Helping the Poor

Though often used interchangeably, “grace” and “mercy” differ in many ways.

In a nutshell, they are two sides of the same coin. Grace is a gift we don’t deserve, while mercy is not getting the punishment we deserve.

Sounds confusing? Let’s break it down bit by bit.

In the dictionary, grace is defined as courteous goodwill. Meaning, it’s not asked for nor deserved, but is freely given. Mercy, on the other hand, is the compassion and kindness shown to someone whom it is in one’s power to punish or harm. It is an act meant to relieve someone of their suffering.

Let’s put it this way: suppose someone attempted to rob your house. You learned that the robber was just in a desperate situation and didn’t intend to do any harm at all. Instead of calling the police, you chose to pardon the thief and let the matter go – that’s mercy. Then you gave him some food and a few dollars to get him through this trying time – that’s grace.

In a world where mistakes are swiftly punished, and goodwill is only for the worthy, grace and mercy are an absolute necessity.

Grace vs. Mercy in Christianity

One of the most prominent stories in the bible is that of King David. Despite being a great ruler, he was a fornicator and an adulterer. But he is not alone. Plenty of other bible characters have done something terrible at some point in their lives. Saul was a disbeliever, Moses was a doubter, and Jacob was a cheater.

Despite this, God made them his witness and used them to accomplish His purpose. Not only did He forgive them, but He also endowed them with unmerited favor.

Like these bible characters, we are all recipients of God’s mercy and grace as well. Despite having sinned over and over again, He has shown us kindness and compassion. He even sent his only son so all of us can be saved – an act of grace that we do not deserve.

In Christian theology, grace is often classified into two types: common and saving grace. The former is universal. It’s God’s grace to all of humanity regardless of their faith in Him. Examples of common grace are the beauty of creation, the life we enjoy, and the resources we are provided.

A saving grace, meanwhile, is that which provides salvation to a person. This type of grace is manifested in Jesus Christ himself, whom He sent to save us all. (Related: 5 Times Jesus Taught Us About Kindness)

In the Bible, we read a lot of stories about Jesus’ ministry. He healed the sick and performed miracles. But what we often fail to see are the lessons he is trying to teach us through those acts.

Let’s not forget that Jesus is a teacher – one of the greatest there is. He used parables and stories to teach us about the kingdom of God. But his greatest method is teaching by example.

His deeds taught us about many Christian values, such as kindness and compassion. He raised children from the dead out of pity for their parents and accepted disciples from all walks of life. Most important of all, he gave up his life so all of us can be saved.

Here are five other times that Jesus taught us about kindness.

Healing the Leper

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” – Matthew 8:1-4

Because of the communicability of their disease, lepers have been considered outcasts in Jesus’ time. They lived separately and were seen as “unclean” and “untouchable”.

But Jesus, taking pity on the leper, healed him of his disease. He didn’t see the man as a leper but a human being who was sick and needed his help.

Through this, Jesus taught us that kindness should go beyond social stereotypes. We should look at where they’re coming from and understand their circumstances. Only then can we develop genuine compassion.

In the words of Mother Teresa, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them”.

Dining With a Sinner

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was. But because he was short, he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”

Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:1-10

Would you be willing to dine with an ex-convict, a known sinner? Most of us would have hesitated, while others would flat out say “no.”

Zacchaeus may not be a convicted criminal but in the eyes of the Jews, he might well be. In Jesus’ time, tax collectors would often abuse their powers to line their pockets with the people’s hard-earned money.

Yet, Jesus never hesitated to dine with him. He didn’t care if others will see him associating with a sinner. He didn’t care if people will hate him for it. That is the kind of kindness that the world needs today. (Related: 50 Acts of Kindness You Can Do Today)

We should stop seeing people for the wrongs they’ve committed. Instead, we should judge them on how they try to right those wrongs and turn their life around.

Preaching to the Gentiles

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:4-14

Xenophobia is one of the biggest problems the world has today. But this prejudice of foreigners has been going on even in Jesus’ time.

The Samaritan woman is a foreigner and in the eyes of a Jew, she’s a gentile. These two races don’t associate. In fact, it’s frowned upon to talk to a gentile.

Thus, by preaching to a Samaritan woman, Jesus broke societal boundaries and showed us that kindness is universal. We shouldn’t only be kind to those of our own race. Everybody deserves compassion regardless of their skin color or religious beliefs.

Once there was a man who was walking along a road when suddenly, robbers attacked him. They beat him so severely and left him almost lifeless. As life slowly ebbs away from him, a man passed by but did not stop. Another man saw him but chose to pass by on the other side of the road. A third man, a Samaritan, came and took pity on him. He treated and bandaged his wounds, then took him to a nearby inn to recuperate.

If you are a Christian, this story would be very familiar to you. This is the Parable of the Good Samaritan from the bible, and it teaches us three lessons:

• kindness can save someone’s life
• being kind is a choice
• be kind to everyone, even strangers

Kahlil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer, once said: kindness is like snow- it beautifies everything it covers.

Indeed, kindness can soften even the hardest of hearts. It might not just save someone literally but also figuratively. Many people have been saved from going down a path of destruction with a single act of kindness. It gives hope to the desperate and strength to those who struggle.