A Reflection on the Merciful
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7, NRSV). The terms “mercy” and “merciful” are among those terms which have become ubiquitous in the Christian tradition. These are terms used regularly to describe the very character of God in Scripture—indeed, in Scripture the terms are most often used of God and less often as applied to people. The Lord Jesus applied the word “merciful” to humans and of God’s interactive relating to them. That God extends “mercy” to us or that we are “merciful” to another person encompasses the full range of human needs. On the one hand, humans are created as needy and dependent upon God for all things (whether they realize or want to acknowledge this or not) and so they are always in need of God’s mercy. On the other hand, we sin and inflict harm upon each other and can even attempt to harm God (as utterly foolish as that is). God remains merciful to us, “for he makes his sun rise on the evil [persons] and on the good [persons...