It’s a short phrase that carries quite a wallop, there at the end of our reading from James: “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13b). We should be used to this idea by now. Jesus has made it on a number of occasions. In Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus tells Peter to be prepared to forgive someone seventy-seven times. And in Luke 11:2-4 (as in Matthew 6:9-13) the disciples are taught to pray that their sins or debts may be forgiven as they forgive those who have sinned against them or are indebted to them. James simply amplifies the idea. “Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
But this is one of those ideas that seems so counterintuitive to us. “What goes around comes around,” we say. “An eye for an eye,” we quote from the Old Testament, forgetting that Jesus announced a complete reordering of that idea. We believe that judgment equates to justice and are eager to claim our vindication. This is a point on which I stumble quite often. When I feel that I or a loved one have been wronged it takes me quite a while to let go of the hurt and the anger. I want the offenders to know how they have hurt me. I want them to feel the same amount of pain—or more. So I lope along, feeling stupid or inept because I can not exact my vengeance the way I would like to.
How utterly foolish of me! My anger accomplishes nothing except to rob me of the chance to grow in maturity of faith and obedience to God. And how can I expect God’s mercy for me, when I am unwilling to express it to others. Jesus and the author of James each know what they are saying, that they are challenging a common human tendency to “get even.” But they are also offering a better way to live, one in which we live our faith even in the most difficult of times, even in the most challenging of circumstances. Anyone can hold on to anger. But those who have taken the example of Jesus Christ to heart can begin to live with mercy and patience. That’s my prayer for myself today, that I would allow mercy to triumph in my heart and to lead me to a better way of life.
Prayer: Lord, help us to forgive just as you continue to forgive us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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