The Doctrine of Mercy

Today's readings: Ps 37:1-18; Job 16:16-22, 17:1, 13-16; Acts 13:1-12; John 9:1-17

Once there was a devout man who wanted very much to follow Christ. Every Sunday he arrived early for worship, closed his eyes and prayed for a heart full of mercy. One week a family with a four-year-old girl began sitting near him in church. The little girl had never been to church before, and asked many questions in a not very quiet voice. After several weeks the man asked his pastor to talk to the family: the girl was interrupting his prayers to be more patient and forgiving.

The confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees over his healing of a blind man on the Sabbath is essentially a story of the same age-old conflict in the faith community. Jesus was constantly on the move. If he had observed the letter of the Sabbath law, the opportunity to heal the blind man would have passed. Given a choice between mercy and doctrine, Jesus chose mercy. Reaction from the Pharisees was confused: on one hand he’d broken the prohibition against work by kneading spit and mud together, but on the other – how could anyone not from God have performed such a sign? They launched an investigation.

Two thousand years of Christian perspective help us discern the misguided actions of the praying man and the Pharisees. Are we as perceptive about our own lives? Does our sense of propriety ever preempt an attitude of mercy? To some degree, we all rely on a framework of religious, cultural and/or self-imposed doctrine to structure our understanding of the world. Otherwise we’d spend an inordinate amount of time rebuilding that understanding in response to every new situation and piece of information. For example, most of us know whether or not cursing is acceptable in a given social situation without thinking too hard about it. One Sunday minister Tony Campolo told a congregation thousands of children died of starvation every day and nobody seemed to “give a sh*t.” He correctly noted more people were upset by his word choice than the number of starving children. If he got the attention of anyone who then helped a single hungry child, did social doctrine matter? If on Monday morning we are dwelling on the foul-mouthed minister and not the starving children, it’s time to re-examine our hearts.

Comfort: We choose mercy because God chooses mercy.

Challenge: Make a list of doctrines/rules that guide your behaviors.

Prayer: God of life, create in me a heart that is more than a rulebook.

Evening readings: Ps 37:19-42

Tomorrow's readings: Ps 31; Job 19:1-7, 14-27; Acts 13:13-25; John 9:18-41