The House of Mercy (God’s Hesed • Lovingkindness – part 6)

Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh. And because Yahweh God describes Himself as “abounding in hesed (lovingkindness)” this means Jesus is hesed in the flesh! What an amazing reality!

In this episode, Nathan talks about how the Hebrew concept of “hesed” is seen in the New Testament (often translated as “mercy”) and examines one specific story in the life of Jesus where He (the God of hesed) goes to the “House of Hesed” to give hesed to a man desperately needing it.

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Hesed (lovingkindess / mercy / steadfast love)

In the last several episodes, we have talked about the Hebrew word hesed, often translated as:

• love, kindness, grace, mercy, faithfulness, favor, loyalty, goodness, lovingkindness, steadfast love, faithful love, devotion, gracious covenant, covenant loyalty, loving instruction, covenant friendship, beauty
• Or as Michael Card so beautifully defined, “When the person from whom I have a right to expect nothing gives me everything.”⁽¹⁾

Hesed in the New Testament

In the Septuagint (the Greek translation of Old Testament), hesed is most often translated “mercy” (eleos). Here is a breakdown of the Greek words used to translate hesed in the Old Testament …

• mercy (eleos), 197
• righteousness (dikaiosune), 6
• grace (charis), 2
• hope (elpis), 1
• name(sake) (onomatia), 1
• glory (doxa), 1
• holy (hosia), 1 ⁽²⁾

So, when you come to the New Testament and find the word “mercy,” we can understand it in light of the Hebrew concept of hesed.

For example, in Ephesians 2, Paul writes that we are wrapped up in sin and defined as a “child of wrath.” We should expect nothing from our God except judgment, yet what does God do? He gives us everything (hesed). Here’s the passage:

‌And you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:1–7).

The writer of Hebrews does a similar thing in chapter four. He writes that “there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are uncovered and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we have an account to give” (Hebrews 4:13).

What hope do we have? None … except in one place: Jesus, our great High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14–15). Which is why the writer of Hebrews can conclude with this incredible statement: “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

The House of Mercy

Bethesda was a place in Jerusalem, right inside the Sheep Gate, that was known as a place of healing—thus, many sick, blind, lame, and withered individuals were there waiting for the waters to be stirred so they might jump into the water and find healing (see John 5:3).

The name Bethesda is a combination of two Hebrew words: Bet (house) and Hesed (mercy). Bethesda is literally, “The House of Mercy.”

In John 5, there is an incredible culmination of this concept of hesed …

Jesus, the God of Hesed in the flesh, goes to the “house of hesed” (Bethesda) and finds a man who has been waiting around for someone to show him hesed. So what does Jesus, the man of hesed, do? He gives the lame man the thing he desperately needed: hesed (mercy).

Here’s the account …

After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever sickness with which he was afflicted.] And a man was there who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been sick a long time, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk.” And immediately the man became well, and picked up his mat and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day (John 5:1–9).

Experiencing Hesed at the House of Hesed

Even better than a lame man experiencing hesed at the house of hesed from the God of hesed, we, in this New Covenant, have access to the throne room of grace, and we may “receive mercy (hesed) and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

And though we should expect nothing from Him, Jesus does indeed gives us everything (see 2 Peter 1:3–4).

May we experience the fullness of His mercy (hesed) because we continually dwell in His presence and His Spirit (the Holy Spirit) dwells within us.

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FOOTNOTES

(1) Michael Card, Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness (Westmont, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2018), 5
(2) Michael Card, Inexpressible, 162–163

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Join the Conversation

Question: How have you experienced the mercy (hesed) of Jesus Christ?