Mercy—compassion or forbearance towards offenders or defeated enemies.
Jesus takes from the Father the water of mercy and sprinkles it over the nations, applying, or making tangible the Nature of The Father. This is part of His role as Priest to the nations. The Church enters this priesthood (all believers) and offers relentless compassion and mercy towards each nation, each ethnos or people. To exalt and make know Jesus is the job of the church. Jesus goes from nation to nation extending the Hand of Mercy, the actual being-stuff of the Father’s unending pardoning Nature.
We generally are not even merciful towards ourselves, much less those unlike ourselves. But this is an hour of manifest mercy. Time to make overt overtures towards one another. To love Russians, Arabs, Jews, Christians, Tibetians, Presbyterians, Bangledeshians, whites, blacks, reds, olives… we are the arms and hands and palms of His Mercy on the earth in this moment. We have no right to hold back. We are to be making Him known, and He is above all Merciful.
When we mercy, God’s Face is seen.
