January 23, 2022
Offer Mercy, Not Judgment
A man came off the street into my study one day,
having asked to “see the preacher.” His appearance was so bad I did not ask him
to sit down. His smell was unsettling and I was busy with “church work.”
Impatiently I asked, “Can I help you?” His reply was not what I expected.
“Pastor,”
he said wearily, “I hope you can. I am not here to ask for money or food or a
place to stay. I can sleep in my old car again tonight. What I need is hope. I
am at the end of my rope. I am willing to work if I can find a job. I am
desperate to find someone who will believe in me, trust me, and help me make a
new start.”
The
man seemed so genuine that I asked him to sit down. We talked for an hour and I
prayed with him, asking the Lord to give him hope for a new life. I found him a
place to spend the night, made a few phone calls and found him a job. Given a
chance, he began to earn his keep and slowly made a comeback. We stayed in
touch and within a few years the man had become a respected member of the
community and a devout Christian.
Four
years after his first visit, he came to see me again. He recalled the day we
first talked. “That day,” he said, “I was so distraught that I had decided to
kill myself if you had turned me away, as so many others had already done. But
you saved my life by taking an interest in me. You gave me the hope to hold on
for another day. And God helped me to make a new life for myself.” Then he
embraced me with a hug I have never forgotten.
My
experience with that man led me to reflect on the many times I had failed to
offer mercy to strangers who smelled like he did. I thanked God for opening my
eyes and asked forgiveness for the times I had offered judgment instead of
mercy to people who needed hope more than a handout.
I began to
understand better what Saint Paul meant when he said to his Christian friends
in Rome, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to
bring praise to God.” This verse, Romans 15:7, is translated in several ways. Another says,
“Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of
God.” Yet another, “Receive one another, then, as Christ has received you.”
How does Christ accept, or
welcome, or receive me? He offers me mercy! Not condemnation or judgment! When
Christ opens His arms to receive me, saying “Come to me,” he is offering me
mercy that is clothed in hope for my future.
So how can I reduce the strife
in our society, the strife that robs us of the harmony and civility we so
desperately need? By offering my brothers and sisters, in the living of these
days, mercy, not judgment. So shall we find our way to
live together in peace. + + +