Matthew 5:7

Jesus blesses the merciful and promises that they themselves will receive mercy. This Beatitude links the way we treat others to the mercy we receive, drawing a direct line between compassion given and compassion obtained. To be merciful is to show kindness and forgiveness toward those in need, especially when they have no claim on it.

Mercy is more than a feeling; it is compassion in action -- reaching toward the suffering, the failing, and the undeserving with practical kindness and a forgiving spirit. Jesus teaches that such mercy does not go unanswered. Those who extend it "shall obtain mercy." This is not a transaction in which we earn God's favor by being nice, but a description of how God's grace works in a transformed heart. People who have truly received mercy become channels of it, and a hard, unforgiving heart reveals one that has not grasped how much it has been forgiven. The principle runs throughout Jesus' teaching: the measure we give will be measured back to us. There is both comfort and challenge here. Comfort, because the merciful stand under the promise of mercy. Challenge, because withholding mercy from others puts at risk our own standing in it. To live mercifully is to mirror the very heart of God.