1. Mɛɛ wɔ̃ lɛ e nu ko yɛlɛpie ye kɔaa ko yɛlɛtaa e gbɛ̃a mi lɛ e mia yeĩ kũa mɔɔ ka?

WHEN we think of a merciful person, we may picture someone who is kind, warmhearted, compassionate, and generous. The story Jesus told about the neighborly Samaritan may come to mind. That man of another nation “acted mercifully toward” a Jew who had fallen among thieves. The Samaritan “was moved with pity” for the injured Jew and lovingly arranged for his care. (Luke 10:29-37) This illustration highlights a beautiful quality of our God​—mercy. That quality is a facet of God’s love, and he displays it each day in the way that he deals with us.

2. Mia yeĩ kũ kɔ do gbɛɛ kpɛɛ lɛ e yi?

² There is another aspect of mercy that may come to mind. It involves holding back punishment when there is a basis for doing so. In that sense, Jehovah has certainly been merciful toward us. “He has not dealt with us according to our sins,” the psalmist said. (Ps. 103:10) At other times, though, Jehovah may provide firm discipline to an erring one.

3. Wɛĩlɔɔ kpɛɛ lɛ ko lo kɛɛ lɛ gɛ̃pia mɔ?

³ In this article, we will address three questions: Why does Jehovah show mercy? Is there a connection between firm discipline and mercy? And what can help us to show mercy? Let us see how God’s Word answers these questions.

4. Mɛ e kɛ lɛ Zihova e mia yeĩ kũ?

⁴ Jehovah loves to be merciful. The apostle Paul was inspired  to write that God is “rich in mercy.” In this context, Paul was referring to God’s mercy in offering the hope of heavenly life to his imperfect, anointed servants. (Eph. 2:4-7) But Jehovah’s mercy is even more extensive than that. The psalmist David wrote: “Jehovah is good to all, and his mercy is evident in all his works.” (Ps. 145:9) Because Jehovah loves people, he extends mercy whenever he sees a basis for doing so.

5. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Zizɛ e Zihova la mia yeĩ kũua mɛdã a ka?

⁵ More than anyone else, Jesus knows how much Jehovah loves to show mercy. This Father and Son were together in heaven during the course of thousands of years of human history. (Prov. 8:30, 31) On many occasions, Jesus saw how his Father showed mercy to sinful humans. (Ps. 78:37-42) In his teaching, Jesus often highlighted this endearing quality of his Father.

6. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Zizɛ ee Daa la mia yeĩ kũua gɔ̃ã zɔ̃ɔ̃ a ka?

⁶ As mentioned in the preceding article, Jesus used a parable about a lost son to paint a heartwarming picture of how much Jehovah loves to show mercy. The son had left home and “squandered his property by living a debauched life.” (Luke 15:13) Later, he repented of his immoral course, humbled himself, and returned home. How did his father respond? The young man did not have to wait long to find out. Jesus said: “While [the son] was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him and was moved with pity, and he ran and embraced him and tenderly kissed him.” The older man did not humiliate his son. Rather, he mercifully forgave the young man and welcomed him back to the family. The lost son had sinned greatly, but on the basis of his repentance, his father forgave him. The merciful father in the illustration represents Jehovah. In this touching way, Jesus illustrated his Father’s willingness to forgive sinners who sincerely repent.​—Luke 15:17-24.

7. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Zihova la mia yeĩ kũua a zɔ̃ɔ̃ kelɛ a gikãã lɛ?

⁷ Jehovah shows mercy because of his matchless wisdom. Jehovah’s wisdom is not merely some cold, intellectual  quality. Rather, the Bible says that “the wisdom from above” is “full of mercy and good fruits.” (Jas. 3:17) Like a loving parent, Jehovah knows that his mercy benefits his children. (Ps. 103:13; Isa. 49:15) Divine mercy gives them hope despite their imperfections. So Jehovah’s infinite wisdom moves him to extend mercy whenever he sees any basis for doing so. At the same time, Jehovah’s mercy is perfectly balanced. Wisely, he never crosses the line from mercy to permissiveness.

8. Mɛɛ aa kɛɛ o kɛ mi lɛ laá naa e kã e kɛwɔ̃ yɔɔ mɔɔ ka, ɛ̃ɛ̃ mɛɛ wɔ̃ wɛĩ?

⁸ Suppose that a servant of God deliberately sets out to follow a course of sin. What then? “Stop keeping company with” him, Paul wrote under inspiration. (1 Cor. 5:11) Unrepentant wrongdoers are disfellowshipped from the congregation. That action is necessary in order to protect our faithful brothers and sisters and to reflect Jehovah’s holy ways. Some, though, may find it hard to view disfellowshipping as an expression of God’s mercy. Is it? Let us see.

9-10. Lɛ zi Hiibulu 12:5, 6 a gee a kaa, mɛ e kɛ lɛ ko gee kelɛ ɓɛɛla kã kɛwɔ̃ yɔɔ kɛmi mɔɔ lɛ a yeĩ kũu ka? A gɔ̃ã zɔ̃ɔ̃.

⁹ When we hear an announcement made at a Christian meeting that someone we know and love “is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” we are deeply saddened. We may wonder if it was necessary to disfellowship our loved one. Is disfellowshipping really an expression of mercy? Yes, it is. To withhold discipline from someone who needs it is not wise, merciful, or loving. (Prov. 13:24) Can getting disfellowshipped help an unrepentant sinner change his course? It can. Many who have fallen into serious sin have found that the firm action the elders took gave them the very jolt they needed to come to their senses, change their course of action, and return to Jehovah’s warm embrace.​—Read Hebrews 12:5, 6.

¹⁰ Consider an illustration. A shepherd notices that one of his sheep is ailing. He knows that treating this particular illness requires that he isolate the sick sheep from the rest of the flock. However, sheep are social creatures. They long to be with the flock, and they may become agitated when kept apart. Does this mean, though, that the shepherd is being harsh or cruel in choosing this treatment? Of course not. He knows that if he allows the sick sheep to mingle with the rest of the flock, the illness will spread. By isolating the sick one, he protects the whole flock.​—Compare Leviticus 13:3, 4.

11. (a)Zi kpɛɛ lɛ ko bɛi kɛwɔ̃ yɔɔ kɛmi lɛ o ɓɛɛla kã a mɔɔ gɔ̃ɔ a ka ɓaa kɔũkɔũ mɔ? (b) Mɛɛ wɔ̃ ɛ̃ɛ̃ gbumɔ kpɛɛ lɛ lɛ ɓe kɛwɔ̃ yɔɔ kɛmi lɛ o ɓɛɛla kã a mɔɔ wɛĩ?

¹¹ When a Christian is disfellowshipped, we might think of him as being like that ailing sheep. He is sick in a spiritual sense. (Jas. 5:14) Spiritual sickness, like some forms of physical illness, can be quite contagious. So it is necessary in some cases to isolate a spiritually sick individual from the congregation. This discipline is an expression of Jehovah’s love for faithful members of His flock, and it may reach the wrongdoer’s heart and lead him to repentance. While disfellowshipped, the individual may be able to attend meetings, where he can be fed and built up spiritually. He is also free  to receive literature for his personal use and to watch JW Broadcasting^®. And as the elders observe his progress, they may from time to time offer personal counsel and direction to help him regain his spiritual health so that he can be reinstated as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. *

12. Lɔkɛamɔ wa mia yeĩ kũ kɔ kpɛɛ lɛ mia diedievɔɔ o bɛia zɔ̃ɔ̃ kɛwɔ̃ yɔɔ kɛmi lɛ laá naa ee sɔ̃ɔ̃ yɔɔ mɛvɔɔ lɛɛ?

¹² It is important to remember that only unrepentant sinners are disfellowshipped. The elders know that this is a serious matter, one that they do not take lightly. They know that Jehovah disciplines “to the proper degree.” (Jer. 30:11) They love their brothers, and they do not want to do anything that will cause them spiritual harm. At times, though, the loving and merciful thing to do is to remove a wrongdoer from the congregation for a period of time.

13. Mɛ e kɛ lɛ e kɛa mɔ o ɓɛɛla kã Tokɛlɛipiemi lɛ e kɛ Kɔleĩa mɔ?

¹³ Consider how the apostle Paul dealt with an unrepentant sinner in the first century. A Christian in Corinth was living immorally with his father’s wife. How shocking! In this regard, Jehovah had told the ancient Israelites: “A man who lies down with his father’s wife has exposed his father to shame. Both of them should be put to death without fail.” (Lev. 20:11) Of course, Paul could not order the death penalty for the man. But he did direct the Corinthians to disfellowship him. That man’s immoral conduct was affecting others in the congregation, some of whom were not even ashamed of his outrageous behavior!​—1 Cor. 5:1, 2, 13.

14. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ Pɔɔ e gɔ̃ lɛ o ɓɛɛla kã a mɔ Kɔleĩa yeĩ kũ a ka, ɛ̃ɛ̃ mɛɛ wɔ̃ wɛĩ? (2 Kɔleĩtĩã 2:5-8, 11)

¹⁴ Sometime later, Paul learned that real changes had taken place. The sinner was truly repentant! Although the man had brought shame on the congregation, Paul told the elders that he did not want “to be too harsh.” He directed them: “Kindly forgive and comfort him.” Note Paul’s reason: “So that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sadness.”  Paul felt pity for the repentant man. The apostle did not want to see the man so overwhelmed, so crushed, by what he did that he would give up on seeking forgiveness.​—Read 2 Corinthians 2:5-8, 11.

15. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ mia diedievɔɔ o bɛi too a ka o dɔlɔmɔ mia yeĩ kũu yi?

¹⁵ In imitation of Jehovah, the elders love to show mercy. They show firmness when necessary but mercy when possible if there is a real basis for it. Otherwise, it is not mercy but permissiveness. Are elders the only ones, though, who need to show mercy?

16. Lɛ zi Pɔlɔvɛɛ 21:13 a gee a kaa, mɛɛ wɔ̃ lɛ Zihova a kɛ mia lɛ oó naa o mia yeĩ kũa ka?

¹⁶ All Christians seek to imitate Jehovah’s mercy. Why? One reason is that Jehovah will not listen to those who fail to show mercy to others. (Read Proverbs 21:13.) None of us would want Jehovah to refuse to listen to our prayers, so we carefully avoid developing a hard-hearted spirit. Rather than turn a deaf ear to a fellow Christian in pain, we must always be ready to listen to “the cry of the lowly one.” Similarly, we take to heart this inspired counsel: “The one who does not practice mercy will have his judgment without mercy.” (Jas. 2:13) If we humbly remember how much we need mercy, we are more likely to show mercy. We especially want to show mercy when a repentant wrongdoer returns to the congregation.

17. Zi lɛ Kĩĩ Deɓe e Sɔɔ yeĩ kũ a kaa, zi kpɛɛ lɛ a zɔ̃ɔ̃a kelɛ lɛɛ go a zo pie?

¹⁷ Bible examples can help us to embrace mercy and to avoid harshness. For instance, consider King David. He often showed heartfelt mercy. Though Saul wanted to kill him, David was merciful toward God’s anointed king, never vengeful or vindictive.​—1 Sam. 24:9-12, 18, 19.

18-19. E kɛ luo kpɛɛ ka lɛ Deɓe a zɔ̃ɔ̃a kelɛ mia yeĩ lɛɛ́ gbaa kɛ a mɔ?

¹⁸ However, David was not always merciful. For example, when Nabal, a harsh man by nature, spoke disrespectfully and refused to provide David and his men with food, David was enraged and decided to kill the man and all the men in his household. Thanks to quick action on the part of Nabal’s long-suffering wife, Abigail, David avoided incurring bloodguilt.​—1 Sam. 25:9-22, 32-35.

¹⁹ On another occasion, the prophet Nathan told David about a rich man who robbed a poor neighbor of a beloved sheep. Enraged, David responded: “As surely as Jehovah is living, the man who did this deserves to die!” (2 Sam. 12:1-6) Now, David knew the Mosaic Law. A thief who stole a sheep was to make compensation for it, four times over. (Ex. 22:1) But a death sentence? That was a harsh judgment. It turned out that Nathan was using that hypothetical case only as an illustration  for a far worse series of crimes​—those that David himself had committed! And Jehovah proved to be far more merciful toward David than David would have been toward the sheep stealer in Nathan’s illustration!​—2 Sam. 12:7-13.

20. Mɛɛ wɔ̃ lɛ kɔa bɛi a mɛdãa Deɓe zi wɔ̃ gɔ̃ãa mɔ?

²⁰ Note that when David gave in to his rage, he judged Nabal and all his men as deserving of death. And later, David was ready to judge the man in Nathan’s illustration as worthy of death. In this second instance, we might wonder why a normally warmhearted man would pronounce such a harsh judgment. Consider the context. At the time, David had a guilty conscience. A harsh, judgmental spirit is not a sign of good spiritual health. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jesus strongly warned his followers: “Stop judging that you may not be judged; for with the judgment you are judging, you will be judged.” (Matt. 7:1, 2) So let us keep on guard against harshness and strive to be “rich in mercy,” like our God.

21-22. Zi kpɛɛ lɛ ko bɛi a zɔ̃ɔ̃a kelɛ koo mia yeĩ kũ?

²¹ Mercy is more than just a feeling. In fact, mercy has been defined as “compassion in action.” All of us, then, can look carefully at the needs in our family, our congregation, and our community. Surely there are many opportunities to show mercy! Is someone in need of comfort? Can we offer practical help, perhaps providing some food or doing some thoughtful deed? Might a reinstated Christian need some comforting, upbuilding association? Can we share the comforting message of the good news with others? This is one of the best ways to show mercy to everyone we meet.​—Job 29:12, 13; Rom. 10:14, 15; Jas. 1:27.

²² If we are alert to such needs, we will see that there are opportunities all around us to show mercy. When we show mercy, how we must delight our heavenly Father, the God who is “rich in mercy”!