“Lord, Make Us Merciful People”

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).

          As I meditate on this word—“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36)—I desire to receive the lesson that the Lord gives through it.

(1)   As I meditated on today’s text, Luke 6:36, I first searched for and read the original Greek text of the Bible on the internet.  In doing so, I became particularly interested in the very first Greek word that appears: “Γίνεσθε” (ginesthe).  This word is an imperative meaning “you must become,” “you must do,” or “you must be.” It is not merely the verb “to be” in a static sense, but an active imperative that urges one to become a certain state or role.  In other words, Jesus is commanding His disciples (v. 20) to “become (merciful people)” (v. 36) (Ref.: Internet).

(a)    Imperative statements carrying the meaning “you must become,” “you must do,” or “you must be” appear not only in Luke 6:36 but also in four other places in the New Testament:

(i)               Matthew 10:16: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

·          Here, the imperative meaning “you must become / you must be” is: “You must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

(ii)             Matthew 24:44: “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

·          Here, the imperative is: “You must be prepared (for the return of Jesus, the Son of Man).”

(iii)           Ephesians 4:32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

·          Here, the imperative is: “You must be kind to one another, compassionate, and forgiving.”

(iv)            Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

·          Here, the imperative is: “You must become thankful people.”

(b)   As I meditate on these imperative statements—“you must become,” “you must do,” “you must be”—I am reminded of Pastor Warren Wiersbe’s “Be Series,” a 50-volume Bible commentary series that explains the entire Bible (Old and New Testaments) thematically and in an accessible way.

(i)               For example: Genesis 1–11: “Be Basic”, Genesis 12–25: “Be Obedient”, Exodus: “Be Delivered”, John 1–12: “Be Alive”, John 13–21: “Be Transformed”, Romans: “Be Right”, James: “Be Mature”, Revelation: “Be Victorious” (Ref.: Internet).

·        I am also reminded of Pastor Lee Dong-won’s series of expository sermon books titled “Do It Like This”, such as: “Overcome Suffering Like This” (1 Peter), “Prophesy Like This” (Minor Prophets), “Prepare for the End Like This” (Daniel), “Live in the Lord Like This” (Colossians), “Minister Like This” (1 Timothy), “Pray Like This” (The Lord’s Prayer), “Live Abundantly Like This” (Ephesians), etc (Ref.: Internet).

(c)    When I consider the most basic meaning of the Greek word “Γίνεσθε” (ginesthe)—a command to become a certain being or state—I am reconfirmed in the assurance given to me that “being” must take priority over “doing.”

(i)               In other words, I believe that the Lord is more focused on who we are and what kind of people we are becoming, rather than merely on what we do for Him. Personally, I want to believe in the Lord by knowing who He is, rather than merely by observing what He does.

·          I would like to share some of my own writings regarding “being” and “doing”:

-        “The kind of person you are is far more important than the kind of work you do.”  This teaches that being is far more important than doing. Doing should flow naturally from being. For that to happen, I must become a Christian—a true believer.

-        “I want to pursue a faith life that focuses on being rather than doing. Instead of asking, ‘What am I doing for the Lord and for the saints?’ I want to ask, ‘Who am I before God?’ and live my faith accordingly.”

-        “Personally, I believe that the focus of Christian education should not be on ‘do this’ or ‘do not do that’—that is, on doing—but rather on being, asking, ‘Who does the Bible say that I am?’

For example, the Bible says that those who believe in Jesus are ‘children of God’ (Rom. 8:16), and not only children, but ‘heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ’ (v. 17). It also says that ‘if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him’ (v. 17).

Therefore, before teaching believers, ‘You must suffer,’ the church should first teach, ‘We are children of God, heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ.’ This is Christian education focused on being. After such teaching, the church should then teach that as God’s children and heirs, we must also suffer with Christ in order to share in His glory (a message of hope).

I think this way because I believe that doing must naturally flow from being. Doing that does not come from being can only result in hypocrisy and pretense.

For this reason, even in the Doctrine of God, I believe that our faith life must focus on God’s being (who God is), not merely on God’s actions (what God does).  If we focus more on what God does than on who God is, we are very vulnerable to Satan’s temptations.  But if we focus on God’s being, we are able to receive His actions by faith.

For example, when our faith grows through knowing God as love—‘God is love’ (1 Jn. 4:8, 16)—even when we do not understand God’s actions with our intellect, we can accept the outcomes of our circumstances with faith, believing that ‘the God of love can only act toward me in love.’

Conversely, if we do not prioritize knowing God as love and instead focus only on what God does, our faith in the loving God does not mature. We then ask, ‘How could a God of love do this to me?’ and fall into doubt and unbelief, eventually committing the sin of complaint and grumbling like the Israelites during the Exodus.”

-        [“I want to believe the Lord by knowing His being rather than His actions.”  “Rather than believing the Lord by seeing what He does, I want to believe Him by knowing who He is. Believing in the Lord’s being is far more beneficial for the firmness of our faith than believing based on His actions. ‘Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’ (John 14:11; 20:29).”]

(2)   As I continued reading Luke 6:36 in the original Greek, the second Greek word that drew my attention was “οἰκτίρμων” (oiktirmōn). This word appears twice in Luke 6:36, and its Korean meaning is “merciful.”

(a)    The meaning of this Greek word is as follows: “To express compassion that wells up from deep within”—merciful; experiencing deep compassion (grief, pity) like that which God shows to those who cry out for help in difficult circumstances (Internet).  This word includes deep compassion, mercy, and sympathy, and refers to a merciful character whose heart is moved toward those who suffer (Internet).

(i)               Luke 6:36 uses the plural form, exhorting the disciples to live a continuous life of mercy: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”  This moral exhortation flows directly from God’s character. The Father’s merciful (οἰκτίρμων) nature becomes the standard for the life of the people of God’s kingdom (Internet).

·        “From a biblical perspective, the merciful nature of God the Father is the core standard for the life of God’s kingdom people. This means that as God’s children, they must embody His heart and will by loving, forgiving, and caring for the poor and weak. God’s kingdom people reflect God’s character on earth, breaking away from worldly self-centeredness and sharing love and mercy within the community” (Internet).

-           “A new family community: In a community that calls God ‘Father’ and regards one another as brothers and sisters, the values of God’s kingdom—love, care, and the overcoming of discrimination—are realized” (internet).

n  “Faith expressed through action: The life of God’s kingdom people must be manifested not as an idea, but through concrete actions—especially through a merciful life lived according to the Father’s will” (internet).

(ii)             The Greek word “οἰκτίρμων” appears only one other time in the New Testament, in James 5:11: “Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast.  You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

·        The apostle James refers to the Lord as “merciful” (οἰκτίρμων).  In the Epistle of James, which emphasizes practical righteousness, James grounds perseverance in the assurance that God’s mercy is never exhausted (Internet).

-        What is compassion? The English word compassion comes from the Latin words pati (to suffer) and cum (with), meaning “to suffer together” (Henri Nouwen).

n  Henri Nouwen said this about compassion: “Compassion calls us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish.  Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, and to weep with those who weep.  Compassion requires us to become weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless” (Nouwen).

-        Below is a reflection I wrote on August 22, 2013, titled “God’s Compassion,” based on Nehemiah 9:27–31:

“Our God, who is great in compassion, is a God who warns us.  When we sin and do not repent, He warns us so that we may obey His commandments.  Those who accept His warning receive a ‘great reward,’ like the psalmist (Ps. 19:7–13).  Yet, like the Israelites, we often stiffen our necks and refuse to listen to the Lord’s warnings.  At such times, God disciplines us with the rod of love.  He faithfully blesses us when we obey, and He faithfully disciplines us when we repeatedly disobey.  However, this faithful discipline feels unfamiliar to us because at the time it does not seem joyful but painful (Heb. 12:11).  It is only when we are disciplined that we cry out to the Lord.  Then God hears our cry, shows great compassion, and delivers us.  But after we regain peace, we sin again.  Even so, God forgives and rescues us again—because He is a God who is rich in compassion.”

(iii)           Ultimately, in both Luke 6:36 and James 5:11, the Greek word “οἰκτίρμων” reveals the dual power of Scripture in two contexts: ethical exhortation and pastoral comfort.  It both motivates believers toward holy living and reassures suffering saints by giving them confidence and peace (Internet).

·        Implications for Discipleship and Sanctification:

Posture of the heart: Believers are called to cultivate hearts that instinctively sense and respond to the needs of others.

Concrete obedience: Mercy is expressed through forgiveness (Matt. 18:33), charity (Luke 11:41), hospitality (Rom. 12:13), and advocacy for the marginalized (Heb. 13:3).

Witness to the gospel: When the church reflects the Father’s mercy, it authenticates the proclamation of the gospel (Matt. 5:16).

-           Devotional Reflection: Meditating on the passages where the word “merciful” (οἰκτίρμων) appears in Scripture invites believers to stand in awe of the immeasurable mercy revealed at the cross.  As those who have received such grace, Christians pray: “Lord, make us merciful people.”  They do so with the expectation that the Holy Spirit will reproduce the Father’s heart within their lives.