When the blind man begging beside the roadside in Jericho
heard a commotion he wanted to know what was happening. He was told that Jesus of Nazareth was
passing by.
When he called out to Jesus, the blind man swapped titles.
He called out to Jesus, Son of David, not Jesus of Nazareth. And that caught Jesus’ attention. Jesus of Nazareth is
just a geographical title, pointing to a place on a map and carrying with it assumptions people thought they knew about people that came from there's.
The title “Jesus, Son of David” points to a place in
time, and a promise made by God. It was a Messianic title reserved for the long-awaited Deliverer and the fulfilment
of many Old Testament prophecies. By choosing that name, the blind beggar
was expressing a longing for God’s kingdom to be established – a longing for
God’s rule through His King and a kingdom that wouldn’t end. He was looking for
a Kingdom where there was wholeness and completeness, a kingdom without tears
and without pain. This was the cry of his
heart.
When the crowd tried to silence him, he shouted all the
louder.
It makes me wonder if my own heart has a cry that will
not be silenced by the crowd.
Jesus had the blind man brought over to him. The title “Jesus, Son of David” had caught
His attention and mercy had been asked for.
I have been thinking a lot about that phrase “have mercy
on me.” A plea to God for mercy is asking Him to withhold the judgment we
deserve and instead grant to us the forgiveness we in no way have earned. It
came to my mind after I had been catching up with Facebook posts. The bombing of Paris had been followed by
posts announcing how gun-ready and armed people were getting in some parts of
America. There seemed to be no safe
places and terrorists lurked behind every Burka clad Muslim woman. Japan, it
was posted, had it right by banning Muslims from a whole host of human rights. There
were a few lone voices appealing for calm.
I sensed an anger in me that Christians who speak about
the love of God could be so lacking in compassion for the Muslim majority who
have nothing to do with ISIS or terrorism.
In the middle of a divine encounter, when God is talking
about the destruction of Sodom, Abraham stepped into the conversation:-
“Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will
you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous
people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for
the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a
thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the
wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do
right?” (Genesis 18:23-25)
It seems that we
are not willing to be like the Judge of all the earth and do right. To ensure
the end of the minority, we are willing to sacrifice the majority, treating the
righteous and the wicked alike. If we are so swift to defend ourselves and so savagely,
when do we allow God to fight on our behalf? When do we step aside and let God
fight for us? Is this too big and issue, too important a battle to leave it up
to God? Perhaps we are just not interested in God showing any mercy.
The cry of my
heart? I think I have discovered
it. If Jesus asked me what I want Him to
me to do for me it would have nothing to do with ISIS at all. I want to be always tender-hearted, giving
and embracing. I want to be always able to show love. His mercy towards me would be in His
intervening in my life to stop me following a path of hard-heartedness.
Jesus gave the
blind man what he asked for. He restored his sight. Loud again, he praised God. This time there was no crowd telling him to
quieten down. They joined in. The blind man was a catalyst, a pivotal point
in the community. The crowd who had had
no personal interest in Jesus turned from being interested observers to active
worshippers.
Amazing things happen when we cry out to Jesus, Son of David, and ask for mercy, Not for someone else, but for oursleves. Not pointing out what is wrong with the other person, but what is worng with us.
"Have mercy on me," is becoming the cry of
my heart.
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