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TL;DR:
Missionaries must embody Jesus’ merciful and forgiving spirit without becoming tolerant of destructive behavior. Jesus balanced justice and mercy—He condemned sin but extended transformative forgiveness, praying for His persecutors and restoring the repentant. Genuine mercy and forgiveness heal relationships and model Christ’s grace amid cultural tension. The page closes with reflection questions about balancing truth with mercy and an acrostic defining “MERCIFUL” through virtues like empathy, forgiveness, and compassion.
The Bible portrays Jesus as Judge. Matthew 25, Acts 10 and 17, and 2 Corinthians 5 all associate Him with divine judgment. Even so, when people think of Jesus, isn't the image that most often comes to mind that of a merciful and forgiving Savior?
Sometimes, we think of justice as the harsh opposite of mercy. That's not true in the case of Jesus. He denounced sin and warned of consequences for wrongdoing. He condemned the hypocrisy of those whose conduct fell far short of their words. He drove out those who were turning the Temple courts into a marketplace.
On the other hand, didn't Jesus pray, "Father, forgive them"? We also see His gracious encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well and His restoration of Peter after Peter's failure. At the same time, however, it must be clear that the merciful, forgiving side of Jesus did not turn into a codependency with people who remained trapped in destructive patterns. Jesus' mercy and forgiveness were transformative.
As cross-cultural missionaries enter other cultures, they may encounter destructive spiritual and social forces. They may see corrosive patterns of living destroy relationships and devastate people, and they will feel compelled to speak up. They will feel called to denounce sin. They must stand up against oppressors. Even while doing that, however, because they are Christ's ambassadors, shouldn't they also reflect the merciful and forgiving side of our Lord?
Some time ago, I listened as people in a European country described a missionary from the United States who had spent four years among them. They found him difficult to understand. To them, he was somewhat like Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Whenever he preached, he seemed very tenderhearted, often weeping. Outside the pulpit, however, he came across as harsh, brittle, and unforgiving. The people he was trying to serve did not question his calling or his determination to follow Jesus. Sadly, however, I never heard anyone hold him up as a role model or point to him as a spiritual mentor.
In cross-cultural situations, differing expectations and misunderstandings are common. Missionaries will make cultural blunders and will fall short in other ways. They will need mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, they themselves must be merciful and forgiving, following the transformative pattern of our Lord and Savior.
— Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu
This essay on Christlike attitudes and actions needed in cross-cultural missionary service is one of twelve articles in the "Missionary Ministry That Reflects Christ" series published in Engage magazine.
To be merciful and forgiving means to show compassion, kindness, and understanding toward others, especially when they have wronged you or made mistakes.
Mercy involves refraining from harsh punishment or judgment, even when it might be deserved. It's about offering help or support instead of retribution. Forgiveness is the act of letting go of resentment toward those who have hurt or wronged you. It doesn't mean forgetting what happened. Rather, it means choosing to release resentment, refrain from retaliation, and become open to healing and moving forward.
Being merciful and forgiving requires empathy and a willingness to see the humanity in others, even when they've acted in ways that have caused pain or harm. Mercy and forgiveness are powerful expressions of grace that can lead to healing and reconciliation in relationships.
M — Magnanimous in heart, giving without end.
E — Empathy guiding each hand that we lend.
R — Radiating kindness in all that we do.
C — Compassion shining steady and true.
I — In times of hardship, offering grace.
F — Forgiving with love, no anger to trace.
U — Uniting the broken, mending the soul.
L — Lifting the weary to make them whole.
Like acrostics? Here are more of them.
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