The Price of Mercy

27. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

29. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

—Luke 6

Ouch! Turning the other cheek hurts! Whoever says that getting into the Kingdom is free hasn’t taken full account of the price of mercy and forgiveness. This includes those non-Christian scoffers who say that Christianity is for the weak or that religion is the opiate of the masses.

Taking a smack on the cheek is painful. Not retaliating is humiliating. Not only that, it often invites further abuse. It is far more pleasant and often safer to respond in kind when your rights are violated. Forgiving debts is expensive. It is one thing to loan to a neighbor in need, and quite another to forego repayment. And it is harder yet to forgive a debt owed by a thief or a vandal. Getting into the Kingdom is indeed a pearl of great price.

38. Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39. But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43. Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

—Matthew 5

But is it necessary for Christians to forgive all debts and trespasses? If so, nearly all of us are in deep trouble. This includes me. If you rob me, I am likely to call the police. Ditto if you slap me. I am acting on the assumption that these mandates are no so much always applicablt commandments as requirements for receiving certain blessings. (This could be a grave error!)

Forgiving others is a requirement for receiving divine forgiveness, and I certainly need quite a bit of that. I have plenty of sins on my record, including sins performed when I knew better. So I do forgive some sins against me. I am also expending a great deal of effort trying to get the government to be more merciful. I am blessed to live in a democratic republic, but with this blessing comes responsibility: to stand idly by while my government persecutes others is to be partly responsible.

The Christian obligation for mercy is a major part of my motivation for Libertarian activism. Freeing people unjustly imprisoned is an act of mercy. It is also has a price; political activism is quite expensive unless you are on the winning side, and you are corrupt. But it is considerably cheaper than turning the other cheek, and much more fun. Should these efforts succeed, the benefits to those currently persecuted would be huge. I am acting on the hope that the magnitude of the benefit given will be taken into account on the day of reckoning.

I could be wrong. This may not be sufficient. But it should help. Please meditate on these things and act accordingly.

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