In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus continues to make a stark contrast between the external righteousness of religion and true righteousness with comes from the heart. The pagan Roman world of Jesus’ day despised pity, whereas the religious elite related suffering to sin, so they looked down condescendingly upon those who suffered. In stark contrast, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for omitting mercy!
Matthew 23:23 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
The word “mercy” comes from the word “rechem,” the Hebrew word for “womb.” To have compassion then means to express pity as we have for an unborn child. Beyond this, mercy involves empathy and love expressed for the miserable. “The righteous showeth mercy and giveth” (Psalm 37:21). Sacrificial love is the practice of mercy. Today, we’ll learn why mercy is of such great importance in the life of the Christian.
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