Mercy's Greatness

Have you ever noticed that only human beings have competitions with one another? In the animal kingdom, you may have two bucks that fight over a doe with the stronger winning. You may have a pack of hyenas and a pride of lions fighting over the same wildebeest, but there is not other creature on earth that sees who can lift the heaviest rock or who has the fastest 40 or who can jump over the widest creek. But, you started doing this on the playground, didn’t you? I’m a competitor, and I still love to compete. The guys in my d-group are doing a weight loss challenge, and I’m like, “I’ll go into the ICU to win this thing.” Aaron and I went on this whitewater kayaking trip back in July, and it was supposed to just be friends going down the river, but I was keeping score. I was determined that I was going to flip fewer times than he did so that I could believed that I won. I was determined that I was going to roll my kayak more. And so, he and I get in the car to head home, and while we’re driving home, I speak up and say, “I was keeping score the whole time.” Then, he admitted, “Me too.”

Human beings love to prove their strength. We love to establish ourselves as being tough and self-sufficient and strong enough to take care of ourselves. Whether it’s in business or parenting or financial prudence, we want to be able to stand on that imaginary podium in our minds with the gold medal. It may be to prove we are the one who is able to drive the nicest car, or it may be to prove that we are willing to drive worst car for the longest, but in whatever contest we find ourselves in, we want to win. And, it is this belief in our own strength that makes the gospel so foreign to us. It is our desire to be the greatest that makes it so difficult for us to achieve greatness in God’s Kingdom.

TRANSITION: This morning, we are going to see a story of how glorious it can be to realize your weakness in the pursuit of true, Kingdom greatness.

As chapter 20 draws to a close, Matthew is bringing to a close the journey that Jesus has made from Galilee to Jerusalem, and he’s going to do it by driving home the point that he’s been driving home for three chapters — greatness in the Kingdom of God. And, Matthew is going to drive home true greatness by pointing us squarely at Jesus Christ, who is the prototype of Kingdom greatness. And, he does this by highlighting one of Jesus’ specific healing miracles, a miracle that he had personally witnessed innumerable times. But, this one stood out in Matthew’s mind as a powerful example of how great Jesus is.

“as they went out of Jericho” So, Matthew tells us that as Jesus went down into Jericho, which is about 15 miles or a single day’s journey away from their final destination, Jerusalem. And as Jesus went down to Jericho, a great crowd followed him. No doubt this crowd was enthusiastic about following Jesus. He had performed many miracles, and many there would have likely believed him to be approaching Jerusalem to establish himself as the new David and re-establishing Israel as the dominant world power. But, as the crowd pursued Jesus, perhaps hoping to be a part of history, they are interrupted by a couple of blind beggars. As Jesus approached where these beggars were stationed, no doubt the crowd alerted them as to who was coming. They had obviously heard of Jesus and knew who He was, and they began to shout out frantically for Jesus’ mercy. They could not see exactly when He would be passing them by, so they just repeated themselves again and again, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David.”

“ Lord, have mercy on us” And, I want you to think about what it means that they are specifically asking for mercy. They aren’t asking to see, they aren’t asking to speak with him, they aren’t even asking him for money. They are begging him for mercy. To ask for mercy is an admission of weakness. It is a humiliating position to be in. "Lord, have mercy on us" One in which a person has to lay down their dignity and pride because they need help from someone else. And, these two men were certainly aware of their weakness. You'll notice that it says in verse 34 that they 'recovered' their sight, likely implying that they were not born blind but had become blind at some point over the course of their lives. It is likely that these men had once been fully functioning men with livelihoods and able to take care of themselves. They knew the brilliance of the sun setting behind the Palestinian hills. They had seen the beauty of the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed a rainbow in the Spring. But now, they were blind and destitute. They were condemned to a life of joblessness and begging. In their day, it was generally believed by most Jews that if a person was blind as they were that it was the result of great sinfulness in their lives. Most likely, they would have believed this about themselves, meaning they most likely lived consumed by public shame and private guilt. So, these men knew they were weak. They knew they needed help. So, they cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us?"

To ask for mercy is an admission of weakness. It is humiliating position to be in. "Lord, have mercy on us" One in which a person has to lay down their dignity and pride because they need help from someone else. And, these two men were certainly aware of their weakness. You'll notice that it says in verse 34 that they 'recovered' their sight, likely implying that they were not born blind but had become blind at some point over the course of their lives. It is likely that these men had once been fully functioning men with livelihoods and able to take care of themselves. They knew the brilliance of the sun setting behind the Palestinian hills. They had seen the beauty of the Sea of Galilee and enjoyed a rainbow in the Spring. But now, they were blind and destitute. They were condemned to a life of joblessness and begging. In their day, it was generally believed by most Jews that if a person was blind as they were that it was the result of great sinfulness in their lives. Most likely, they would have believed this about themselves, meaning they most likely lived consumed by public shame and private guilt. So, these men knew they were weak. They knew they needed help. So, they cried out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us?"

"Son of David" They might as well have been shouting, "We are weak! We are unable to make ourselves better! We need One much stronger!" And, that's what makes the name that they call Jesus so significant. They call him the 'Son of David.' That is, they are acknowledging that Jesus is the Messiah; He is the Christ. He is the long awaited prince from the line of David that would rule over God's people forever.

"Son of David" They might as well have been shouting, "We are weak! We are unable to make ourselves better! We need One much stronger!" And, that's what makes the name that they call Jesus so significant. They call him the 'Son of David.' That is, they are acknowledging that Jesus is the Messiah; He is the Christ. He is the long awaited prince from the line of David that would rule over God's people forever. Remember in , that Jesus told Peter that the only way a person could recognize that is if God himself had told them; so, these blind beggars aren't just calling on a miracle worker; they are calling on the Son of God! They are calling on the Wonderful Counselor, the Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father, the Mighty God.

"a great crowd rebuked them" As they cried out over and over for Jesus' mercy, the crowd following Jesus became annoyed and resentful toward them. They began to revile them and to tell them to be quiet.

Our world has a problem with weakness, doesn't it? People are simply commodities. You use them however you need to help you accomplish your own ambition, and if a person cannot help you accomplish your own ambition, then you discard that relationship. In other words, that person is too weak to be of help to you. And, if a person can only take from me and not give to me, what good is that person? This is the primary reason of abortion. The baby is an obstacle to ambition. He or she is seen as too weak and too insignificant to be worth the time, money, and energy. This is a primary driver behind divorces and affairs. My wife doesn't help me become who I think I should become, or this guy helps me feel the way that I want to feel. So, you dump one, and pick up another, looking to find one that will help you get where you want to go.

Weakness makes you worthless to the world. It makes you disposable. That's how the crowd saw these blind beggars. They saw them as an interruption, as disposable.

Weakness makes you worthless to the world. It makes you disposable. That's how the crowd saw these blind beggars. They saw them as an interruption, as disposable. That's why all of us work so hard to appear as though we're strong. That's why we work so hard to look like our house is in order. That's why we work so hard to look happy, and we tell people that things are great even though you feel like you're unraveling. If we're weak, we're worthless, and we just can't handle feeling worthless.

"What do you want me to do for you?" But, weakness is the currency of sinners in the Kingdom of God. Weakness may make you worthless in the world, but it makes you great in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God the realization and confession of weakness invites God's mercy into our lives. This is what we see with these blind beggars. The crowd rebukes them, but they are all the more resolved to continue crying out to Jesus, "Have mercy on us, Son of David! Have mercy on us!" So, James and John had asked Jesus to give them seats of honor in his court, but these blind beggars just want Jesus' mercy. They don't feel entitled to his kindness. They don't feel deserving of honor. Matthew is drawing this comparison in our minds. The two who sought status are lowly, but the two who seek mercy are great! They are great because they invite Jesus to demonstrate his strength in light of their weakness.

“And Jesus in pity touched their eyes” It says that Jesus looks at them in 'pity' or in 'compassion.' The word there indicates that Jesus felt a deep movement inside of him. He welled up with heartbreak and sympathy for them. They needed help, and Jesus desired so very much to help them. And so, He does.

The crowd condemned them for their weakness; Jesus received them because of it. The crowd witnessed Jesus' miraculous power, but these men would experience the power of his mercy. Why? They were weak and knew it. They knew their only hope was in Christ and in Christ alone. Weakness is the currency of sinners. Weakness invites the mercy and grace of Jesus into a sinner's life. Weakness is the pathway to Kingdom greatness.

APPLICATION: You know, there's nothing more difficult for a man or woman to do than to admit that they are weak and need help. There's nothing more difficult for a teenage boy than to lower his guard and acknowledge that he's lost and terrified about life. There's nothing more difficult for an insecure teenage girl than to acknowledge that she feels as though she has no purpose. But, can I tell you something? That weakness that is in you, that realization that you don't have any of the answers, that moment when you find out you really aren't strong enough may hurt, but it is an opportunity for you to know personally the power of God's mercy. Aren't you tired of pretending? Aren't you tired of trying to measure up and cowboy up about everything? Cry out to Jesus this morning, "Jesus, give me mercy! Jesus, give me mercy!" Who cares what your family will think or your ex-wife will think or your kids will think? Admission of weakness may make you worthless in the world, but it will make you great in the Kingdom. It will invite the mercy of God into your life.

APPLICATION: You know, there's nothing more difficult for a man or woman to do than to admit that they are weak and need help. There's nothing more difficult for a teenage boy than to lower his guard and acknowledge that he's lost and terrified about life. There's nothing more difficult for an insecure teenage girl than to acknowledge that she feels as though she has no purpose. But, can I tell you something? That weakness that is in you, that realization that you don't have any of the answers, that moment when you find out you really aren't strong enough may hurt, but it is an opportunity for you to know personally the power of God's mercy. In fact, the only people that ever find Jesus are the people who realize how pitifully weak they are. Aren't you tired of pretending? Aren't you tired of trying to measure up and cowboy up about everything? Cry out to Jesus this morning, "Jesus, give me mercy! Jesus, give me mercy!" Who cares what your family will think or your ex-wife will think or your kids will think? Admission of weakness may make you worthless in the world, but it will make you great in the Kingdom. It will invite the mercy of God into your life.

And, this isn't just true at the point of salvation. Christians often realize that they must acknowledge their weakness and acknowledge their need for God's mercy at the point of salvation, but then seem content to attempt to live the rest of their lives by their own strength. It's amazing how many Christians are living beaten down, suffocating lives because they need to show everyone around them how strong they are. Now, there's no doubt in my mind that if I were to go around the room and ask each one of you if you were weak and needed God's mercy and strength what you would say. Virtually everyone in here would give me the Sunday school answer. But, do you actually live that way? We say that we are weak, but we live as though we are strong.

Think about your prayer life. Why don't you like to ask people to pray for you? Could it be that you don't want them to think that you're that weak or that sinful or that flaky? In other words, could it be that you want to look strong to them? Maybe you'd say, I just don't want to be 'that guy' always asking people to pray for this and that. And, the reason that you don't want to be 'that guy' asking people to pray for you is that you've always disliked those types of people, believing they were too petty or too insignificant to worry with. In other words, in your heart, you were like the crowd telling these blind beggars to quiet down. Or, let's be even more simple than that. Why don't you personally pray more? Why don't you beg God for his constant intervention in your life? Why don't you live in a moment-by-moment conversation with him? You're living like you've got it figured out. I bet in the moments of your life when you feel the weakest that you pray the most. Once you've realized that your wisdom doesn't work and your ideas have run out; that's when you pray. Why don't we pray more? Truthfully, because we believe we are strong enough, in that moment, to survive without it. But, when our children rebel and when our wife walks out and when our health goes south, we pray because we are reminded of our weakness.

APPLICATION: Do you see? Prayer is the ongoing admission of weakness in a Christian's life, and as a result, prayer is an ongoing invitation for God's mercy. You pray because you are weak, and by praying, you receive God's mercy. Brothers and sisters, when times are bad, pray because you are weak and He is strong. When times are good, pray because you’re still weak, and He is still good. Pray because his strength is still powerful and delightful. Take refuge in the mercy of Jesus! Take refuge in his strength.

“And stopping, Jesus called them” You know, the most amazing part of this passage is that Jesus ‘stopped.’ Jesus' mind is heavy and his ministry is demanding, but He still isn't too busy to meet the needs of the lowliest person. You can measure the time before his crucifixion in hours at this point. Crowds of people are thronging him everywhere that He goes. He is using his last days on earth to prepare his disciples for his death and their own persecution; yet, He stops! He stops everything to heed the cry of two lowly beggars.

Jesus' mind is heavy and his ministry is demanding, but He still isn't too busy to meet the needs of the lowliest person. You can measure the time before his crucifixion in hours at this point. Crowds of people are thronging him everywhere that He goes. He is using his last days on earth to prepare his disciples for his death and their own persecution; yet, He stops! He stops everything to heed the cry of two lowly beggars.

Jesus is modeling Kingdom greatness for us. Brothers and sisters, Jesus is great! He is not great because of how big his crowd is and He is not great because of what important people think of him and He is not even great because He has a lot of people that love him. He's great because of who He is! He's great because He's both just and gracious, holy and merciful. He's great because He is the One before whom every man, woman, and child will bow down and declare as Lord and yet He was willing to lay down his life for those same men, women, and children. He is great because around his throne are creatures pronouncing his deserved praise, and yet He stopped! He stopped for beggars! He stooped down to earth to offer mercy to sinful beggars!

And, a weak, mercy-soaked life is the pathway to greatness for every believer. True followers of Jesus will always follow Jesus down the road of mercy. They have received mercy, and they will jump at the opportunity to give it. Jesus said in , "Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy." In other words, receiving mercy, we give mercy, and giving mercy, we receive mercy. And, we are blessed as a result. That is, we are happy, joyful, satisfied as a result.

ILLUSTRATION: Christians are not ponds of mercy, where God's fountain flows and is pooled up so that it stagnates. Christians are channels, streams, rivers of mercy, constantly being filled up by the spring, constantly being fed by the fountain so that we can dump fresh mercy into the world around us. If you are not merciful, you will not be blessed. Your pond will eventually dry up. Your joy will leave you. The richness of your life will evaporate. But, brothers and sisters, if you will be a man or woman of mercy, you will learn the depths of God's unending mercy. The more you give mercy, the better you will know mercy.

Most Christians are stagnant ponds of mercy. Most Christians are not great. Be a channel!

Mercy's Greatness

Introduction

God’s Word

Read

Greatness Driven Home

Public Shame and Private Guilt

Weakness Makes You Worthless in the World

Weakness is the Currency of Sinners

The Crowd Condemns the Weak; Jesus Receives them

Suffocating Strength

Do You Pray Like You are Weak?

Jesus is Great

Be a Channel of Mercy

Landing