What is Mercy?

Anyone heard of the word mercy before?
Anyone know what Jesus taught on mercy?
Jesus essentially taught that we are to show mercy to the outcasts, even those people that we don't think deserve it and that is HARD!
BUT, remember, God showed mercy to us even when we did not deserve it...

Ever been saved by the bell? Reached out and grabbed a helping hand? Found the right thing at the right time, just at the last minute? Have you ever had someone step in and rescue you when your world was about to cave in? Whatever your experience was, if you were helped and spared terrible consequences, that's called mercy.

Think of a time when you were in trouble. Think of a time when at the last minute, someone helped you. If you're brave, share with us how you were in trouble, who helped you and how it made you feel...

Mercy is to rescue someone from the harmful consequences of either their own actions or someone else's. Mercy is usually shown with good deeds, compassion and kind acts.

Last year The Salvation Army Australia Southern Territory (we're part of that) helped over a million people through 600 social programs. These programs helped people with problems of homelessness, addiction, education, employment, disability, domestic violence, gambling and basic food and clothing. The Salvation Army is famous for doing good deeds and being merciful.

Do you know any of these programs? Do you know of any that the Salvos run locally in your community? What do they do?

How many of these good works were you involved in? Any? None?

Matthew 5:7 in the bible says 'Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.'

Matthew 9:9-13 says;
⁹ As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
¹⁰ While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
¹² On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Who will show mercy to us? Why?

To what kind of people does Jesus show mercy? Who needs mercy the most?

How does Jesus show mercy?

Think about it. Pray about it!***