MERCIFUL WITHOUT SIN
“Every high priest . . . is able to deal gently with the ignorant and misguided
because he, too, is encompassed with weakness.”
Hebrews 5:1–2
When we know ourselves, we are merciful to others. Until we come to know ourselves, however, we usually are not so merciful. People who are proud of how good they have always been are the least merciful and the most impatient with those who fail. One of my earliest feelings about the Lord was wonder, when I thought about how merciful and patient he is, and yet, he never sinned. How did Jesus come to be so incredibly forgiving without first being humbled by failures of his own?
What Jesus told his disciples really is true: “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”
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I love this John.
To love mercy and to walk humbly with our God is a blessed and wonderful thing. To be able to have mercy without sinning is nothing short of miraculous. Oh, for us to have hearts of mercy, yet still walk in God’s holy standards, upright in His integrity! That takes God’s power – it’s impossible for man.
As you said here, if we don’t know ourselves (that is, how much we are being held up by Him every moment, every day), we can become proud. Proud of how good we are doing (compared to other people that we think are “blowing it”).
When it gets that way, and we are puffed up, I believe it can benefit our proud heart if we have a BIG fall, and then, if we are wise, it can be a stepping stone to learning the mercy of God. When we have fallen, we learn how precious mercy is. But to learn it without falling, like Jesus did… woo hoo, what a short-cut to life in the highest!
Thank you for sharing this – it really felt good.
Gary
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Pastor John,
Whew. This [Pastor John’s message, “Mercy without Sin”] is the truth, and I am still learning it. That pride messes up everything! That is a new thought to me, what you said at the end about how Jesus is so merciful, yet he never sinned. My, what great compassion, and what great love. It makes me think of that song, “To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, that’s all I ask, to be like him.” And Jesus loves people.
Donna