Mercy is the seventh article in the series, The Life of Jesus Christ. To read the whole series click here.
Jesus shows us the mercy of God.
From the earliest chapters of Genesis, we see God’s mercy. “If you eat its fruit [from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil], you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:17). God requires the death penalty for an act of disobedience. Later God confirms this to Ezekiel. “And this is my rule: The person who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:4). Yet God doesn’t mete out justice and give Adam and Eve what they deserve – instant death, rather he shows them mercy and allows them to live for a long time. God also shows enormous mercy to the Israelites that Ezekiel addresses. Yes, God sends them into exile after many, many warnings but he allows them to live, in the hope they will grasp his mercy.
We won’t fully appreciate God’s mercy until we understand his holiness. R.C. Sproul, in his book, “The Holiness of God.” confronted me with God’s incredible holiness. I realised the enormous discrepancy between God’s holiness and my unholiness, and consequently my need for mercy. I’d thought the people needing mercy were murderers, rapists and terrorists. I was humbled to learn that I too, need mercy.
God’s mercy cannot be presumed upon, sin still brings the death penalty. When someone experiences this—like the sudden deaths of Uzzah, who touches the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6:6-7), Nadab and Abihu, who offer unauthorized fire (Leviticus 10:1-2), and Ananias and Sapphira, who lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11)— we’re stunned because we take God’s mercy for granted. These incidents serve as severe reminders of God’s holiness.
Yet I identify with people like Uzzah who doesn’t seem to be particularly sinful and tries to be helpful. However, it’s only because of God’s mercy that I too am not struck down.
When I understood how holy God was, I found myself almost struggling to believe the Gospel because it was almost too incredible that God would show such mercy. It’s faith stretching to realise how much mercy God has shown by sending Jesus to earth to die on the cross.
Let’s wonder anew at the mercy of God.
