James 3:17 says, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the United States during the Great Depression in the 1930s, an elderly lady was caught stealing a loaf of bread. Her daughter was sick in bed, and they had not eaten for three days. She said she had to do something because her grandchildren were starving.
What kind of sentence would you give her? Those who heard the story naturally wanted her to be forgiven, but the judge sentenced her to a fine of ten dollars. It was not a small amount of money at that time. Obviously, she did not have the money to pay the fine, so she would have to go to jail.
The spectators began to become restless, and the judge continued, “I sentence her to a fine, but I am also responsible for her, for I live a comfortable life while she is suffering, so I will pay the fine. Also, everyone in this court shares responsibility, so each of you shall give fifty cents to help her.”
The people willingly contributed, and the money was given to the poor woman. No matter how pitiful the situation of an offender may be, a judge has to respect the law. But because the judge had compassion on her, he found a way both to uphold the law and to help her.
If we have this kind of wisdom in mercy, how warm and beautiful our lives will be! I hope that through this message we will gain wisdom rooted in goodness and mercy.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the wisdom from above is first pure and then peaceable. It is also gentle and reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits. If we cultivate gentleness and reasonableness with generosity and a broad heart grounded in truth, we will naturally bear the fruit of mercy and good works.
Mercy generally means having compassion on others. But biblically, mercy goes beyond simply feeling pity. It values each soul and does not easily give up on people. As long as there is an opportunity for repentance and salvation, we should seek to lead people toward life.
Mercy can be expressed in different ways, including forgiveness, loving discipline, and helping those in need.
First, let us consider the mercy of forgiveness. God is merciful. If God dealt with sinners only according to what their sins deserved, who could stand before Him? But because God is merciful, He gives people opportunities to repent and receive salvation.
Jesus also demonstrated this mercy. Matthew 12:20 says, “A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out, until He leads justice to victory.”
Jesus did not immediately abandon those who seemed weak or hopeless. He said that He came to call sinners to repentance. He preached the gospel even to people who were despised by society, including tax collectors and prostitutes.
Even among those close to Him was Judas Iscariot, who eventually betrayed Him. Yet Jesus continued teaching and warning His disciples until the end. Finally, through His death on the cross, Jesus opened the way of salvation for mankind.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
God tells us to forgive one another as we ourselves have received forgiveness in Christ. But to show mercy and forgive others, we often need to understand their situation. We may not understand someone from our own viewpoint, but when we try to see the situation from that person’s perspective, it becomes easier to respond with mercy.
For example, suppose unbelieving parents or a husband oppose your faith. If you look only from your own viewpoint, you may develop resentment toward them. You may think, “Why can’t they understand me?”
But if you think, “My husband does not yet understand the spiritual things that I believe. That may be why he opposes my faith,” you can respond differently. Instead of simply condemning him as wrong, you can pray for him and seek wisdom about how to communicate with him.
Something that seems natural and obvious to a believing wife may not be understandable to an unbelieving husband. Therefore, if she speaks only from her own viewpoint when discussing church or faith, the conversation can easily become an argument. Feelings are hurt, and the husband may become even more resistant.
So rather than simply saying that the other person is wrong, we should try to understand what he is thinking and why. Then we can seek wisdom about how to explain our faith in a way that he can understand.
It is the same when we interact with church members. Some people may complain frequently and make life difficult for others. Others may have listened to the truth for a long time but still struggle with dishonesty or other weaknesses.
When we see such people, we may think, “After hearing the Word for so long, why haven’t they changed?”
But mercy changes the way we look at them. People have different backgrounds, habits, wounds, weaknesses, and levels of spiritual maturity. Some know what is right in their minds but still struggle greatly to put it into practice.
This does not mean approving what is wrong. Rather, it means that instead of hating or condemning them, we seek ways to help them change. Even when their behavior causes inconvenience or loss, we can respond with patience and love.
But mercy does not mean that we must overlook everything unconditionally. Forgiveness is meant to help save and restore a person. Sometimes bringing a fault to someone’s attention, correcting him, or even disciplining him can also be an expression of mercy.
This brings us to the second aspect: mercy in discipline. Forgiveness and discipline may appear to be opposites, but they are not necessarily so. Discipline motivated by mercy is not carried out with hatred, revenge, or condemnation. Its purpose is restoration.
Hebrews 12:5–6 says, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines.”
Hebrews 12:8 says, “But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.”
God’s discipline is presented here as the discipline of a Father who loves His children. Therefore, when we realize that we have sinned or acted wrongly, the wise response is not to hide our fault or continually make excuses.
Some people try to conceal their mistakes because they do not want to be corrected. Others become deeply discouraged when their shortcomings are exposed. Neither response helps us grow.
If we are wise, we should respond like David when his sin was exposed: acknowledge the sin, repent, and turn from it. True repentance is not merely saying the right words. It involves turning from sin and bearing fruit consistent with repentance.
Sometimes, because of your position or a particular situation, you may learn about another believer’s fault and have a responsibility to advise, correct, or rebuke that person. In such a case, you need to examine your own heart carefully.
You may call it loving advice, but are you actually pointing out another person’s sin because of your own anger or self-righteousness? Are you trying to help that person, or are you trying to make him submit to your opinion? These are important questions.
When correction is given without mercy, we may become angry if the other person does not accept our advice. We may feel that he is looking down on us, so we use stronger words to force him to admit his fault.
This kind of rebuke can do more harm than good. Even when we quote the Word of God, if our words are driven by anger, pride, or hostility, they may fail to help the other person.
The person may already recognize his fault and be struggling to change. But criticism mixed with anger or contempt can discourage him rather than restore him.
Therefore, when we give advice or discipline someone, we should do it with mercy and with sincere concern for that person. We should pray for him and seek his restoration. When our motive is genuinely to help him, we can also gain wisdom about when to speak, what to say, and how strongly to say it.
In Revelation 2, when the Lord addresses the church in Ephesus, He first acknowledges what they have done well. Then He points out their serious failure and calls them to repentance. He also acknowledges something good about them again afterward.
There is wisdom here. Correction does not have to destroy a person. We can acknowledge what is good while clearly addressing what is wrong. In this way, correction can open the heart rather than simply provoke resistance.
Parents especially need this wisdom when educating their children. When children do something wrong, parents have a responsibility to correct them. Children are still developing self-control and discernment, so discipline is sometimes necessary to teach them what is right and wrong.
But parents should not mix uncontrolled anger, frustration, or hostility into their correction.
Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Some parents say they are correcting their children, but they actually pour out their anger. They say things such as, “I’ve told you so many times. Why can’t you ever listen?” or even, “I don’t need a child like you. Get out of this house.”
Others compare their children with someone else: “Look at your friend. He behaves well and does well in school. Why can’t you be like him?”
If you were the child, would those words naturally produce sincere repentance? Or would they more likely produce hurt, resentment, and resistance?
Children are also precious before God. Therefore, even when correcting our own children, we should consider their hearts and emotions with mercy.
At the same time, mercy does not mean avoiding all correction because we are afraid of becoming angry. Instead, we should seek wisdom from God so that we can correct what is wrong without unnecessarily wounding the person.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, mercy means trying to understand another person’s situation and responding with compassion. When we do this, we can gain wisdom in dealing with people.
With this wisdom, we can strengthen those who are tired, comfort those who are wounded, forgive those who repent, and correct those who need correction. Even when we see someone who is not living according to the truth, instead of immediately condemning him, we should ask how we can help lead him toward life.
Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”
I pray in the name of the Lord that we will become people who show mercy to others and bear the good fruits of the wisdom that comes from above. Amen.