What the Bible Says about God’s Mercy

I’m going to take you back a few decades, to The Karate Kid films of the 80s. Yep! We’re going there. I’m no martial artist by any means, but I do love a solid story about an underdog overcoming life’s adversities. I highly recommend it!

A recurring theme in the first few films is on mercy. The main antagonist, John Kreese, in the first film states,

“We do not train to be merciful here. Mercy is for the weak. Here, in the streets, in competition: A man confronts you, he is the enemy. An enemy deserves no mercy.”

Wow, so much to unpack here! If you haven’t seen the films yet, I’m not going to give you any spoilers. I’d recommend watching them when you can (at least the 80s films, I can’t speak to the other ones).

One point that sticks out to me is that “Mercy is for the weak.”

I hear the word "mercy" all the time. In church services, in worship songs, as part of Uncle Jesse’s catchphrase on Full House. "Have mercy!"

I nod along when someone says "God’s mercy is so good" or "thank God for His mercy" because it seems like the right thing to do. But what does it really mean?

From the dictionary, mercy is being shown kindness or forgiveness when you could have been punished or judged. It’s when someone has the power to hold something against you, but they choose not to.

What does the Bible say about God’s mercy? The Bible shows it as something that flows straight from God’s character. Because mercy is God being good enough to give it. And he gives it to us.

I go through stretches where I feel like I’m disappointing everyone around me, including myself, and God. I’m not reading the Bible as much as I should be, praying as often as I should be, tithing as much as I should be.

But this verse reveals that God doesn’t work like that. I’m not consumed. I’m not written off. His mercies are always there. That kind of mercy and grace doesn’t make sense to my limited human mind, but that’s the whole point. Can you imagine going to your boss and asking to be paid for not doing any work? No way! It’s not earned like a paycheck.

He offers it freely. Every morning. I don’t have to clock in for it or prove myself to qualify for it. God’s mercy isn’t based on how well I perform. It’s based on who He is.

I sometimes feel like God loves me because He has to, like I’m wearing Him out with all my mistakes. Like a frustrated parent having to tend to a grumpy toddler who’s having a major meltdown at Target.

God isn’t quick to get frustrated. He isn’t waiting to snap or correct me harshly. He’s slow to anger and He’s gracious. He’s compassionate! He’s full of love!

That kind of mercy is powerful. It changes how I approach Him. I don’t have to tiptoe around God, I don’t need to clean myself up first and put on my Sunday best or wait until I’m more "spiritually put together." I can come as I am. That’s what His mercy allows, it’s His open invitation even when I don’t feel like I belong there.

I was in a rush to check out at the grocery store a few months back. Forgoing the basket, I had way too many items in my hand and one of the glass containers fell and broke. Glass and sticky liquid were all over the place, which led the self-checkout lane that I was in to be shut down.

The customers in line behind me were annoyed, as was the employee who had to leave what he was working on to come and clean up the mess that I made. All because I was rushing. I was so embarrassed.

Here’s what this scripture makes very clear to me. Mercy is something God wants me to receive. He urges me to come with confidence, not ashamed of my mess. Because God’s throne is a place where grace is given and mercy is poured out.

It’s a work in progress, but I’m changing how I pray. No more holding back. If I’m anxious, I say so. If I’m frustrated, I say that too. And every time, He helps. Granted it’s not always the help I expect (or frankly want), but it’s always what I need. God offers mercy freely, and that allows me to approach Him without fear.

I have this fascination with British detective shows. I’m currently working my way through “Father Brown.” It’s so delightful! Strawberry scones anyone?

Anyways, I just finished watching an episode about nuns placing babies who were born out of wedlock in permanent homes. And one of the nuns commented, with disdain, that these unwed mothers “were beyond saving.”

Now it’s a tv show of course, but the paradox of the nun’s words and God’s mercy is clear given this verse. We are not saved because of what we do or what we don’t do. We are saved because of His mercy. I don’t have to be perfect to be covered, (I am sooo far from perfect). I just have to be willing to receive it.

The more I sit with these scriptures, the more that I think that John Kreese was right. To an extent. I do believe that “mercy is for the weak” because I am weak. But He is strong. “He” referring to God of course, not John Kreese!

I view mercy as more than a generic feel-good word, I see it now as an open-ended, never-ending invitation from God Himself. And if mercy is who He is, then I don’t want to run from it. I want to run to it.