Square Mile

"But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13) Jesus said this to the Pharisees in response to their complaint that he ate with tax collectors and 'sinners' – people deemed not worth communicating to, let alone eating with. He then reiterates these words in Matthew 12:7; telling the Pharisees that if they had learnt what they meant, they would not have condemned the innocent who picked corn on the Sabbath. Their outward conformity in keeping the Sabbath was meaningless if they did not show compassion and mercy to their neighbour in need.

Similarly, when Jesus allowed a 'sinful woman' to anoint him with oil, the point he made to his followers was that 'those who had been forgiven little love little' (Luke 7:47). Perhaps that was the problem with the Pharisees. Because they trusted so much in their outward conformity to tradition and rules, they did not know what it was to experience God's mercy in their lives, and so felt little mercy for others. This reminds us that part of the reason we show mercy to others is not simply because it helps meet a need, but much more importantly because it reflects the character of God who first loved us, and showed us mercy.

And of course the ultimate expression of God's mercy to us is found in the Cross when God gave his Son for us. It is God's free act, as Titus 3:5 testifies, "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy." Paul explains that the reason he was shown mercy was so that in him the unlimited patience of Jesus might be displayed to those who are yet to believe (I Tim 1:16). And if, like Paul, we receive forgiveness and mercy, so too are we expected to display these characteristics to others. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7)

So we don't simply carry out merciful acts like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and housing the homeless because they are good things to do out of our common humanity, true as that may be. As Christians, we show mercy to point others to Jesus. When we help those who are not easy to help, love those who are not that loveable and stay with people when everyone else has deserted them, we reveal to them a fraction of the love, patience and mercy of Christ, whose mercy is infinitely greater than we could ever show. In so doing, we point them to him as the one who can truly fulfil all their needs.

It is probable that like the Pharisees there are ways in which we need to learn what "I desire mercy, not sacrifice," really means. But perhaps in order to do this, we first need to understand just what God's mercy means for us, to grasp the depth of the mercy that we have been shown. Only once we have understood this for ourselves, can we really begin to live out this mercy to others, and in so doing, to bring them to the true love, forgiveness and mercy of Jesus.

Written by Dr Justin Thacker, Head of Theology & Susannah Clark, Public Theology Researcher