And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

...one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus...fell at (Jesus') feet and pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” So Jesus went with him... And a woman...who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years... had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed” (Mark 5:22-28).

If there has ever been anyone who LOVED mercy, it was—and is—Jesus. He loves to give it.

Here in Mark 5 we meet two others who loved mercy—from the receiving end.

Something unique about these two could inform us in this era when mercy seems not to be much loved.

The first, Jairus, was a synagogue ruler. He would have been highly esteemed in the community, one of the privileged class.

The second, who had suffered for years, had two strikes against her. She was a woman and she was sick in a way that labeled her unclean. She was, therefore, one of the community's marginalized.

Here we have both the privileged and the marginalized in desperate need of mercy. Mercy in the form of healing, yes. But also mercy in the form of Jesus hearing and acknowledging their plea and being willing and able to help them. Mercy as good action extended to someone for their own good.

In some segments of today's world mercy is minimized. Even belittled. After all, it is power and confrontation that most rely on to deal with troubles.

What we miss is that mercy is power and confrontation. Evil is, after all, confronted by and overcome by good. (Romans 12:21) Therefore, it is good that is powerful. And mercy is definitely good.

Mercy is also no respecter of persons. It can be extended to the privileged and the marginalized—for both need it.

A good friend who grew up white in the segregated South—thereby one of the privileged—was impaired by the bigoted message programmed into him by his kin. Now mercy is needed to deal with the anguish that has caused him.

Those who bore—and bear—the brunt of discrimination—thereby the marginalized—need mercy in the form of being heard, seen, understood and partnered with to survive the damage done and being done to them.

A wise woman once advised: “See every person you meet as bandaged from head to toe.”

Jairus, the woman, my Southern friend, and those who suffer from discrimination—all are figuratively bandaged from head to toe. All literally need the mercy Jesus loves to give through us.

Think of a time you received mercy from another. How has that inclined you to give mercy to others?

If there is anyone you hesitate to give mercy to, does picturing them wrapped in bandages help? If it does, you have begun to get Jesus' perspective—that all of us are in need of mercy.