The Beatitudes (Part 5)

Blessed are the Merciful

In the fifth beatitude, Jesus turns from blessings that relate to our relationship with God to those that relate to our relationship with others:

‘Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.’ Matthew 5:7.

But how are we to understand mercy when God is repeatedly described as just throughout the Bible? Is mercy in opposition to justice?

Jesus’ death and resurrection is the event where absolute justice and absolute mercy met and were simultaneously satisfied:

• Absolute justice: God did not compromise his law or ignore sin and its consequences. The penalty for transgression—death and separation—was fully extracted. The demands of justice were fully satisfied, with the weight of that punishment falling upon Jesus as our substitute.
• Absolute mercy: Because the penalty was paid in full by Christ, God is able to extend unconditional mercy to us without violating his own justice. He remains a perfectly righteous Judge because the law was upheld, yet he is a perfectly merciful Father because the offender is pardoned.

It is by receiving God’s mercy for our own sins that we find the capacity and compassion to show mercy to others. But does this mean that those who cause real harm by their sins are simply acquitted of all consequences?

Thankfully, God holds both justice and mercy perfectly:

• Justice ensures that evil is not simply dismissed
• Mercy ensures that people are not beyond redemption.

As the Psalmist writes:

‘Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.’ Psalm 85:10.

For us in day-to-day situations, this might look like forgiving someone but still setting boundaries, showing compassion while allowing appropriate consequences, or not retaliating personally but respecting legal or moral accountability.

By choosing to release our rightful claims to retaliation and letting mercy triumph over judgment, we align ourselves with the character of the King and ensure that our own lives remain entirely anchored in his ongoing, restorative mercy.