MERCY!

That is indeed a Sphinx at the feet of which I’m pictured. Not in Egypt, but in London. There sitteth (or lieth?) the beast on the Embankment that adjoins the Thames. And no, it isn’t ancient, but of recent vintage, simulating—hieroglyphics and all—the Great Sphinx of Giza on the bank of the Nile.

The Sphinx is a mythological figure—in this case, it has the body of a lion and the head of a person. And it wasn’t just the Egyptians who had Sphinxes; Indians, Sri Lankans, Burmese, Thais, and the ancient Greeks had them, as well. As a matter of fact, it is thought that the word “sphinx” comes from the Greek “sphiggo”—“to strangle!” In Sophocles’ Oedipus Tyrannus, she (yes, the sphinx is female!) proposed riddles to passersby and proceeded to strangle and devour them if they couldn't answer. Her riddle was a standard one: “What walks on four legs in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening?” Oedipus solved the puzzle: man—he crawls on all fours as a baby, walks upright on two feet as an adult, and hobbles with a cane when aged. Worsted at her game, she killed herself.

Mythological creatures and gods and goddesses are generally of that ilk—irascible, unpredictable, unreliable and, often, ruthless, heartless, merciless. Devotees of these spend their lives appeasing the wrath of their object of devotion. Unfortunate!

The God of the Bible is different. He it is who is described as the God of mercy.

… we too all formerly lived
in the lusts of our flesh, ….
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).
Ephesians 2:3–5

All mankind having sinned—rendering themselves incapable of doing anything to set them right with God—this God of mercy had mercy on our plight. Rich in mercy and love, He sent Jesus Christ, God incarnate, to atone for our sins, by his death on Calvary’s cross and His resurrection.

Mercy there was great, and grace was free;
Pardon there was multiplied to me;
There, my burdened soul found liberty—at Calvary.
William R. Newell, 1895

We could do nothing. We were helpless and hopeless. Lost! But now …

… by grace you have been
saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9

Not of works, indeed. Not by appeasing any god. Not by undertaking pilgrimages. Not by performing sacrifice. Not at all. Because the only sacrifice that could be made, has already been made.

Grace! Mercy! Love!

In this is love,
not that we loved God,
but that He loved us
and sent His Son
to be the atoning sacrifice
for our sins.
1 John 4:10

No more the gulf between God and man; no more the distance; no more the dread of a god; no more the vain attempts to satisfy a deity. God, taking the initiative, has reconciled us to Himself through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father
Of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who according to His great mercy
has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

Now I’ve given to Jesus everything,
Now I gladly own Him as my King,
Now my raptured soul can only sing of Calvary!