They tugged on his white and bushy leg to rescue him from the narrow trench. It was entirely his fault—the curious sheep dove in head first and got himself in a jam. But when some sympathetic passers-by noticed that he was helpless and hopeless, they gently lifted him up. Once out, he yapped and bleated before landing in the same ditch after another foolish leap. And, the sheep-heroes came to the rescue yet again.

The Lord commands believers to show mercy to others—recognizing their needs and being moved in our hearts to meet them (Micah 6:8; James 2:13). Mercy lifts others up when they are down—even when their struggles are a result of their own foolish and sheeplike choices. This is what Jesus emphasized in the fifth beatitude of the Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the merciful” (Matt. 5:7a). Thus, to be merciful is to be sympathetic and empathetic toward others, not standoffish or indifferent. And mercy challenges our sinful and selfish nature, calling us to gracefully care for needs other than our own.

The opposite of mercy is passing by your half-dead neighbor because you see them as a nuisance or inconvenience, like the merciless priest and Levite (Luke 10:30-32). But, showing mercy means having a broken heart for someone’s brokenness and going the extra mile to meet their needs, just like the Good Samaritan: “But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back’” (Luke 10:33-35).

Furthermore, the Lord Jesus has a multitude of mercy for the multitude of man’s problems, as displayed throughout His earthly ministry. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, was patient with the stubborn, forgave the unforgivable, and consoled the bereaved (Matt. 14:14; John 6:1-14; 8:1-11; Luke 7:11-17). And He commands His followers to do the same. Jesus even taught that the Father is the optimum exemplum of mercy that all believers should follow because He is merciful to the merciless, and to those who jump head first into trenches of their own making: “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35-36).

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This column is from 40 Days with Jesus, my 40-day devotional on Christ’s life, teachings, and miracles, available for purchase on Amazon: