“Mercy” or “merciful, ” describes a characteristic of God. “ Mercy reflects God’s dominant mood” (Dr. Metzger). It is a quality intrinsic to the nature of God and one that God requires of his people. However, a lack of mercy is more natural to the human condition ( Prov. 12:10 ; Isa 13:18 ; Jer 50:42). Cruelty, the antithesis of mercy, is more natural to human beings and sad to say, even to professing Christians”!
The word cruelty is defined as “callous indifference to, or pleasure in, causing pain and suffering.”
Or ‘Any act of a human being which inflicts unnecessary pain; any act intended to torment or which actually torments, afflicts without necessity; wrong; injustice; oppression. (Webster’s American Dictionary)
In Ezk. 34: 4, talking to the irresponsible shepherds of Israel God said this to them;
“The weak you have not strengthened nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them” In verse 10, God says He is against such shepherds. God detests cruelty / mercilessness.
In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Peter, who was told by the risen Lord to feed the flock of God out of love for Him had this to say to his fellow shepherds of the flock of God.
“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away”
Peter tenderly exhorts elders not to lead by force and cruelty but to lead by example.
Neglect of the needy can be a form of cruelty. As in the parable of the Good Samaritan; “A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” (Luke 10:31-32)
In another instance, Jesus warned about cruelty by neglect:
“‘For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'” (Matthew 25:42-43)
When asked by the onlookers when they had neglected him in those ways, Jesus answered:
“‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'” (Matthew 25:45)
Jesus’ point in both cases was that everyone is our neighbor and deserves to be treated with kindness. God considers cruelty by neglect a sinful act.
There is also the Cruelty Caused by Deeds
When a woman caught in adultery was about to be stoned. Under Mosaic law, the death penalty was legal, but Jesus saw it as cruel and merciless in her case. He told the crowd, poised with stones in their hands:
“‘If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'” (John 8:7)
Of course her accusers were all sinners. They drifted away, leaving her unharmed. Although this lesson called attention to human cruelty, it showed that unlike man, God judges with mercy. Jesus dismissed the woman but told her to stop sinning.
The most obvious example of cruelty in the Bible is the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was wrongly accused, unjustly tried, tortured, and executed, in spite of being innocent. His reaction to this cruelty as he hung dying on the cross?
“Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'” (Luke 23:34)
Jesus forgave their (and our) sins before they (we) even asked for forgiveness. he offered mercy before they even sought mercy! Mercy is the quality in God that directs him to forge a relationship with people who absolutely do not deserve to be in relationship with him.
Many relationships in the church and in the world are thirsty for mercy!
Parents need to be merciful to their children. Brethren to fellow brethren. Dominant cultures/tribe cruel to other cultures. Mercy is the quality that will foster strong and healthy relationships in the church first, and in the world today. I say amen to what Dr. Metzger wrote; “It is a contradiction in terms to act without mercy and claim Christ”.
When Jesus Christ says; Blessed are the merciful, He gives us the signs and evidences of the work of Grace in the soul of the one who is merciful.
“The truly merciful realize how indebted they are to God for his mercy, and so they show mercy to those in need. In turn, God shows them mercy over and over again: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7; ESV) How we treat those in need serves as a barometer for how well we have accounted for God’s mercy on display in our lives. Unlike the ungrateful and merciful servant, we should never cease to extend mercy and forgiveness toward others given how merciful God is toward us (See Matthew 18:21-35). (Dr. Metzger)
I will end my blog with these facts about God’s mercy and I hope they inspire you to sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. (Ps. 89: 1)
God’s mercy is tender (Luke 1:78)
God’s mercy is great mercy (Ps. 108:4). It is so great that it forgives great sins.
God’s mercy is undeserved mercy. You and I surely do not deserve His mercy.
God’s mercy is rich mercy, it is manifold, unfailing and abounding in that many have received it and it is far from being exhausted. Amen! Sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever! Trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. (Ps. 52:8)
Kaweesa-Culture 
Wonderful reflections about our natural bent toward cruelty, whether intentional or not. I was struck by the allusion you made to the priest in the Good Samaritan story and the parable of the sheep and goats (which I referenced in my own post). I think most would see cruelty to require some sort of intention to do harm, but I think you are right to interpret our Lord’s heart as to accusing us of cruelty if we blind our eyes to the needs of others and do nothing to help. I am reminded of James’ exhortation… “14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17).
To keep our faith alive, and not dead as James mentions, we must willingly enter into merciful actions–expending something that is very real to us… money, time, our dignity, our supposed “rights”–laying them down in order to lift another up.
Thank you for an encouraging blog. How beautiful the thought, that mercy describes a characteristic of the Christian God. If only mercy were more intrinsic to Christianity. I enjoy being around people whose lives reflect a God who is tender, and forgiving. I find myself more likely to trust in their God. Because the Christian God is tender and merciful, why don’t more Christians believe it for themselves? They, too, are hurt deeply, and in need of mercy and love.
Brother Wilfred your eloquent presentation of mercy is quite encouraging. Mercy really is a beautiful thing! I want and need to be more merciful in my interactions with other people. I want to receive mercy and I need to show mercy. I want to be like Christ and be merciful. It sounds great, but I know it won’t always be easy. I suppose it’s not supposed to be. In my short time knowing you, I sense you are a very merciful person and so your life make your blog that much richer!
You said, “Jesus’ point in both cases was that everyone is our neighbor and deserves to be treated with kindness.” I find it interesting that Jesus never did answer the lawyers question. The lawyer asked, “Who is my neighbor?” He wanted to know who he should treat as a neighbor. But Jesus answers the question by telling the man how he could be a neighbor. It is not the object, but the subject. You will be a neighbor when you do as the Samaritan. So the critical question is actually, “How am I to be a merciful neighbor to all? Thanks, Wilfred.