Forming Faith Blog

The Weakness of Mercy (Luke 10)

Posted on February 25 2025 by Gregory Rawn

In the Greco-Roman context (and in some places today), mercy and compassion are considered weaknesses. But they are God’s way, though Jesus takes it further than the lawyer can imagine.

A person reaching out with a hand, perhaps showing mercy and compassion.
Photo by Philip Justin Mamelic on Pexels.com
The Journey to the Cross 

With Ash Wednesday in our metaphorical rearview mirror, we, like Jesus, are on a Lenten journey—a journey to the cross and grave (and eventually the empty tomb). During this journey, we will encounter love (Luke 10:25-42), loss (Luke 15:1-32), a call to repentance (Luke 13:1-9), and two views on wealth (Luke 16:19-31; 19:1-10). All of this prepares us for God’s kingdom, our true destination.

Mercy and Weakness

Even though my undergraduate degree is in classical studies, I wasn’t aware of the Greek and Roman perspectives on mercy until this week. Even outside of Judeo-Christian beliefs, much of our modern world and other religions value compassion and mercy, even when we fail to put them into practice. However, in Greek and Roman societies, mercy was seen as a weakness, even a vice. 

As far as my hour of research could tell me, there are two different perspectives on why mercy is bad. First, multiple philosophies argued that the best, most virtuous way to live was to live 100% by reason (like the Vulcans in Star Trek). Emotions, especially overwhelming ones like compassion, disrupt purely rational thinking (i.e., a virtuous life) and so are therefore bad. Second, justice was the bedrock of society: crime is met with punishment, actions lead to consequences. Mercy is when an offense does not lead to the correct consequence. Mercy breaks the system, and violating justice means committing injustice.

To Love Mercy

That’s not God’s way. The Greek word often translated as “mercy” is eleos. As in Greco-Roman society, we usually understand “mercy” as the avoidance of just punishment. But, the Hebrew equivalent for eleos is hesed (love, lovingkindness). Hesed is an awesome concept (one of my favorites) that is not easy to translate into English (or Greek). It is love and loyalty within a covenantal relationship. It’s often related to God, but one of the clearest examples of hesed is Ruth’s relationship with Naomi. Although relenting from punishment is an essential component of God’s relationship with us, God’s love is so much more than that. And God expects us to follow God’s lead:

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness (hesed), and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

This leads us back to today’s passage. The lawyer and Jesus agree that the best summary of the Torah is to love God and love your neighbor. Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan in response to the lawyer’s question: “And who is my neighbor (that I’m expected to love)?” Part of the point of the parable is loving (showing mercy to) those who need it. Loving your neighbor and showing mercy are the same thing.

Com-passion

In the original Greek here, when the Samaritan saw the injured man, he esplanchnisthē. I think that the NRSV’s choice of “moved with pity” is unfortunate. For one, we use the word “pity” to mean “feeling sorry for.” It’s a diminishing word. Which would you prefer, to have someone pity you or have compassion for you? Second, it misses the visceralness of the term, literally. It comes from splagchnon which means “entrails, inward parts.” I think that The Message is better with “his heart went out to him.”  

In fact, the general Greek word for compassion is sympatheia or “suffering with (someone).” (Our word comes from Latin which basically means the same thing). Compassion is a visceral reaction. So, the Greeks and Romans were correct, but God shows us that it is the basis for loving others: sympathizing (empathizing) with them. The Samaritan empathized with the man and showed him the practical love he so desperately needed.

The Strength of Compassion

I am nowhere near competent in Hebrew or Israelite/Jewish thought, but I think that Christianity received its priority for love from our spiritual ancestors. After all, the lawyer’s response to what other Gospels call the greatest commandment(s)” is loving God and loving our neighbors. Both are responses to God’s unconditional love for us. Loving God comes from thankfulness and adoration. Loving others comes from compassion and empathy.

Martha and Mary

I understand it on multiple levels, but it’s a shame that this week’s assigned reading combines two very important stories: this parable on loving others and Jesus’ honoring of two important female disciples. Both deserve deep dives. In this blog post, I focus my reflection on the first story. But both stories have a common through-line. Jesus shows compassion toward both sisters (his gentle correction of Martha’s priorities and his honoring Mary’s devotion).

May It Be My Weakness

This passage goes to the core of faithfully following Jesus: our response to God’s love. The apostle Paul agrees:

[All commandments] are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:9b-10

Many people in power today might agree with the Greeks and Romans that empathy, compassion, and mercy are weaknesses—and from the perspective of power—they are. But, may God grant us this weakness!

In Christ’s love,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

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