1 - Introduction - Living like a real Christian 6 - Blessed are the merciful | Page 11

human life, especially in those days of a woman, was worth very little. Jesus,
therefore, had to set that record straight. That woman, as sinful as she was, was of
incredible value to Jesus.
2. In the story of the demon possessed man, we have Jesus making his disciples row
all the way across the Sea of Galilee to minister to one man. I’m sure the disciples,
when they got there, would have been disturbed and confused that they would have
said, “Jesus you made us row all the way across the ocean for him?! Don’t you know
that he is just a demon possessed man?!” Well apparently the disciples did not
understand the value of this man to Jesus and Jesus was very quick to set that
record straight.
3. In John 4, we see Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman at the well; a woman who
had been rejected by her community, a woman who no other woman trusted, a
woman who no-one would have cared for should she have fallen ill, a woman who, at
the end of the day, was of no value to anybody except Jesus. Don’t you love the way
that Jesus shows mercy to people simply based upon their value as human beings?!
I so believe that the mark of every mature believer is found in a similar outlook and
attitude toward people, not just nice people but all people. When we truly
understand the value of a human being I believe that people will respond with acts
of mercy that they never realised was possible. I believe too that, when you
understand the value of a human being, neither the devil nor anyone else will be
strong enough to hold you back from living out the beatitude “blessed are the
merciful…