Kathleen Rushton discusses the merciful God Jesus revealed in Matthew 9:36 —10:8.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING to Matthew unfolds within a framework of “Emmanuel — God-with-us.” In the first chapter Jesus is named as “Emmanuel” when the prophet Isaiah is quoted (Mt 1:23). Three times Jesus highlights this: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” (Mt 18:20); “Truly, I tell you, just as you did it (or did not do it) to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it (or did not do it) to me” (Mt 25:40, 45); and in his very last words: “I am with you always to the end of the age” (Mt 28:30).

Within this “Emmanuel — God-with-us” framework expressions of mercy and compassion are integral to Matthew’s Gospel. The power of the biblical tradition of mercy is in the Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall be mercied” (Mt 5:7, usually translated as “will receive mercy”). This is the only time the passive form of the verb “to mercy” (eleein) is used in the Gospels.

John Paul II in his encyclical Rich in Mercy wrote: “The concept of ‘mercy’ in the Old Testament has a long and rich history. We have to refer back to it in order that the mercy revealed by Christ may shine forth more clearly … the people of God of the Old Covenant, had drawn from their age-long history a special experience of the mercy of God. This experience was social and communal, as well as individual and interior.” (DM par 4).

The Israelites believed God was a God of raḥamim (womb-compassion) and of ḥesed (steadfast love). “God is gracious and merciful (raḥum), slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (ḥesed)” (Ps 145:8).

Mercy is action-orientated. We see this when we link the two words Matthew uses to express the mercy of Jesus with the Hebrew raḥamim and ḥesed.

“I Desire Mercy”

Jesus crosses the sea to Capernaum, his own town. He calls Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. Then Jesus and his disciples have dinner in Matthew’s house (Mt 9:10-13). The Pharisees question his disciples about his dining with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus responds by directing the Pharisees, respected teachers of the Torah, to learn from Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy (eleos), not sacrifice.” This Greek word for mercy, which is found many times in Matthew, translates the Hebrew word hesed meaning steadfast love, enduring love, loving kindness.

The Greek “Kyrie eleison” is still used in the Eucharist but more often in the English translation “mercy”.

The Womb-Compassion of Jesus

The story continues with Jesus responding. He heals a woman with haemorrhage, two men who are blind and a demoniac — all were marginalised in society (Mt 9:18-24). He travelled the countryside “proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and sickness” (Mt 9:35).

Then when Jesus saw the crowds “he had compassion for them” (Mt 9:36 NRSV). This is the first time the Greek word for compassion (splagnizomai) is used. It literally means “having a heart moved with compassion”.

This deeply-felt response to suffering evokes the Hebrew word, raḥamim, meaning the womb-compassion of God. It is also related to the Hebrew reḥem, the word for womb, and suggests the love of a mother. This is explicit female imagery for God.

A Triad

Matthew draws us into a triad. First, there is a description of a need: Jesus saw the crowds who “were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Second, seeing this need Jesus is described as “having a heart moved with compassion.”

And third, the movement to action because something must be done to address the heartfelt need.

Something Must Be Done

Jesus acts. He turns to his disciples reminding them that “the harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few.” Then he calls together the twelve and delivers his second mission discourse (Mt 10:1-11:1) which reflects both the time of Jesus and the time of the early Church. While Jesus confines the mission of his disciples to the people of Israel (Mt 10:5-6), the time of the early Church is suggested by the mention of disciples being dragged before governors and giving testimony to the Gentiles (Mt 10:18; cf. 28:19).

All disciples are called to participate with Jesus when something must be done — we are to be like him who sees a need and “having a heart moved with compassion” responds by taking action. Jesus gives the twelve disciples authority to respond to the suffering of the crowd.

This triad form (seeing a need, “having a heart moved with compassion,” and then doing something to address the felt need) is repeated four more times in Matthew — being sick (Mt 14:14); being hungry (Mt 15:32); in huge debt (Mt 18:27); and being blind (Mt 20:34). It is also in Luke — the death of widow’s son (Lk 7:13); the wounded one (Lk 10:30); and the lost son (Lk 15:20).

“Mercy-ing” in the World

Moral theologian James Keenan wrote: “Our entire theological tradition is expressed in terms of mercy, which I define as the willingness to enter into the chaos of others.” And Biblical scholar Veronica Lawson explained: “Mercy is a way of being in the world, a way of seeing and of hearing and a way of responding.”

Pope Francis uses the verbal noun “mercy-ing” to translate the first word of his Latin motto "Miserando atque eligendo". He said: “The Church is commissioned to announce the mercy of God, the beating heart of the Gospel, which in its own way must penetrate the heart and mind of every person … wherever the Church is present, the mercy of God must be evident. In our parishes, communities, associations and movements, in a word, wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy.” (Misericordiae Vultus par 12).

The mercy related word “having a heart moved with compassion” which is linked to the womb (reḥem) connects Christians, Jews and Muslims. We all speak of God as mercy-ing.

In Arabic, the word Rahm meaning “womb” is related to ar-Raham which is translated as “the merciful”. Zain Ali wrote that ar-Raham is “used in the Qur’an as an attribute, or name of God — that is, God the most merciful.”

If we wish to relieve suffering and eradicate inequalities, we will need to see the needs around us, have our hearts moved with compassion — and then we will need to act.

Just as we are “mercied”, so we will need to be mercy-ing to others, so that all experience God-with-us — a mercy-full, compassionate, loving Divine.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 282 June 2023:24-25