Mercy Without Measure

Candlesticks of Grace

Reading — Luke 6:27–36

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Luke 6:36

As we continue our Lenten journey, Jesus brings us to one of the most searching commands in Scripture: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27–28). This is not ordinary kindness; it is kingdom mercy. Lent exposes how quickly we calculate who deserves our goodwill. Yet Jesus roots mercy not in the worthiness of others but in the character of the Father. We love beyond reason because we ourselves are loved beyond measure. The abundance of God’s mercy toward us becomes the pattern for our response to others.

I remember my grandfather telling me, when I was still in middle school, the story of Jean Valjean and the candlesticks from Les Misérables. After stealing silver from the bishop who had sheltered him, Valjean was caught and dragged back by the police. Instead of accusing him, the bishop declared that the silver had been a gift — and then added the precious candlesticks as well. That mercy shattered Valjean’s hardened heart. He was freed not only from arrest but from bitterness and despair. It was mercy that changed him. That scene echoes Jesus’ words: mercy interrupts the cycle of retaliation and opens the possibility of redemption. It does not deny wrongdoing; it overcomes it with unexpected grace.

Jesus continues, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?” (v.32). The world operates on reciprocity; the kingdom operates on grace. God is “kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (v.35). We stand every day under that same kindness. The cross declares that God moved toward us while we were still undeserving. So when Jesus commands, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful,” He is inviting us to reflect what we have already received. Mercy does not excuse injustice; it chooses restoration over revenge. And when we release debts instead of collecting them, we discover that mercy not only frees others — it frees us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father,

You have shown us mercy beyond what we deserve. Teach us this Lenten season to reflect Your compassion, so that our lives may become candlesticks of Your grace in a darkened world. Amen.