1. Wetin fit come our mind when we think of person wey de show mercy?

WHEN we think of person wey de show mercy, we fit think of person wey dey kind, wey de show love, wey de feel for people, and wey get open hand. We fit still think of the story wey Jesus talk about the Samaritan man wey dey kind. That man from another country, show mercy for one Jew wey thief beat and collect e property. The Samaritan man “really feel for” the Jew wey they injure, and e show love as e arrange to care for the Jew. (Luke 10:29-37) This example teach us about mercy, wey be better character wey our God get. God de show mercy because e love us. And e de show us mercy everyday for different-different ways.

2. Wetin be another way to show mercy?

² Another way dey wey person fit show mercy. Person wey get mercy fit decide say e no go punish person wey suppose receive punishment. True-true, Jehovah don show us mercy for this kind way. Bible talk for Psalm 103:10 say: “E no deal with us as our sins reach.” But for other times, Jehovah fit give person wey sin strong correction.

3. Which questions we go talk about?

³ For this article, we go answer three questions: Why Jehovah de show mercy? How strong correction connect with mercy? And wetin fit help us to show mercy? Make we see how Bible answer this questions.

4. Why Jehovah de show mercy?

⁴ Jehovah like to show people mercy. Holy spirit make apostle Paul write for Bible say God get “plenty mercy.” Paul be de explain for there say God de show mercy, because e give the hope to live for heaven to e anointed servants wey no dey  perfect. (Eph. 2:4-7) But no be only e anointed servants e de show mercy. David write for book of Psalm say: “Jehovah dey good to everybody, and all e work de show say e get pity.” (Ps. 145:9) Because Jehovah love people, e de show mercy anytime wey e see reason to show-am.

5. How Jesus learn about the mercy wey Jehovah get?

⁵ Jesus know how Jehovah like to show mercy reach; no other person know this one pass Jesus. Jehovah and Jesus don dey together for heaven for very long time before Jesus come the earth. (Prov. 8:30, 31) Many times, Jesus see how e Papa show mercy to people wey de sin. (Ps. 78:37-42) As Jesus de teach people, e de always talk about this better character wey e Papa get.

6. Which story Jesus use help us to understand the way e Papa de show mercy?

⁶ As we don talk for the article before this one, Jesus use the story about the foolish son, to help us understand how Jehovah like to show mercy reach. The son comot for house and “start de live useless life and e waste” e property. (Luke 15:13) After, e stop to live bad life, e humble e self, and e go back house. Wetin this one make e papa do? Long time no pass before the pikin know the answer. Jesus talk say: ‘As e still de come from far, the papa see-am. E feel for the son, and e run go meet-am, embrace-am and e sofri kiss-am.’ The papa no make the pikin feel bad. Instead, e show mercy and forgive the pikin, and e welcome the pikin back to the family. The foolish son don sin no be small. But because e really repent, e papa forgive-am. The papa wey show mercy for the story na Jehovah. For this story, Jesus show us say Jehovah want forgive sinners wey repent from their heart. This one de really touch person, no be so?—Luke 15:17-24.

7. How the way Jehovah de show mercy show say the sense wey e get really dey deep?

⁷ Jehovah de show mercy because the sense wey e get really dey deep. Jehovah de always make decision wey go benefit everybody. Na this one make Bible talk say ‘the sense from heaven de always feel for people and de do good things.’ (Jas. 3:17) Like papa or mama wey love e children, Jehovah know say as e de show e children mercy, this one de benefit them. (Ps. 103:13; Isa. 49:15) Because Jehovah de show mercy to e people, they get hope for the future even though say they get sin for body. So because Jehovah sense really deep, e de  always show mercy anytime wey e see reason to show-am. But even with that one, Jehovah no de show mercy anyhow. Because the sense wey Jehovah get really dey deep, the mercy wey e de show no de ever support person make e continue to do bad thing.

8. Which important thing congregation need to do sometimes, and why?

⁸ What if servant of God decide by e self to live bad life, wetin we go do? Jehovah tell Paul make e direct the congregation make they “stop to do things with” that kind person. (1 Cor. 5:11) If person no want repent, they go disfellowship the person from congregation. This one dey important because e de protect our faithful brothers and sisters, and e de show say we support the laws from Jehovah. But some people think say when they disfellowship person, this one mean say God no show the person mercy. This one na true? Make we talk about-am.

9-10. As e dey for Hebrews 12:5, 6, why we fit talk say to disfellowship person wey no want repent, de show mercy? Give example.

⁹ When we hear announcement for our meeting, say person wey we know and wey we love, “no be Jehovah Witness again,” this one de really pain us. We fit de think whether they really need to disfellowship our person. When they disfellowship person, they really show the person mercy? The answer na yes. When they give person the correction wey e need, this one show love, mercy, and sense dey inside. (Prov. 13:24) When they disfellowship person, this one fit help the person change the way e de live e life? Yes o, e fit. Many brothers and sisters wey de put hand for serious sin before, talk say as they disfellowship them, this one help them to know say they don really do bad thing. And they still talk say this one help them repent and change the way them de live their life and come back to Jehovah.—Read Hebrews 12:5, 6.

¹⁰ Make we see one example. One shepherd see say one of e sheep de sick. E know say to make the sheep well from that sickness, e go need to separate the sheep from the rest of the other sheep. But sheep no de like to dey alone. Them de like to dey with other sheep them. E fit no feel fine if they separate-am. But that one mean say the shepherd dey harsh or e wicked as e decide to separate the sheep? The answer na no. E know say if e allow the sheep wey no well to continue to dey with the other sheep them, the sickness go spread. As e separate the one wey no well, e de protect the whole sheep.—Compare Leviticus 13:3, 4.

11. (a) How person wey they disfellowship be like sheep wey no well? (b) Wetin people wey they disfellowship fit do and which help they fit receive?

¹¹ We fit talk say person wey they disfellowship for congregation, be like sheep wey de sick. Because e friendship with Jehovah don spoil, e be like person wey de sick. (Jas. 5:14) If person get some kind sickness, the sickness fit spread and make other people sick. For the same way, person wey e friendship with Jehovah don spoil, fit make other people do bad things. So e dey important, sometimes, to separate sinner from congregation. This correction na one way wey Jehovah de show love to faithful brothers and sisters. And this one fit help the sinner see say e don really do bad thing and to repent. When the person never come back to Jehovah, e fit still  de attend meeting. For there, the person go learn things from Bible and e faith go strong again. The person fit still de collect publications wey e go use for e self and de watch JW Broadcasting^®. And when elders see say the person don de change, they fit de give the person advice from time to time. This one fit help the person fix e friendship with Jehovah so that e fit be Jehovah Witness again. *

12. Wetin elders fit do to show love and mercy to sinner wey no want repent?

¹² E dey important to remember say na only sinners wey no repent, them de disfellowship. The elders know say they must really think well before they decide to disfellowship person. They know say Jehovah de give person ‘the right correction wey e need.’ (Jer. 30:11) They love their brothers and they no go want do anything wey go spoil the friendship wey their brothers get with Jehovah. But sometimes, to show love and mercy, the elders go need to disfellowship sinner from congregation for some time.

13. Why they disfellowship one Christian for Corinth?

¹³ Think about wetin apostle Paul do about one sinner for e time wey no want repent. One Christian for Corinth de sleep with e papa wife. This kind thing na wa! Paul know wetin Jehovah tell Israel people that time, say: “Any man wey sleep with e papa wife don disgrace e papa. Make wuna no fail to kill two of them.” (Lev. 20:11) The truth be say, Paul no fit tell congregation make they kill the man. But e tell the Christians for Corinth make they disfellowship the man. The bad life wey the man de live de affect other people for congregation. Some of them no even feel say the thing wey the man de do na serious sin!—1 Cor. 5:1, 2, 13.

14. How Paul show mercy for the man wey they disfellowship for Corinth, and why? (2 Corinthians 2:5-8, 11)

¹⁴ After some time, Paul come know say the man don really change things for e life. The sinner don really repent! Even as the man don bring shame to the congregation, Paul tell the elders say e no want “too dey harsh.” E tell them say: ‘Make wuna forgive with all wuna heart and comfort this person.’ See why Paul talk say they suppose do  like that: “So that e no go over sad sotey e tire.” Paul pity for the man as e don repent. Apostle Paul no want see say the man over tire and over sad because of wetin e don do, sotey e go stop to beg for forgiveness.—Read 2 Corinthians 2:5-8, 11.

15. How elders de balance strong correction with mercy?

¹⁵ Like Jehovah, the elders really like to show mercy. They go correct the sinner for strong way if they need to. But, when e dey possible, they go still show mercy if better reason dey to show-am. If the elders no correct the sinner at all, that one no be mercy. Instead, them de support bad thing. But, na only elders need to show mercy?

16. As e dey for Proverbs 21:13, wetin Jehovah go do to people wey de fail to show mercy?

¹⁶ All Christians de try to copy the way Jehovah de show mercy. Why? One reason na say, Jehovah no go listen to people wey de fail to show other people mercy. (Read Proverbs 21:13.) We no go want make Jehovah block e ear when we pray, so we go dey careful make we no begin dey harsh. Make we no close our eye when we see our brother or sister de suffer. Instead, we must always ready to listen “when person wey need help de cry.” So, we go do our best to follow wetin this Bible verse talk, e say: “Person wey no de show mercy, they no go show the person mercy when them de judge-am.” (Jas. 2:13) If we humble ourself and remember say we really need mercy, this one fit help us more-more to show mercy. We need to show mercy especially when person wey repent come back to congregation.

17. How King David show people mercy from e heart?

¹⁷ The examples for Bible go help us make we de show mercy and make we no dey harsh. For example, think about King David. E show people mercy from e heart many times. Even though say Saul want kill David, David show mercy to this person wey God don anoint as King. E no ever try to revenge or do bad thing to Saul.—1 Sam. 24:9-12, 18, 19.

18-19. Which two times David no show mercy?

¹⁸ But, no be everytime David show mercy. For example, Nabal na very harsh man wey insult David, and e no gree give food to David and e men. This one make David really provoke and e decide to kill Nabal and all the men for e house. But Abigail, wey be the wife of Nabal, dey kind and patient. Quick-quick, e give food to David. So David no kill Nabal and e men.—1 Sam. 25:9-22, 32-35.

¹⁹ Another example na when prophet Nathan tell David about one rich man wey collect the sheep wey e poor neighbor get. This neighbor love the sheep no be small. David really vex and talk say: “As long as Jehovah dey alive, the man wey do this thing suppose die!” (2 Sam. 12:1-6) David know wetin the law of Moses talk. If person thief  one sheep, e go pay with four sheep. (Ex. 22:1) But, to talk say make they kill the thief, that one really harsh. But the thing be say, Nathan talk the story to help David understand say na the sins wey David don commit worse pass! And Jehovah really show mercy to David pass the way David for show mercy to the man wey thief sheep, for the story wey Nathan talk!—2 Sam. 12:7-13.

20. Wetin we fit learn from the example of David?

²⁰ Remember say when David provoke, e decide say Nabal and all e men suppose die. And after, David talk say the rich man for the story wey Nathan talk, suppose die for wetin e do. But David na kind man. So why e judge the thief for that kind harsh way? Think about wetin just happen for the life of David. That time, David conscience de worry-am. If person de judge people for harsh way, this one show say e friendship with Jehovah get problem. Jesus really warn e followers say: ‘Stop to judge, so that they no go judge wuna; because the way wuna de judge na so they go judge wuna.’ (Matt. 7:1, 2) So make we dey careful make we no dey harsh, and try our best to get “plenty mercy” like our God.

21-22. Wetin be some things wey we fit do to show mercy?

²¹ To show mercy no be just to sorry for person. The truth be say, if person de show mercy, e de do things to help other people. So all of us fit sofri think of people wey need help for our family, our congregation, and our area. True-true, we go see many ways to show mercy! Person need comfort? We fit do something to help, maybe to give food or do another better thing? When person come back to Jehovah, e fit need better friend to encourage-am. You fit be that friend? We fit tell people the good news to comfort them? This one na one of the best way wey we fit show mercy to everybody wey we meet.—Job 29:12, 13; Rom. 10:14, 15; Jas. 1:27.

²² If we de quick know say people go need help for those kind ways, we go see say different ways dey around us to show mercy. When we de show mercy, we de make our Papa for heaven de over glad, because na God wey get “plenty mercy” e be!