Introduction. When we hear the word mercy, our minds can move in two directions. Sometimes we see the blind, lame and lepers calling out to Jesus for the mercy that would bring health and healing to them. Other times we hear the publican crying out “God be merciful to me a sinner.” (Mk.10:47; Lk. 18:13). Thus we know that we are merciful, when we are helping the needy in their afflictions, or showing compassion to those who have sinned against us. Since those who are merciful in this way are blessed, we need to carefully monitor and enhance our own.
Understanding the emotions and decisions that lead to mercy is the best way to gain more. “In Greek, eleos (mercy) is a pathos (strong emotion) ... roused by contact with an affliction...” (Kittel). During a crisis, pathos (Latin passio) comes unbidden. A death in our family, a terrible accident, the diagnosis of a fatal illness, or a severe financial loss create overwhelming emotions (pathos/passion) of sorrow, grief and loss. Mercy is created when the emotions we feel in a crisis, we also feel when others are in crisis. The Greek had three words to describe our feeling when others are in crisis (pathos/passion). Which one most closely describes our own?
Understanding the emotions and decisions that lead to mercy is the best way to gain more. “In Greek, eleos (mercy) is a pathos (strong emotion) ... roused by contact with an affliction...” (Kittel). During a crisis, pathos (Latin passio) comes unbidden. A death in our family, a terrible accident, the diagnosis of a fatal illness, or a severe financial loss create overwhelming emotions (pathos/passion) of sorrow, grief and loss. Mercy is created when the emotions we feel in a crisis, we also feel when others are in crisis. The Greek had three words to describe our feeling when others are in crisis (pathos/passion). Which one most closely describes our own?
- Apathy – (a -pathos) from “a” (alpha-privative) negates pathos – “feel nothing”
- Sympathy – (sum -pathos) from “sum” (preposition “with,” (Latin: com- passio) – “feel strongly with”
- Empathy – (em -pathos) from “em” (preposition “in” + pathos) – “feel strongly within”
This is the key to mercy. Even Israel’s high priests needed it. “He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness.” (Heb. 5:2). When we feel their weaknesses in the context of our own, we feel empathy and compassion and not contempt or apathy. This is the beam/plank that must be removed from our own eye before we can see clearly enough to remove the mote/speck in theirs. (Mt 7:3-5) Though the type of weakness differs from heart to heart, weakness is common to all. There are no temptations that are not “common to man.” (1Cor. 10:13). Although we may not feel their temptation or succumb to their sin, we can still sympathize with them because we can feel our own weaknesses. Even the sinless Jesus does this! “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:14-15).
If we want to be merciful when others sin, we must leave apathy and contempt and grow into empathy and sympathy. This is true even if we don’t share their specific temptation, and don’t understand how they could be tempted by such a vile (in our eyes) thing. We can still share their anguish and sorrow, because we have experienced it ourselves in our own temptations. If Jesus could be without sin and do this, there is no excuse if we cannot. If our temptation leads to anger and theirs to drunkenness, we can build the bridge to mercy and remove the beam in our own eye if we apply how we fell to anger to their fall into drunkenness. Our own proverb: “There, but by God’s grace, I too might have gone" captures this. There is NO TEMPTATION that is NOT common to man. Those in Corinth struggled with vile sins (fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners), yet Paul could still sympathize with and show mercy to all, even the fornicator who had his father’s wife. (1Cor 6:9; 2Cor 2:5-11).
Conclusion. If we want to be merciful to all, we must learn to feel compassion, sympathy, empathy and pity to all. We have to put as much of ourselves as we can into their plight. We already do this in our actions as we fulfill Jesus’ command: “Just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise,” (Lk. 6:31). Mercy is similar: “as you feel over your own weaknesses, you must also feel toward them in their weaknesses.” Since we have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15), we need to be brethren who will sympathize with them in theirs.
If we want to be merciful when others sin, we must leave apathy and contempt and grow into empathy and sympathy. This is true even if we don’t share their specific temptation, and don’t understand how they could be tempted by such a vile (in our eyes) thing. We can still share their anguish and sorrow, because we have experienced it ourselves in our own temptations. If Jesus could be without sin and do this, there is no excuse if we cannot. If our temptation leads to anger and theirs to drunkenness, we can build the bridge to mercy and remove the beam in our own eye if we apply how we fell to anger to their fall into drunkenness. Our own proverb: “There, but by God’s grace, I too might have gone" captures this. There is NO TEMPTATION that is NOT common to man. Those in Corinth struggled with vile sins (fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners), yet Paul could still sympathize with and show mercy to all, even the fornicator who had his father’s wife. (1Cor 6:9; 2Cor 2:5-11).
Conclusion. If we want to be merciful to all, we must learn to feel compassion, sympathy, empathy and pity to all. We have to put as much of ourselves as we can into their plight. We already do this in our actions as we fulfill Jesus’ command: “Just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise,” (Lk. 6:31). Mercy is similar: “as you feel over your own weaknesses, you must also feel toward them in their weaknesses.” Since we have a high priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15), we need to be brethren who will sympathize with them in theirs.