The greatest example of mercy is found in the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He walked in mercy every day, healing multitudes, feeding thousands, and casting out many demons. As He was dying on the cross, He mercifully asked God to forgive those who had crucified Him. Mercy appears in the Bible around 150 times, often translated from the Hebrew word hesed, which means goodness, kindness, and mercifulness, as well as loyal, steadfast, or faithful love, emphasizing a bond between those in the relationship. Other Hebrew words like rāham, meaning to love, to have compassion, or to show mercy, and kapporeth, referring to the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant as a covering for sins, also convey mercy. God sits on the Mercy Seat to judge with mercy, covering our sins. Mercy is understood as aid rendered to someone miserable or needy, especially those in debt or without claim to favorable treatment, and as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. The key factor is showing mercy to those over whom we have power. Though mentally understood, mercy is often difficult to implement practically on a regular basis. In parables, mercy is shown in action. In Matthew 18:23-30, a man forgiven of an immense debt by a compassionate king refuses to extend mercy to another who owes him a small amount, illustrating God's great desire to exercise mercy toward us despite our inability to atone for our countless sins. Without God's mercy and willingness to forgive, we would have no hope. In Luke 10:30-37, the Parable of the Good Samaritan shows a man, robbed and beaten, helped by a Samaritan moved by compassion, while others pass by without acting, teaching that feelings of compassion are useless unless put into action. God is called the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, merciful even to the worst offenders, not always issuing deserved punishment. His chief disposition towards sinful man is mercy, spawned by His love, exerting His power to bring us back to Himself. Though we were dead in our sins and cut off from God, He has raised us and seated us at His right hand in Christ, showing astounding mercy. As the Good Samaritan, God picks us up, cares for us, takes us to safety, and provides for our full recovery, promising additional support upon His return. His mercy endures forever.

When God looks at suffering people, He feels compassion toward them and their needs, and this compassion always precedes mercy. Compassion is a powerful, deep awareness of someone else's suffering, creating a determination to help, while mercy is the compassionate action itself, offering relief from distress and showing forbearance or kindness. God's mercy is illustrated in the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, where a master, moved with compassion, forgave an enormous debt of a servant, holding back the punishment he could have exacted. This act of mercy reveals God's willingness to forgive debts we could never repay. Yet, God expects us to show the same mercy to others, to feel tender compassion toward them in their misery, to help in their distress, and to forgive when they wrong us. Failing to do so shows we have forgotten the immense debt of sin from which we have been released. God's mercy restrains Him from giving us what our sins deserve, a truth echoed in the declaration that it is because of the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. He is faithful, ready with new mercies every morning. God requires us to love mercy, to let the needs and sufferings of others move us to compassionate actions, even if it is only through prayer asking for His mercy on their behalf. Our Savior commanded us to be merciful, just as our Father in heaven is merciful. To be perfect in God's eyes is to be perfect in mercy, reflecting His nature. If we truly have the love of God in us, we too will always default in mercy.

Mercy stands as a rare and admired quality, often making headlines when displayed, yet seldom practiced even by those who value it. Unlike ancient cultures such as Rome and Greece, which viewed mercy as weakness, and the Pharisees who neglected it in their harsh judgments, God's perspective elevates mercy as a vital trait. Jesus Christ emphasizes its importance, declaring woe to those who overlook justice, mercy, and faith, highlighting the vast difference between divine and human values. Mercy is a prominent spiritual feature, indispensable in the holy character that develops through a close relationship with God. It is a quality bestowed through His Spirit as we yield in obedience and cultivate it. Jesus asserts that the merciful are blessed, and mercy holds profound significance, as judgment without mercy awaits those who show none. Mercy triumphs over judgment, a principle vividly captured in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, where forgiveness from the heart is demanded, lest we face similar unforgiveness from Our Heavenly Father. The biblical concept of mercy, rooted in the Hebrew and Aramaic term chesed, transcends simple compassion or forgiveness, embodying a deep understanding of human frailty. Jesus Christ, having lived as a man, sympathizes with our weaknesses, extending mercy with full comprehension of our struggles. God's mercy is boundless, as evidenced in Psalm 103, and symbolized by the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, reflecting His throne where judgments always balance justice with mercy, never overlooking sin but seeking ways to transform sinners. Exercising mercy requires precise judgment, often challenging due to our limited understanding of others' inner states. Human nature swings between harshness and leniency, but mercy tempers judgment by seeking to understand from the inside out, fostering forgiveness and patience. Mercy is love expressed toward the miserable, whether due to life's hardships or their actions toward us, as illustrated in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, where compassion leads to sacrificial acts of kindness. Jesus Himself, despite being treated miserably and murdered unjustly, returned mercy, looking within His persecutors and dying for their salvation, pleading for their forgiveness with His final words. The New Testament urges us to show mercy in our interactions, promising that those who give mercy will receive it. This principle of reciprocity, reinforced by God's direct involvement, assures that acts of mercy yield merciful returns, as David affirms that with the merciful, God shows Himself merciful. Every act of God is touched by His mercy, enduring from everlasting to everlasting, setting the pattern for us to emulate. As Psalm 136 declares, His mercy endures forever, and we are called to strive to be merciful as He is merciful, trusting in His unchanging nature as we seek to reflect His character.