Of Turmoil and Tender Mercy

“To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,” (Lu 1:77-78 AV)

 This is part of Zacharias’ prayer and praise over the birth of John.  It is quite appropriate Zacharias praises the LORD for the promise of the coming of the Messiah before he thanks God for the birth and calling of John.  Jesus comes first.  Having said that, the underlined phrase impressed me this morning as the Spirit reminded me of the ministry of John and what the tender mercy of God would entail.  John would severely rebuke the nation of Israel for their unfaithfulness and idolatry, calling them to national repentance in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.  Furthermore, Zacharias makes a point of stressing the redemption of Israel.  But this will come by way of a cruel cross.  It is the fact the mercy of God is referred to as tender that struck me.  It indeed is.  But that doesn’t mean His tender mercy is comfortable mercy.  At least on the front of it.

There are many ways to show mercy.  Relieving the suffering of another is certainly one way to show mercy.  In fact, when different people groups came to John, this is what he instructed them.  He instructed the wealthy to relieve the needs of the poor.  He told the tax collector to only collect what the government allowed.  To those serving in the military, he told them to keep the peace and not inflict violence where violence was not needed.  These examples of mercy were intended to illustrate what mercy might look like.  But when it comes to the mercy God would show, the mercy man might exercise pales in comparison.  The mercy God will show is a result of exercising His wrath on another.  Mercy is extremely tender toward us because the justice of God was exceeding cruel to another.  Jesus suffered the full extent of the wrath of Almighty God which we deserved.  He suffered complete and total rejection from the Father.  This tender mercy which we enjoy meant torture for the Son of God.

When I think of tender mercy, I think of a child who knows they did something horribly wrong.  Instead of coming down hard on him or her, Dad does pass judgment.  But he does so with love, rather than with anger.  Like a father who sentences his son to clean out the garage, yet after about an hour of hard work, the father joins him for the next three to get the job done.  That is tender mercy.  Or a mother who sends her daughter to her room without supper.  Then about an hour later, takes a plate up and sits as she eats.  That is tender mercy.  We deserve a whole lot worse than we get.  No matter how much trouble God allows or sends in our lives, it doesn’t come close to the trouble we have caused Him.  His mercy is indeed tender and we should be eternally grateful for what He sends.  The people on the shores of Jordan did not come without some inner turmoil involved.  Repentance was required.  That took soul searching.  Serious soul searching.  Mercy may indeed be tender.  But it does come at a cost.  To presume upon God’s tender mercy will eventually dry it up.  Come to the rivers of repentance, with a heart broken over one’s sin, and the mercy that awaits is far more tender than you could ever imagine.