Matthew 5:7 Meaning of Blessed Are the Merciful

Matthew 5:7
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Explanation and Commentary of Matthew 5:7

God has made the Christian an object of his divine mercy (Ro 9:23), by no work of the Christian to earn it. And yet, the grammar here supposes that if we show mercy, then we receive mercy. This should be thought of as the same kind of language device used when Christ says, if you will not forgive, then you will not be forgiven. We understand that to mean that you have not been forgiven, you have not understood that you needed to be forgiven, and so you have not repented if you cannot see fit to forgive others. The same applies here. If you cannot see fit to show mercy to others, then you have not likely understood how much mercy has been shown to you by the Lord.

But with all that said, it should also be considered as written: show mercy, and you will be shown mercy, and this is a blessing. Indeed, it is blessed to be merciful. It means we understand the nature of things; but for the grace of God, we might be in the same position as the potential object of our mercy. We also have our own identities securely rooted in Christ and our salvation and have nothing to lose by showing mercy to others. This does not mean that we must overlook unrighteousness in another as we seek to show them mercy. It does not mean that we must pretend that those in need of mercy by their own foolishness do not need to be patiently instructed and even rebuked. But we should do all things with kindness, forgiveness, and gentleness, so as to restore those in need of it. This is not to say that all those who need mercy have sinned to put themselves in that position, but it is often the case.

Breaking Down the Key Parts of Matthew 5:7

#1 “Blessed are…”
The word here means happy, or fortunate. The grammar supposes not that the subject will be blessed for showing mercy, but that they already are. It is a blessing to be Christlike, no matter the outcome.

#2 “the merciful,”
The merciful are those who show mercy because they have taken on the nature of Christ as they abide in him and walk by his Holy Spirit. God is merciful, and so should we be.

#3 “for they will be shown mercy.”
If we are merciful, then we will be shown mercy. Because of this, we are blessed. Again, we will likely not show mercy if we have not seen our own need for mercy and have not seen God as merciful to us.

Expert Overview of Matthew Ch. 1-13

Biblical Translations of Matthew 5:7

NIV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

NLT
“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

ESV
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.”

KJV
“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

NKJV
“Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.”