Bride-Atude Five: The Blood Soaked Mercy Bearers

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy

The greatest act of mercy in human history took place on a crude Roman cross at Golgotha when God the Mercy Bearer was denied mercy by those who needed it most.

“Go and learn what this means”, said Jesus to the Pharisees: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Matt. 9:13). Why? Because the sacrifice has been fulfilled once and for all. The Lamb of God was sacrificed on our behalf as a once only historical event to which nothing can be added or removed. Any activity believers undertake in an effort to earn holiness is an offence to the all-sufficient Blood of Christ and the finished work of the Cross.

Mercy, on the other hand, is an ongoing event. Every true act of mercy contributes to the continually unfolding revelation that God is abundantly merciful. Through no co-incidence it was on the Mercy Seat that the sacrificial, atoning blood was sprinkled before God by the Old Testament High Priest (Lev. 16:15). But that was only an earthly shadow of our present Heavenly reality. The Blood of Christ has eternally secured the mercy of God for all who take God at His word and believe. The Blood speaks of mercy, and mercy points to the Blood. The mercy-bearing Bride who understands this enters boldly, unashamedly, into the very presence of God obtaining mercy wherever, whenever it is needed (Heb. 4:16). Our Father delights in mercy!

The world is desperately in need of mercy-bearers. For too many the world is a cruel and merciless place, offering condemnation instead of compassion, injustice instead of justice, discrimination instead of equity. Of all people on earth, those who belong to Christ are the most perfectly equipped to sow mercy among mankind. The merciful Bride constantly bears witness that she loves and serves a merciful God. The false bride, fleshly religion, demands continuing sacrifices devoid of mercy. The true Bride of Christ, however, sows mercy abundantly and from her merciful heart brings forth the fruit of kindness.

This Spirit-birthed kindness can only come from one who has known unmerited mercy. Have you ever noticed that in the world, kindness is shown according to how ‘deserving’ someone is judged to be? In the Kingdom, however, kindness is not about the recipient’s worthiness; it’s about the giver’s character. God does not show kindness based on whether it’s deserved; He is kind because that’s simply who He is. He “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” This too is the heart of the mercy bearing Bride.

More Bride-Atudes coming soon!

©Cheryl McGrath, Bread for the Bride, 2012