Mercy for the Mean
“But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Matthew 9:13 One of the hardest things we are called to do as Christians is to have mercy for people who are mean. There’s a pastor I have listened to (who is actually pretty well-known), and although he’s a good teacher, he’s extremely judgemental and condemning. Even though he is a minister of the Good News, he is constantly focusing on the worthlessness of sinners. His story and manner of preaching piqued my curiosity, so one time, I asked a colleague of his about his history. Eager to share what he knew, he said, “Bobby, let me tell you a story.” It turns out that when this guy was around nine years old, he did something bad, and his father, who was known to be very
