the cross: where mercy shows its strength

mercy

(12th painting of Love Series)

Artwork inspired by Psalm 86:15

Keiko Yamada

Acrylic Painting on Canvas

36 x 12 each of 3 paintings

Perhaps there is nothing more frustrating than not being heard or believed when no one is willing to listen to your side of the story.

What if, in such a situation, someone were to say this to you?

 But to you who are listening I say:

Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

bless those who curse you,

pray for those who mistreat you.

If someone slaps you on one cheek,

turn to them the other also.

If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them.

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Luke 6:27-31 NIV

This is what Jesus said to his disciples.

If everyone in the world lived this way, perhaps it would truly become a wonderful place. Yet these words seem painfully unrealistic. In a world where evil is so prevalent, most people would probably think, "There is no way injustice can be corrected by acting like this." I certainly did.

Ignoring those who hate us, cursing those who curse us, and returning insults to those who insult us may seem far more satisfying—and perhaps even the proper response to evil.

What's more, people are not always hated because they have done wrong. Sometimes they are hated simply for speaking the truth.

I have experienced this myself. There was a time when someone was clearly causing harm to those around them through their wrongdoing. While taking into consideration the difficulties and circumstances that person was facing, I tried to point out the issue as carefully and compassionately as I could. Yet that person refused to acknowledge any fault. Instead, they came to resent me for disagreeing with them and eventually began to curse and insult me.

Even when our actions are motivated by a sincere desire to help, the other person has every right to reject that help. However, I was forced to face the reality that some people will even exploit goodwill as an opportunity to wound those who offer it. The longer the situation continued, the more I found myself repeatedly tempted to do the exact opposite of what Jesus taught—to make that person feel the pain they had caused.

At times like these, Jesus' words sound utterly unrealistic. Rather than hearing such commands, I want to cry out:

"If You truly are love and justice, as the Bible says, then please do something about this injustice right now! Why do you let them prosper in their evil actions?"

Our Inner Struggle of "This is not the way it should be"

I sometimes think about similar experiences in the lives of people around me as well.

No matter how kind a person may be, it is difficult to live in a world without being mistreated.

However, why is it that most people still struggle internally, thinking, “This is not the way it should be"?

If this world were originally full of evil, why do we, deep in our hearts, cry out in words we cannot fully express, “This is not the way it should be"?

It is because in the very beginning, this world was not full of evil.

Precisely because we carry, deep within our souls, a memory of a world that was not originally filled with evil, when we face evil we do not simply accept it as “this is just how the world is,”. But instead, struggle with the thought, “This should not be the way things are.”

The Bible does not shy away from answering this questions. Its answer never changed because human being's core problem never changes no matter how much advancement it makes. It begins like this:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”— Genesis 1:1

As you continue reading, it says that everything God created was “good,” and that evil and injustice did not have its place like today.

However, it also says that the reason everything became no longer good is that human beings chose to leave the God who created them and instead live self-centered lives.

For human beings who try to live centered on themselves, there is no more inconvenient being than God.

That is why we can hate God, thinking, “Why won’t you make things go the way I want?”

We can curse God, saying, “You are inconvenient for me.”

We can insult God, saying, “I don’t need you.”

And we can even say, “I don’t want you, but please give me your blessings.”

Such is what human beings are capable of.

God, in response, could have said, “How dare you ignore me after I created you and gave you life!” and destroyed us in anger. It would have been possible to punish us every time we insulted Him.

However—

Even when we hated God, He still did good to us.

Even when we cursed God, He blessed us.

Even when we insulted God, He prayed for us.

Even when we struck His cheek, He turned the other as well.

When we took His coat, He did not withhold even His tunic.

Even when we took from Him, He did not take back from us.

When we asked, He continually gave.

This is exactly the path Jesus walked in order to pay the price for our rebellion against God.

Although He never sinned even once, He was hated and cursed to the point of being led to a death by crucifixion. Even on the cross He was mocked, beaten, and stripped of His clothing, with people saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” When one of the thieves crucified alongside Him acknowledged his own sin and asked for mercy, Jesus generously gave him the promise of salvation.

This was not weakness, but the strength of Christ’s love, who paid the price for a debt of sin that no human could ever repay.

It is the mercy of God that can be received only by those who believe that it was for their own wrongdoing and impurity that He did this.

Mercy

Message Behind the Artwork "Mercy"

Today’s painting is titled “MERCY,” which is precisely about God’s mercy. It was inspired by Psalm 86:15, which describes God as a merciful.

But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness

— Psalm 86:15 (NIV)

Each of the three canvases depicts a tree, and together they illustrate how the mercy of the triune God is poured out.

The painting on the far left portrays God the Father, who delays judgment before completely destroying evil and reaches out His hand, desiring that as many people as possible would turn back to His mercy.

The central painting portrays God the Son, Christ, who embodied Luke 6:27–31 through the cross—paying with His own blood the price for our sins and impurity.

And the painting on the far right portrays the Holy Spirit, who continues to reveal the abundance of God’s mercy and works to manifest its power and freedom in our daily lives.

Mercy that can transform Lives

There is a famous story that illustrates how people are changed by mercy.

It is also depicted in the film Les Misérables. Jean Valjean steals the silverware of Bishop Myriel, who had taken him in as a guest, and flees. However, when he is caught by the police and brought back to the bishop, the bishop says, “That was a gift from me to him,” and even gives him the silver candlesticks as well, sending him on his way. Rather than taking back what was stolen, he gave more.

The bishop’s forgiveness and mercy—something considered impossible in ordinary terms—completely changes Jean’s life.

This is only speculation, but perhaps Bishop Myriel saw within Jean the same image of himself trying to take things from God. In that moment, he became aware of the mercy that had been poured out on him even when he was like that, and being transformed by that mercy, he was able to live out Luke 6:27–31 rather than being governed by the desire to carry out revenge with his own hands.

God’s mercy is certainly poured out on each of us, but it does not become ours unless we recognize our need for it and choose to receive it. Mercy cannot be forced upon someone who does not want it.

Why not let go of hatred and anger, and instead open your hands to receive God’s mercy—entering into the joy of continually discovering its abundance, its cost, and its worth?

Of course, this is not something that brings instant and complete resolution in a single moment. As long as we live in this world, we may be treated unjustly, and at times we may even unintentionally treat others unjustly ourselves. Each time, rather than letting our hearts be consumed by hatred, why not ultimately trust in God’s mercy—the One who reveals all truth and brings justice to wrongdoing?

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🌸　Prayer Discussion / Self-Reflection Suggestions

1. If you confess your desire for revenge to God, who knows all things, and entrust it to Him—replacing it with trust in God—what kind of freedom might you experience?

2. What do you think the inner struggle of “This is not the way it should be” is pointing to?

🙏　Suggested prayer

Dear Heaveny Father, we thank You that because You are a merciful God, we can always and anywhere bring our honest thoughts before You. We entrust everything to You, who are both love and righteousness. Rather than being shaped by hatred into hatred, please engrave Your mercy into my heart and mind by helping me continually discover the value of Your mercy in every situation.

In the name is Jesus Christ I pray, Amen

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Thank you for reading! God bless you!