Blessed Are The Merciful

This is just a quick thought I was having on Matthew 5:7, "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy."

Actually it's a contrast of 2 people in similar circumstances who went down 2 different paths. They were both fighter pilots in WWI - their names were Ernst Udet and Edward Mannock.

Udet flew throughout the war and in the beginning he showed mercy to many enemy pilots. He initially would fly behind them and force them to land rather than actually shoot them down. Later this act of mercy was repaid when he was involved in a dogfight with a famous French ace. Udet's machinegun's jammed and while he was struggling to unjam them the Frenchman manouvered behind him and had him in his sights. However when he noticed his enemies predicament he broke off his attack pulled alongside Udet and saluted him before heading for home. By being merciful Udet reaped mercy.

Edward Mannock was another very adept fighter pilot who after losing a friend in combat became so filled with hatred towards the enemy, that he would not only shoot them down but would shoot the fuel tanks so that the pilots would have the choice of burning to death or jumping (without a parachute) from the burning plane. Not surprisingly, after he started to do this he began to have nightmares of himself burning to death in a plane. To counter this he began to carry a pistol on him and say that he was going to use it rather than burn to death. In the end his plane was shot down and did go down in flames, it is unknown whether or not he used his pistol.

I think these examples show that we do reap what we sow, whether for good or evil. It also shows how when someone gives themselves over to wickedness, evil spirits begin to lead them to their destruction and will even taunt them concerning their end, and if there is no repentance that's where they go.

If we must err in this life, let it be on the side of mercy.