Mercy means showing compassion to others when it’s within our power to punish or harm them.
In the Bible, mercy appears many times and commonly relates to forgiveness or withholding punishment. For example, God showed us mercy when he sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
There are many ways we can show mercy in our daily lives, from showing kindness to those who hurt us or helping a child in need.
What Is the Definition of Mercy?
Mercy means showing compassion to others when it’s within our power to punish or harm them. For example, when someone hurts you, they may deserve pain back. But you can show mercy by choosing to forgive instead.
The word “mercy” comes from the Latin word merced or merces, which means “price paid.” Mercy invokes feelings of forgiveness, benevolence and kindness. It’s also often used in a religious context of caring for the sick or the poor.
Mercy vs. Grace: What’s the Difference?
Mercy and grace go hand in hand. While mercy means not getting what we deserve, grace is getting what we don’t deserve. For example, we’ve all sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23). And sadly, the wage of that sin is death (Romans 6:23).
But God showed us mercy and grace by sending Jesus to be our sacrifice so we could have eternal life. We deserve death, but he gave us life. That’s mercy and grace, together.
Mercy Definition in the Bible
Mercy appears in the Bible many times and often relates to forgiveness or withholding punishment. Just like we learned above, God showed us mercy when he sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins.
Even though we didn’t deserve this act of compassion, he showed us unconditional love. And that is mercy.
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.” — Psalm 51:1, NIV
The biblical definition of mercy goes beyond just forgiveness. Jesus often showed mercy by healing people, comforting them and helping them in their time of need.
In Matthew 17:15 (NIV), a man came to Jesus and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.”
Jesus’ response was to show mercy by healing the boy. He acted with love and compassion, restoring what was broken.
3 Inspiring Examples of Mercy in the Bible
Jesus’ healing of the boy above is just one of many examples of mercy in the Bible. Let’s explore a few others together.
1. Joseph Forgives His Brothers
In Genesis 37, Joseph’s brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. But later, Joseph became second in command of Egypt. When a famine struck the land of Canaan where Joseph’s brothers lived, they came to Egypt to buy food.
As a high-ranking official in Egypt, Joseph could’ve punished them for everything they had done. Instead, he chose to forgive his brothers and provide for them and their families (Genesis 45).
2. Jesus Doesn’t Throw a Stone
In John 8, religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery. According to the law, she would have to be stoned as punishment.
Jesus didn’t pick up a stone. Instead, he knelt on the ground, wrote in the dirt and told the crowd that whoever hadn’t sinned could throw the first rock. Soon, they all left.
Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” — John 8:10-11, NIV
3. The Father Welcomes the Prodigal
In Luke 15, a young man asks his father for his inheritance. He then took his newfound wealth to a foreign land and squandered it all. Soon, he found himself feeding pigs to try and earn money to buy food. While daydreaming about eating the pigs’ meal, he decided to go back to his father and beg for his forgiveness.
“’I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.” — Luke 15:18-20, NIV
Fully expecting his father to punish him or turn him away, the young man was shocked when he saw his father running toward him. He welcomed him mercifully with open arms, even throwing a celebration for his return.
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” — Lule 15:22-24, NIV
What Does Mercy Look Like in Day-to-Day Life?
What does it mean to show mercy in our daily lives? Sometimes having mercy simply means being humble and making room for others.
For example, mercy might look like choosing not to complain when restaurant service we receive is lacking. Instead, you might choose to show mercy by being kind and understanding that the staff could be overly busy or having an off day.
Examples of day-to-day mercy might include:
Showing kindness to someone who offended you, which is the mercy of forgiveness.
Choosing to correct someone gently, refusing to act rude or smug, which is the mercy of grace.
Helping a child escape poverty, which is the mercy of compassion.
In the New Testament, Jesus lived a life full of mercy. He healed the sick. He welcomed people who were rejected by others. He forgave sins. His life, death and resurrection were the greatest act of mercy the world has ever seen.
Mercy Definition vs. Compassion
Mercy and compassion are intertwined. Mercy is the fruit of compassion. Mercy is a compassionate gift we can give to anyone who is suffering.
The meaning of compassion is to recognize others’ suffering and then take action to help. Compassion is more than feeling concerned about someone in distress or caring about a person’s misfortune. Compassion involves action, and that action is mercy.
When compassion moves to alleviate suffering, it becomes mercy.
How Does Compassion International Show Mercy?
Every day, millions of children living in poverty find comfort in God's mercy through Compassion's child sponsorship program. We partner with thousands of local churches around the world to care for the unique needs of children in their communities.
Showing God's mercy means ensuring all children can grow and develop physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. When their basic needs are met, they can journey out of poverty to become thriving adults.
More than 70 years ago, our founder, Rev. Everett Swanson, was serving U.S. troops during the Korean War. He was troubled by the number of orphaned children living on the streets.
Moved by compassion, he responded with mercy to care for those children in need by founding Compassion International. Rev. Swanson could have turned his back on the suffering, but he didn’t. He stepped in as the hands and feet of Jesus.
There are many ways to show mercy to those in need around you. When you sponsor a child through Compassion, you show mercy to a child in need by providing nutrition support, medical care, clean water and so much more. Sponsor a child in need today.
