Journal of the Meek and Merciful

 An Emoji Devotions for Sun 10th January, 2021

Topic: Journal of the Meek and Merciful

By H.U. Wenger

Introduction:

Christian meekness and mercy is nothing but their inability for vice!?
This is what the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche pretended. Is he right?

Highlight from Jesus:

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. (Luk 6:35 – 37)

The contrast between Nietzsche and Jesus could not be any greater. The meekness and the mercy of God go far beyond pity or being emotionally moved about somebody’s predicament or suffering. It cuts right through to our inability to view our fellow human being as a wonderful creation of our heavenly Father, which we are to love as our brother or sister. We envy, we hate, we try to use and to abuse, we quarrel, we search to destroy and eventually we are killing, be it in the natural like Cain, be it with words, like Jesus mentioned it in Matthew 5:21.22.

For being a murderer it is enough to be angry with someone or to call him or her a fool. I am personally taken back by how easily I am judging people I do not really know by their behavior, by their looks or by their deeds. I have been running for an example, now I am in a hurry and feel bothered by the other participants in traffic. I am disturbed by them and I am very critical about them.

They do not keep the speed limit, they slow down at a green traffic light and it bursts out of me: “Where have you learned how to drive, you fool?” It is so easy and natural for us to feel better than “them”. It does not take us any strength to be prideful and to be head and shoulder above them.

To judge others is so quickly done and we have lost the remorse over our virtual killing of fellow human beings. Jesus calls us back. He wants me to be as merciful to others, as my heavenly Father is merciful to me. The first time that truth dawned on me as I, together with two other young men, was on the road in the car of an old and wise preacher. Suddenly another driver crossed our way and we thought that he would surely hit us. The preacher slammed the breaks and as the cars came to a halt, they stood bumper to bumper, but none was damaged. The three of us just wanted to badmouth the driver, as the wise old man said with a calm clear voice: “Dear Lord Jesus, bless that man and guide him safely home, despite his driving style.” We sat there speechless and felt that the car was filled with the glory of God.

Nietzsche was dead wrong. Whoever can be meek and merciful has learned from Jesus how to love and how to cling to meekness and mercy of our Lord. Here is virtue that can only come from love and goodness. The Apostle Paul makes in Romans 2 clear that nobody who judges others can escape the judgment of God. He writes in verse four: “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Whoever can be meek and merciful has overcome vice with the love of God and is destined to spread the great gospel of Jesus.

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, I do thank you and praise you for your mercy and meekness towards me and your invitation to learn from you. You know my tendency to be judgmental and I pray for the strength to see through the imperfection of my fellow humans, so that I can discover your wonderful creations with which you have surrounded me and blessed me. Amen