Commonly enough, the “mercy” of God is defined as His “not giving man what he deserves” – i.e., immediate judgment. And, that definition fits frequently, particularly in St. Paul’s epistles. The several occurrences of the word in Romans chapter 9 reveal this:
“For He says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.’ So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.’ Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens” (vv. 15-18).
Again, in Romans 11:30-32: “For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.”
In each of these instances (and many more), defining mercy as God “not giving man what he deserves” makes perfect sense. And, when referring to interpersonal relationships, “mercy” can carry that same sense of not giving someone what they deserve – be it wrath, anger, revenge, etc. While not using the term “mercy,” Paul captures this in Ephesians 4:32 – “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
But, the Gospels use “mercy” in another sense as well. On multiple occasions, people call to Christ, pleading for mercy, not in reference to their sins, but their current miseries – blindness (Matt. 9:27; 20:30-31; Luke 18:35-39), leprosy (Luke 17:11-13), a demon-oppressed daughter (Matt. 15:22), an epileptic son (Matt. 17:15). The call of, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” is repeated in nearly every such case, each one a plea for help in the midst of pain or suffering.
When the Apostle Paul penned the Pastoral Epistles – that is, the letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus – he greeted them in unique fashion. 1st Timothy begins, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope, to Timothy, a true son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” 2nd Timothy opens in similar fashion: “To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1:2). Finally, Paul greeted Titus with the words, “To Titus, a true son in our common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” (1:4).
In no other letter does Paul include “mercy” in his greeting, only “grace and peace.”
· Romans 1:7 - “To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
· 1st Corinthians 1:2-3 – “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
· 2nd Corinthians 1:1-2 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
· Galatians 1:3-5 – “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
The same holds for St. Paul’s letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and both letters to the Thessalonians. One would have to assume that Paul does not pray for God to withhold anything from the congregations to which he writes, but rather he prays to bestow upon the pastors something particular. All saints – that is, all Christians - have received the mercy of God in that they have been given grace in Christ, but Paul particularly blesses the pastors to whom he writes with “mercy” in the second sense of help in distress or suffering.
Additionally, Paul describes pastoral ministry as waging warfare (1st Tim. 1:18), laboring (1st Tim. 4:10, 5:17), suffering reproach (1st Tim. 4:10), fighting the good fight of faith (1st Tim. 6:12, 2nd Tim. 4:7), guarding a trust (1st Tim. 6:20, 2nd Tim. 1:14), sharing in suffering (2nd Tim. 1:8, 2:3), holding firm to the word (Titus 1:9), and numerous exhortations to teach the truth in the face of increasing desire to embrace error (1st Timothy 1:3-11, 4:1-16, 6:20-21; 2nd Timothy 3:1-6, 3:16-4:5; Titus 2:1).
Clearly, ministers of the Gospel are in tremendous need of mercy, of divine help in distress and suffering. This realization should form our thoughts about the nature of pastoral ministry. A far cry from the “celebrity pastor,” Paul addresses Timothy as an ox, a laborer, a soldier, an athlete in training, a hard-working farmer, a worker, and a servant. As George Herbert observed in his excellent work The Country Parson, “the complete definition of a minster” was captured by St. Paul when he “plainly avouceth that he fills up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for his body’s sake, which is the church.”
Pastors are charged with telling the truth even if no one wants to hear it, confronting sin even if no one wants to repent, and offering counsel in life’s most complicated problems. Like first responders in different uniforms, they are with people in the worst moments of life. They strive to be the voice of calm and peace at gravesides and bedsides. Yet many pastors are notoriously hesitant to ask for help or prayer, or to admit their need for encouragement. So, like Paul, pray that the Lord will give them “grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior” that they may fulfill the high calling of pastoral ministry.
