Between Righteousness and Mercy
I know that I would have been one in the crowd who grumbled when Jesus chose to stay with Zacchaeus. I would have been upset that he chose that cheating tax collector instead of me or one of my friends. After all we had been following Jesus and living our lives righteously. (I always sympathized with the older son in the story of the prodigal son, too) However, when I get upset over this, I know I am no longer being righteous as my “holier than thou” attitude makes me self-righteous.
Of course, Jesus shows mercy to Zaccheaus when he repented of his cheating ways and promised to make restitution. Jesus reminds us that he is here to save the lost.
In our own way we can show mercy to others in our lives. Sometimes it may be just letting a person in a hurry go in front of you in the grocery store, but it can be more major, such as helping feed a hungry family or offering shelter to a person who has nowhere to go.
Shakespeare describes mercy in the Merchant of Venice much better than I ever could:
The quality of mercy is not strain’d.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes
I believe that our job is to offer mercy whenever we can and accept it when we receive it. Then what a wonderful world we would have!
Prayer: Dear Lord, Please guide us to be merciful and compassionate to all those around us and please forgive us when we forget. We know the world will be a much nicer, gentler place when we follow your teachings. Thank you, Lord. Amen
Sally Hunter