be forgiven millions! But you see that guy over there that’s sinning against me? How long should I tolerate it? I’m thinking maybe seven times, tops. Jesus, what do you think?" For Peter it was seven strikes and you’re out. But in Matthew 18:22 (NIV) Jesus says, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
Here is the trouble with the double standard. We generally set low standards for ourselves but impossibly high standards for others. The law was given through Moses to remove any shred of doubt in our minds that we all equally need God’s mercy and grace. It’s not a matter of who measures up more or less. Not a single one of us measures up to God's standards!
The religious leaders, the Pharisees, and teachers of the law were proud of themselves because they set low standards and then they compared themselves to the crowds. But in Matthew 5:20 (NIV) Jesus chides them. "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." If the Pharisees had compared their righteousness to God’s standards, they would have been ashamed of themselves and realized that they were one and the same as the crowds! The most religious among them was no better off than the least religious among them.
God did not send Jesus to condemn the world, but to save it.
Here’s my whole point. There is no place for Christians to build walls, point fingers, condemn, judge, and cast others away. In fact, you don’t even have to be a Christian to do these things. But what does the Bible say in John 3:17 (NIV)? "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
As Christians, we shouldn’t be defined by our ability to point out people’s imperfections! When you point at others, there are always three fingers pointing right back at you. What should define us is our ability to point people to Christ’s perfection and the cross. What should define us is our ability to recognize our complete and utter dependence upon God to receive mercy and forgiveness. What should define us is a compulsion to show the same mercy to others that we ourselves enjoy receiving.
Showing mercy signifies that we have received mercy.
Here is the truth about mercy. Showing mercy signifies that we have received mercy. We cannot claim to have received forgiveness if we are unmerciful toward others. In Matthew 18:23-35 Jesus tells this parable that should forever set the record straight. Matthew 18:23-27 (NIV) begins, "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything. The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go."
Just a quick note here. Ten thousand talents is the equivalent of millions of dollars. It would have been impossible for the servant to pay that kind of money back. Impossible! Matthew 18:28-35 (NIV) continues, "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (literally a few dollars). He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 'This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.'"
Christians should demonstrate mercy, just as Jesus demonstrated mercy.
Here is what Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:7 (NIV). "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Mercy should define our relationship to God and define our relationship to other people.
There are two types of people we should demonstrate mercy toward. First, we should demonstrate forgiveness toward the guilty. These are people actively sowing the seeds of sin. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us to make reconciliation a priority. We are to settle matters quickly before they escalate into a court battle. We are taught to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile, to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, to forgive out debtors just as Christ has forgiven us, and not to judge others, but to judge ourselves.
Showing mercy prevents sin from escalating.
Showing mercy prevents sin from escalating. I love Romans 12:14-21 (NIV). "Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." The merciful demonstrate forgiveness toward the guilty.
Merciful people are also compassionate toward the hurting and needy.
But merciful people also demonstrate compassion toward the hurting and needy. These people are often reaping the fruits of sin. In Matthew 25:35-36 (NIV) Jesus commends the righteous. "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
If you talk to Scott Payne of the Inner City Mission, he will tell you that the greatest suffering in the world is not simply a matter of bad luck. Suffering mostly stems from a life of sin, immorality, and poor choices. It’s not enough that we would forgive those who sin against us. God wants us to show compassion to those who are hurting and suffering, as if we are serving Christ himself!
We give food and water. We invite strangers into our fellowship. We provide clothing. We look after the sick. We go to prison to visit those who are paying for their crimes. Our willingness to show mercy to others signifies that we ourselves have received mercy. And if we have been forgiven tens of millions, what’s the matter with us sharing a few dollars of mercy anyway?
In Matthew 5:7 (NIV) Jesus promises, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."