Lord, Have Mercy
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
We are now back into the prime of football season and for us football junkies, we have been waiting for what seems like an eternity for this moment. I had the Georgia game on the TV yesterday with my tablet pulled up watching the Alabama game. At one point I was using the grid layout on YouTube TV and had 4 different games going.
My kids kept asking me which screen was I watching and I told them all of them!
But I got to thinking about these guys that play football. Almost all of them have a nutrition department that fixes their meals for them. Some of the higher paid players may even have a specific meal plan that helps them cut weight or bulk up. They have personal trainers that help them get in shape and build muscle so they can perform well on the field.
They spend hours in the weight room, on the practice field, and in the film room studying football so that they can be the best athlete possible and help their team win a championship trophy.
It can be a brutal life for such a short-lived glory.
Compare that with the life of a disciple of Jesus. We are called to discipline and training as well, but the trophy we strive for is not a temporal one, but everlasting.
We do it not for the grit and the glory, but because we have received the mercy of the Lord on High. We remember our wretched state and how we have been called from death to life and we gratefully follow our Lord because He has given us new life.
This morning, we are going to take a look at two men who had their lives radically changed. They received mercy from Jesus and became followers who ignored the crowds and set their new sight on Jesus.
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Pray
Introductory Comments:
Jericho had two cities - old and new
Luke gives the name of only one of the blind men - Bartimaeus
Discrepancies in the gospels
May have been two healings
May have been that Matthew wants to focus on the declaration of Jesus as the Son of David, whereas Luke focuses on Bartimaeus’ faith
1. A Disciple Humbles Himself (vv.29-30)
1. A Disciple Humbles Himself (vv.29-30)
29 And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him.
30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Can you imagine your life without sight?
I have a hard time with anything having to do with eyes.
Part of it is because of a fear of losing my sight.
People adapt, but sight is a major part of our joy and happiness
Paintings, architecture, beauty in nature and in the world, danger and warnings
These men were plagued with blindness
We don’t know how long they had been blind, but perhaps from birth
They were desperate to see
When they hear that Jesus is coming to town, they position themselves along the road so that they can cry out to Jesus to heal them
They had to humble themselves to come to Jesus
Faith that Jesus could actually heal them
Recognition that they needed to be healed
Going to receive the healing
Application
Jesus welcomes every sinner, but only those who have heard the call will come
A sinner must realize their sin before God and the offense they have committed
A sinner must humble themselves by realizing that only Christ can save them
A sinner must come to Christ to receive mercy
One of the saddest descriptions in the Bible is the unrepentant in the Book of Revelation. When they see the judgment of God and the pouring out of His wrath on the world, they do not humble themselves and come to Him seeking mercy like these blind men to. They instead flee to the caves and seek to hide themselves, all the while blaming God for the calamity their sin has brought on this earth and on themselves.
What about you? Do you blame God for the evil that befalls you?
Have you run to the roadside to meet Jesus and cry out to Him for forgiveness and healing from your sin?
2. A Disciple Ignores the Noise of the Crowd (v.31)
2. A Disciple Ignores the Noise of the Crowd (v.31)
31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
As the blind men cry out, the crowd seeks to silence them
The people get frustrated and begin to threaten
Here’s a sample of how some of the different translations interpret the Greek word here for rebuked in v. 31
The crowd demanded (CSB), warned (NKJV), Sternly told (LSB), Scolded (NET), Yelled (NLT)
The crowd saw these men in need and did not have compassion on them like Jesus did
Jesus loves the lost and came to seek and to save them.
The world and the devil hate you. Let that sink in.
You are simply a market audience to the world.
Buy more alcohol. Use these drugs. Get hooked so we have a customer for life.
Don’t create a ruckus or rock the boat and you will be fine.
Seek to follow Jesus and you will be silenced
These men were interrupting the show. They were stopping the parade if you will
Illustration:
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Imagine a homeless man that comes out to the parade and is alongside the road. He begins to cry out for help.
How many people would try to get him help vs. consider him a nuisance and try to get rid of him
They may even call the police to come forcefully remove him so that he doesn’t disrupt their experience
The man smells because he hasn’t bathed. These blind men probably were the same since they couldn’t see well
Apply
Jesus didn’t come for the ones who have it all together
When these men are told to be silent, they cry out all the more
They knew that the only one who could help them was Jesus and they were desperate to get to Him.
What about you? Are you letting the world silence you?
Maybe you know Christ, but your are not sharing Christ with others because you are afraid of the crowds.
3. A Disciple Cries Out for Mercy (vv.30-34)
3. A Disciple Cries Out for Mercy (vv.30-34)
30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”
32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”
34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Listen to the cries of the blind men
Jesus, Son of David - Messianic title
Jesus means the Lord Saves and Son of David is an acknowledgement that Jesus is the Messiah
Jesus calls to them - we must also be called if we are to be saved
God will call those that He also gives a heart of faith to
Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved - Rom. 10:9
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
Jesus asks them what they would like for Him to do and they ask for sight. Jesus gives them physical and spiritual sight.
Their request is passive - “Let our eyes be opened”
We must have our eyes opened for us according to the mercy of God or we will never see
41 And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43 and he took it and ate before them.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
After seeing with their physical eyes everything that had happened, the Disciples still needed Jesus to open their spiritual eyes. Until He did this, they could not see.
Jesus had pity - means he was moved in His core
Same Greek word
Immediately they received sight and followed Jesus
Conclusion
What about you this morning?
Do you realize you are blind? Do you want to see?
Do you know that only Jesus can open your eyes to see the true condition of your soul and give you the mercy that you so desire and need?
Come to the roadside that leads to Calvary.
Open your eyes and behold the man upon the cross.
Cry out to Him for mercy and don’t let the crowds or your doubts or anything else in this world keep you from Him.
Jesus will look upon you and give you sight. Anyone who calls on the name of the world can receive this sight.
Believers here today, will you forsake everything and follow Jesus like these blind men did? They had their whole lives changed and gave up everything the life they could now have held for them since they could see to follow Jesus.
Will you commit to praying also that Jesus would open the eyes of the blind around you, people that you know, so that they can see Jesus?
