Be Merciful?

Scripture verses that caught my attention today: Luke 6:35-36 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Observation: This is the part of God that we often find most offensive.

Application: It’s interesting, I think, how often we want to receive mercy, but are not so keen on extending it to those who we may feel have wronged us and/or become a real or imagined detriment to society. I was reading today that one state recently decided to suspend the long-standing practice of giving death-row inmates a choice for their last meal. For the record, I’m not really arguing for or against the meal. It is what it is. But the argument presented was that, since the victim(s) did not have a choice for their last meal, neither should the perpetrator—especially since, in the most recent case, the inmate didn’t actually eat the meal he had requested.

The reasoning and subsequent change in policy seems fair, even logical on some levels. Perhaps it’s the way to go. But it does seem to be in contrast to the section of Luke’s Gospel (good news) found above. Regardless of how we carry out things on this earth, Jesus says that “God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked” and then Jesus has the audacity to ask us to do the same.

God help us.

Prayer: Lord, you are way more merciful than we are. Help us to grow into you way of being and doing. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included: Daniel 11-12 and Luke 6)