Matthew 5:7

Berean Standard Bible

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

King James Bible

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

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Matthew 5:7—“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy”—is a verse that pierces to the heart of Christian character, for it speaks to the essence of how God’s people are to live in relationship to others. Mercy is more than a mood or an occasional act of kindness; it is a posture of the heart shaped by the compassion of God Himself. The Greek term for mercy here encompasses both pity and active help—it is the inclination to enter into another’s suffering, to feel it as one’s own, and to act for their good even when it is undeserved. In this beatitude, Jesus turns the world’s notions of strength upside down, for in His kingdom, true blessedness is found not in asserting one’s rights or defending one’s honor, but in freely extending compassion to others, even at personal cost.

The merciful are those who see human need through the eyes of God. They do not stand aloof, calculating whether the needy have earned help or whether compassion will be reciprocated. Mercy does not ask if the injured person deserved their injury, or if the one in trouble should have avoided their trouble. Rather, it moves toward the broken and the guilty with the same grace that God has shown toward us. In this sense, mercy is deeply connected to forgiveness, but it is broader—it includes kindness to the suffering, patience with the weak, and generosity to the undeserving. It is the impulse that looks at human frailty without contempt and seeks to lift rather than condemn.

Yet Jesus’ words are not a mere moral exhortation; they are a reflection of divine reality. The merciful are blessed because their mercy is evidence that they have already been touched by God’s own mercy. To receive mercy from God is to be transformed into someone who extends it to others. The two cannot be separated: the person who hoards mercy or withholds it from others shows that they have not truly understood or embraced the mercy given to them. Jesus will later teach that with the measure we use, it will be measured to us, and that the unforgiving servant—though forgiven much—was judged precisely because he refused to forgive others. Mercy flows from mercy, and its absence reveals an unrepentant or self-righteous heart.

The promise in this beatitude—that the merciful will receive mercy—operates on two levels. On the one hand, it speaks to the ongoing experience of God’s mercy in this life. Those who extend compassion find themselves living in a continual awareness of God’s kindness, for their hearts remain open to His grace. Mercy toward others keeps the channel clear for mercy to be received. On the other hand, it points toward the final judgment, when God will show eternal mercy to those who have been merciful. This is not a matter of earning salvation through acts of kindness; rather, it is the recognition that mercy toward others is the fruit of a heart that has been genuinely saved and renewed by grace.

It is worth noting that mercy, as Jesus defines it, often runs against the grain of our instincts. Our fallen hearts naturally incline toward self-protection, repayment in kind, and the belief that justice means giving others what they deserve. But in God’s kingdom, mercy does not negate justice—it transforms it. Justice alone gives what is due; mercy gives beyond what is due, and often in place of what is due, in order to restore, heal, and reconcile. God’s own mercy toward us is the model: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, absorbing our debt and giving us life. The merciful are simply those who allow that same pattern to shape how they treat others.

In practice, mercy may look like forgiving a deep wrong, offering help to someone who has nothing to offer in return, showing patience with someone’s repeated failures, or choosing to interpret another’s actions with generosity rather than suspicion. It may also mean refraining from harshness when one has the power to punish, or defending the dignity of the weak against the cruelty of the strong. Such mercy requires humility, for it recognizes that we ourselves are recipients of undeserved grace.

In the end, Matthew 5:7 invites us into the very heart of God. The blessing promised is not a hollow reward but the deep joy of living in alignment with God’s own nature. To be merciful is to live in the stream of His compassion, to taste in our relationships the sweetness of the mercy we have received, and to look forward to the day when that mercy will embrace us fully and finally in His presence. Those who are merciful find that mercy is not depleted by giving it away; rather, the more they pour it out, the more they are filled, until the mercy they have received and the mercy they give become indistinguishable streams flowing from the same fountain—God Himself.

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Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Grace and peace be to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved us while we were still sinners and poured out His mercy upon us without measure. I write to you as one who has tasted of that mercy and knows its sweetness, to urge you to walk in the same mercy toward one another, for it is written, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” These words are not an ornament to the Christian life, as though mercy were an optional virtue for those of gentler temperament, but they are at the very heart of the gospel itself. The mercy of God is the air we breathe in His kingdom, and those who live in that air must breathe it out toward others.

Consider the mercy of our God. He saw us in our guilt, in the filth of our rebellion, in the poverty of our souls, and He did not pass us by. He did not demand that we first make ourselves worthy, nor did He weigh our record to see if we had earned His help. Instead, He drew near in the person of His Son, who bore our sin in His body on the tree, that we might be forgiven and made new. If such mercy has been lavished upon us, how then can we close our hearts to those in need, whether that need be physical, emotional, or spiritual? The mercy we have received is not a private possession but a trust to be shared, for in showing mercy to others, we declare with our lives the truth of the mercy we have been shown.

Yet I know, beloved, that this is no small calling. The world teaches us to repay in kind, to withhold help from those who “do not deserve it,” to guard ourselves from being taken advantage of. And our flesh whispers the same counsel, for mercy requires us to open ourselves to the pain of others, to bear burdens not our own, and to forgive wrongs that still ache in our memory. But remember this: the mercy of God toward you was never safe, never guarded, never half-hearted. It was costly, poured out in blood, and it came to you when you had nothing to give in return. Such mercy does not flow from human strength; it is the fruit of the Spirit, who shapes in us the likeness of Christ.

To be merciful, then, is not merely to feel compassion but to act upon it. It is to visit the sick, to feed the hungry, to defend the oppressed, to forgive the repentant, and even to pray for the good of those who have harmed you. It is to choose gentleness over retaliation, patience over irritation, generosity over suspicion. It is to stand alongside the broken and the guilty without fear of being stained, because you know the One who bore your own stains upon the cross. And this mercy must be without partiality—extended not only to those we find easy to love, but to those whose faults are glaring and whose gratitude may never be expressed.

The promise of our Lord is sure: “they shall receive mercy.” This is not the bargaining of a marketplace, as though our acts of mercy purchase God’s favor, but it is the evidence of a life already touched by grace. Those who give mercy find themselves living in continual awareness of the mercy they receive. And there is a greater day coming, when all accounts will be settled and the Judge of all the earth will show eternal mercy to those who have walked in His mercy. What joy it will be on that day to hear the Lord say, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to Me.”

Therefore, beloved, do not grow weary in showing mercy. The needs you encounter will be many, and the gratitude you receive may be little, but your reward is in heaven and your supply is from God. Let mercy be the signature of your life, the aroma of your presence, the legacy you leave behind. And when you feel your mercy running dry, return again to the cross, where the fountain flows without end. Drink deeply there, and you will find yourself filled again to pour out for others.

May the God of all mercy strengthen you to walk in this grace, until the day when you stand before Him, fully clothed in the mercy that has been your life and your hope.

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O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, we lift our hearts to You with gratitude for the boundless compassion You have shown us in Christ Jesus our Lord. You saw us in our guilt and did not turn away; You beheld our poverty of soul and did not despise us. When justice demanded the full weight of our debt, You did not leave us to bear it alone, but laid it upon Your beloved Son, who took our sin and shame upon Himself that we might be forgiven and free. We bless You for such mercy—rich, unearned, and everlasting—and we confess that apart from Your grace, we would have no part in it.

Lord Jesus, our Redeemer and Friend, You walked among us with a heart moved by compassion. You touched the leper, spoke peace to the broken, forgave the sinner, and fed the hungry. You looked upon the crowds with pity, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and You laid down Your life for them. We stand in awe of Your mercy, which did not recoil from our uncleanness but entered into it to heal and restore. And we confess that too often our hearts are slow to follow Your example. We withhold kindness when it is inconvenient, forgiveness when the hurt is deep, and generosity when we fear we will be left with less. Lord, soften our hearts, for we would be merciful as You are merciful.

Holy Spirit, breath of God, we ask You to work within us this miracle of mercy. Tear down the walls of pride and self-protection that keep us from entering into the sufferings of others. Teach us to see as You see—to look not at the worthiness of the recipient but at the greatness of the need. Let our hearts be moved to action, that mercy would not be for us a passing feeling but a daily practice. Give us patience when wronged, gentleness when provoked, and courage to stand with the weak and oppressed. And when forgiveness is costly, remind us of the cross, where the greatest debt was paid in full.

Lord, we hold fast to Your promise: that the merciful shall receive mercy. Keep us ever mindful that we are daily in need of Your compassion, and let that awareness keep us humble, tender, and quick to extend grace. May our lives bear the fragrance of Your mercy in every place—at home, in the fellowship of believers, in the workplace, and among strangers. Let mercy mark our speech, shape our actions, and define our relationships, until others can say they have seen the heart of God through the hands of His people.

We long for the day when mercy will no longer be needed because all wrongs will be made right, all wounds healed, and every tear wiped away. Until that day, sustain us in this calling, that we might shine as children of our merciful Father. And when we stand before You in that final day, may it be said of us that we did to the least of these as unto You, and may we be received into the joy of Your eternal mercy.

This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You, O Father, and with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.