Mercy

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

MERCY

Luke 1:54-56

54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers."

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

NIV

We are at the last few words of what Mary said to Elizabeth and rather than have the whole today we just recorded those last words. Although we can be sure that Mary was speaking of Israel as the nation of Israelites or Jews who were from the twelve tribes, or descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob or Israel, who was the son of Abraham who all Jews are descendants of, when she said God has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful. The question is; who are the children or descendants of Abraham? Yes in a genetic sense it is only those Jews who can trace their heritage back to Abraham. But the Word of God makes it seem quite different than that. The truth of the matter is the fact that true Israel is those who have circumcised their heart, rather than just their flesh. Once again if it were only the flesh that counts then only men could be considered Israel and the women, only have identity through a man. The point of this is that we who have circumcised our hearts can accept this promise of God remembering to be merciful to us. Which of course that was exactly what he did through Mary. He sent his Son to die on the cross for our sin. How could he be any more merciful?  This may well have been Mary prophesying about herself. Yet here we are experiencing the mercy of God forever. Yes in the physical sense many of us are considered Gentiles by the Jews, but the fact is we are engrafted into the family of God because we have accepted his great mercy, Jesus, as our Lord and Savior. We are Israel, we have all the promises of God he made to his children because we are his becasue he said that to all who received him, to all who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, therefore we are true descendants and have all the mercy of God. Even though we might pray from time to time for God to show his mercy to us in a situation, or for a friend, he has shown us his mercy already, Jesus.