Abilene, TX
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| Mercy Street Church of Christ Abilene, TX |
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MERCY: TWICE BLESSED by Leroy Garrett Mercy droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath: it is twice blessed; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. It is not surprising that Shakespeare, who had such insight into what might be called the human predicament, would have somewhat to say about mercy. But we might be surprised that he would be so discerning as to see mercy as working both ways. The one who shows mercy is blessed as well as he who receives it. By its very nature mercy comes as gentle rain from heaven, the poet says, and it falls upon giver and receiver alike. Shakespeare often made use of the Bible, and it may be that he was here influenced by what our Lord said in Matthew 5:7: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” In the same context, The Merchant of Venice, the bard says of mercy, “It is an attribute of God himself,” and he observes that “in the course of justice” none of us would be saved, and so “we do pray for mercy.” There is something special about being twice blessed. It should be blessing enough to see the effect upon the recipient when mercy is shown — such as forgiving someone for a wrong done you — but to be blessed for the mercy shown is an act of grace. But what is the nature of that blessing? According to Jesus’ beatitude it is to receive mercy for oneself — if one shows mercy he will receive mercy. But is this the highest motive? Should we be merciful for mercy itself, or for the good it does to someone else? Or is there still a higher reason to show mercy, such as we have from our Lord in Luke 6:36: “Be merciful, just as your Father in heaven is merciful”? This is a person’s highest motive for any and all behavior, to be more like God. We can wonder if this is not what Shakespeare meant by “twice blessed,” especially since in the same context he saw mercy as an attribute of God. That is, when we show mercy to others we ourselves are blessed in that it makes us a little more like God. And what a motive! I will forgive because God forgives. I will show mercy because God shows mercy. I will be kind because God is kind. It makes me more like God, which is what it means to be a child of God. Twice blessed! Kindness is a twin to mercy. They come from the same Greek word, and we can say that mercy is kindness and kindness is mercy. Webster defines mercy as “kindness in excess of what is expected.” Even when it is not easily defined we all know mercy when we see it or experience it. I recently read an interview in which a marriage counselor was asked “What is the basic ingredient of a happy marriage?” The counselor said that the answer was clear and simple — being kind to each other. Kindness (mercy) is what makes a marriage a blessing. On a recent Saturday afternoon, when the Vintage (where we live) shows a movie, Ouida said she would like to see what was showing, My Fair Lady. I was working on one of these essays which I wanted to finish, and had no interest in the movie, so I decided to take her to the cinema room, get her comfortably seated, and I would come back to our apartment and complete the essay. But when I saw how important it was to her that I stay and watch the movie with her, I said to myself, “Be hanged with the essay, I’ll stay and watch the stupid movie with her,” which I enjoyed after all. She afterwards told me that she enjoyed it ten times more by my being at her side. As I held her hand I realized once more what she means to me. It was but a few drops of kindness (mercy) that falls gently like rain from heaven, but it was twice blessed.  |
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