The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath.
It is twice blest: it blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘T is mightiest in the mightiest;
it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
 the attribute to awe and majesty,
wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s
When mercy seasons justice.

The Merchant of Venice, Scene IV, Act 1

In this scene from the Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare exposes the transcendent beauty of mercy. In his malicious desire to kill Antonio, Shylock maintains a rigid appeal to the letter of the law, insisting true justice will only be served when a pound of Antonio’s flesh is taken. Portia, however, masquerading as a lawyer, expounds why mercy ought to rule. It is as vital to human life and relationships as rain is to the earth’s fertility. Without mercy, life disintegrates. No majesty is greater than one bridled by mercy. To withhold power often takes greater strength than to wield it.

Our God is not one to withhold mercy. The boundless dimensions of his love and faithfulness encircle us to protect us. In Christ, his mercy takes us in. Paul brings this extraordinary truth to light in Romans 9. God’s mercy sits over and above his law’s exacting standards. His mercy always seasons justice, but it does so without undermining justice. By bearing our sin in his body on the cross, Jesus satisfies the demands of God’s good and perfect law and opens the door to glory for people of all nations. He “makes the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy.” (Rom 9:23). Herein lies the cornerstone of our protection and a most endearing and praiseworthy quality of our Lord: his mercy.