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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
The principle that Jesus stated was not new. From of old it had been true that God desired mercy and not sacrifice (see Hosea 6.6, Matthew 9.23, and Matthew 12.7). Jesus merely emphasized the principle and made application of it to those who would condemn Him for consorting with “...tax collectors and sinners.” Of course, the particular class of Jew who questioned His social conduct was the Pharisees, a self-righteous sect that seemed to delight in flaunting their spiritual superiority! Our message continues today as we extend our look at Jesus' words as quoted from Hosea, and begin a prolonged look at His application of the principle, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.”
There were many problems in Hosea's day some eight centuries before Christ. However, one of them WAS NOT a failure to practice religion in the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel. There was plenty of religion there – in fact too much! There were religions that honored pagan gods as well as distorted religions that professed to honor the one true God. There was no lack of religion, but there was an utter vacuum of pure and undefiled religion.
God has no issue with the right kind of religion; in fact He commends it (see James 1.27). However, it is an utter impossibility to engage in God-honoring religion without a heart salted with mercy! This fact is not confined to the Patriarchal age, the Mosaic age, or the Christian age; it is a timeless principle! All the offerings made by the Patriarchs, coupled with all the priestly sacrifices of the Mosaic era, and then added to the manifold rituals of the current era – if done absent the principle of mercy – are not equal to one whispered word of prayer uttered by an unknown beggar whose heart knows the meaning of mercy! One can say without any fear of contradiction that mercy is a fundamental trait of any person who hopes to be pleasing to God. Like all fundamentals, it is an essential to proceed. Gasoline is fundamental to most automobiles; without it they cannot serve their intended functions. Tackling is fundamental to a great football team; without it they can never be great. Love is fundamental to any marriage; without it there is simply a shell of a relationship. Mark it down! A heart well seasoned with mercy is fundamental to being pleasing to God; there are not substitutes!
The clear implication of Jesus, when He was under suspicion of the Pharisees, was that they lacked mercy and He was abundant with it! This poignant fact may be connected with His statement in the Sermon on the Mount when He proclaimed, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5.20). When the Pharisees questioned Jesus' practice of eating with sinners, they read into His actions uncleanness and defilement; all the while, His sole purpose was to do good to those who needed him most. Even if the class of people He was eating with deserved to be called “sinners” as the Pharisees were wont to do, that all the more shouts aloud of their need for a Savior. Jesus did not allow the stigma that might have been attached to such people to prevent Him from serving them in the very capacity that He came to earth to fulfil. His mission was to seek and to save the lost, PERIOD! He was not about to allow some self-righteous, holier-than-thou, cold-hearted religionists to deter Him from the most selfless act of mercy that has ever been conceived whether in heaven or on earth! The Cross was the ultimate measure of mercy where the needs of every sin-laden and darkened soul was met for time and eternity!
Mercy is a Divine attribute which can never be over appropriated. Given the choice between showing too much mercy and being overly judgemental of others, may I err on the side of mercy every time!!(Continued)
Questions:
1. Can religion be wrong? If so, how? Can religion be right in God's sight? If so, how?
2. What was Jesus primary mission here upon this earth (see Luke 19.10)?
3. If the Pharisees had their way, to whom would Jesus have gone? What is the paradox in the fact that when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees, they frequently rejected His message?
4. Here is a real thought question: Can a person ever be too merciful? If so, how?
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