Messianic Mercy on the Marginalized

Sermon Summary: Jesus grants mercy to those who are pushed into the sidelines of society, the greatest going to the least.

Introduction

Who are the most marginalized in our society?

The people who society tries to beat into silence?

The people we think “the world would be better off without?”

We know our culture often wants to silence and marginalize us Christians, but that’s not what I mean. I mean those that are marginalized almost by habit.

At some points this has been people of various skin colors, perhaps people of socio-economic status, or maybe people with "incurable” issues in their lives.

Which is it now?

I have to think that racism is not nearly as prevalent as it once was, but I want to confess that I doubt it’s eradicated

While there will always be judgment between land-owners and those who rent, say, apartments, I really don’t think this is who our culture marginalizes at this point

What about people with “issues?” I would think that they are often marginalized by habit. Nobody likes to be with someone who has a drug habit, or someone with some form of psychosis who may be a danger to themselves or others… I think these people would fit the bill of marginalized right now

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Turns out, in the first-century it wasn’t so different. People who had incurable issues were pushed off to the fringe of society. They were objects of pity, not care. And the response to such people was to instinctively quiet them.

Today we’re going to read Jesus’ encounter with two marginalized individuals. One of which, thanks to the Gospel of Mark, we know the name of. Luke records just one individual as well, probably because only one of them remains recognizable, but Matthew tells us that there are two men.

Two men with “incurable issues,” pushed off to the margins, who encounter Jesus and find Him to be merciful instead of harsh.

Let’s read, shall we?

Mt20.29-34 “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.”

This is the Word of the Lord.

Background

The road from Jericho to Jerusalem was a dangerous road, but during the Feast of Passover, the number of people that would be travelling it made it safe for beggars to sit on the roadside

He has been “withdrawing” from the crowds (Mt12.15, Mt14.13), but is now travelling with them // Jesus is no longer hiding from the crowds, but joining them in this gathering for Passover

Blindness was a common issue in the first century, just like it is in many under-developed parts of the world now

There are countless fungus and bacteria that cause blindness that are treatable with ointments and pills now, but weren’t in the first century

People were also born blind, but notice how Matthew says they “recovered their sight” (Mt20.34)? This would imply that these men probably had vision, but had lost it

Blind people were marginalized because they were “useless” in the first century

They were unable to work while being “crippled while being physically able otherwise”

What a curse this would be, to be perhaps 20-30 years old, once full of the promise of life and perhaps planning on having a family, but then crippled // Dreams shattered, pushed off to the edge of society and ostracized from your family for being a drain and made into a social pariah // Homeless and hopeless

This is precisely the type of person that Jesus condescends to // He is unafraid of the taint, full of mercy on the poor and downtrodden

A word on “Social Justice”

Now, it’s at this point that many in our culture would point out that this is what we Christians should be doing. They say that we should be applying a “social justice” hermeneutic (interpretation) to this story.

But let me interrupt that thought and say that this is not about Christians going and helping the marginalized, it’s about Jesus having mercy on the marginalized! We are supposed to love the poor and downtrodden, but we love them by bringing them to Christ who is able to be the true balm of hope and comfort on them!

This was one hope I had for what was once called the “Emergent Church,” a movement that’s almost extinct by God’s grace. It, like many theologically neo-liberal movements, devolved into full apostasy (which means it has broken from Christianity). But, what it did well was focus on the poor and marginalized, without fear it approached them and tried to offer them hope. But, the hope it inevitably offered was antithetical to the point of this text. It tried to be Jesus instead of doing as the Apostles did in the parallel passage of Mark 10:49, where they call out to the blind men and say, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.”

We ought to care for the poor and marginalized, but the care we need to give them is both caring for their needs (James 2:14-20) and bringing them to the Merciful Messiah. Doing one without the other is foolishness, and that’s why “Christian Social Justice Warriors” tend to find themselves overwhelmed. They try to be Christ, when only Christ can be Christ.

Transition: Now, let’s take a look at our text.

What is the Son of David?

Term of Messianic hope found in 2 Samuel 7 when God promises that the line of David will rule continue forever

2 Samuel 7:16 “16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ””

Matthew 21:9 “9 And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!””

These men called Jesus Lord, but it probably wasn’t a declaration of His deity, but as a term of endearment

We’ve covered this before, but “Lord” (Kyrion) was essentially the Greek form of “Sir.”

But when they call Him the “Son of David,” they are implying that they know He is the Promised King in the line of David, which is what Messiah means

The crowd rebuked them (Mt20.31)

This means that the crowd tried to shush them, tried to silence them, and instinctively considered that these men should be silenced

This is the core of cultural marginalization. It’s where our gut reaction to a type of person is to say: “Shut up. You’re not worthy to speak.”

This is not how disciples of Christ should act toward people, but it wasn’t Jesus’ disciples telling the men to be quiet. This is not an indictment on Christians here, but the larger culture that this crowd represented.

The men’s response was to “[cry] all the more” (Mt20.31)

This means that the more the people around them told them to be silent, the more they cried out for mercy

This is a hallmark of someone who truly knows that the Lord is able to hear them, to be persistent despite opposition

This is also the heart of every martyr, who despite being threatened to remain silent spoke out even louder for the glory of Jesus

Being persistent is a mark of true faith // When being told to be silent, a true Christian will unceasingly cry out // Whether in prayer like these men, knowing that God is able to hear and answer our pleas, or in the sphere of proclaiming the great name of Jesus, faithful men and women remain persistent to what God has called them to do

Their plea: Let our eyes be opened (Mt20.33)

This is another mark of being a Christian, knowing that our eyes do not see properly and require the Lord to open them

These men knew their condition, they had once seen and grown blind. They wanted to be able to see again // An unsaved person does not have this luxury, they are a corpse in need of life (Eph2.1)

But, when God gives a glimpse of life in His regenerating a sinner, it is then that they know who it is who can rescue them

But even a Christian can have their eyes grow dim for a time, needing the Lord to open them once again

Like Peter who tried to flee from the trouble that Jesus’ crucifixion was bringing him, hiding on the sidelines, He was restored and became a great evangelist for the rest of his life.

Like David in Psalm 51, who knew that his eyes had grown dim and he knew the effect of his sin, we need to pray to be restored: “Ps51.10 “10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Jesus’ response: Pity (Mt.20.34)

We have discussed this at length before, but Jesus took “pity” on them. This is that wonderful Greek word “σπλαγχνίζομαι,” which means that the deepest parts of Him were moved at their plight.

Christ alone has both the compassion and ability to heal these men // We need to be bringing the mercy of caring for others’ need while also recognizing that only Jesus can heal what’s truly broken in a person

God has such pity as to condescend to the needs of sinners

This is where I think we find Matthew’s true narrative point: Christ did exactly as He told the Apostles to do in Mt.20.26. He perfectly portrayed what it means for the “greatest among you must be your servant.”

Their response: Following Him (Mt 20.34)

The right response to God’s opening of a person’s eyes is to follow Him

Who were these men?

Matthew tells us of two men, but Mark and Luke only list one.

Matthew is usually trying to be exact on numbers, while Luke is trying to make sure we recognize the point, and Mark is always trying to connect dots with the life of Christians at the time

So, if we understand this then we could turn to the parallel passages in Mark 10:46-52 and Luke 18:35-43 and know that these are not conflicting accounts, but the same story with different emphases

The Christians being written to by Mark probably knew one of these men, which is why Mark names one is “Bartimaeus… the son of Timaeus” (Mk10.46)

But the point stands with all three accounts, once these men received mercy, they followed Christ

Christ offers mercy to everyone. Whether in His providence, His comforts, His salvation, or anything else. When we receive mercy, we are to gratefully follow Him.

To those who are suffering, or think they are without mercy from Christ, I tell you that you’re wrong. The Lord granted you life and breath this morning, and since He has granted it to you, your response is to turn that breath into praise to Him for it // Your circumstances do not dictate your responsibility of being grateful to the Lord

But, if you are suffering or not feeling mercy, perhaps you ought to do as these men did… Cry out to Him, be persistent remembering that He is able to answer, and when He does, follow Him

Conclusion

In this text, we find several points of application

We must remember that Christ is the One who is truly able to help

Whether that’s in our trying to help others, or in our own personal need, only He is the one to whom we must be brought

Being persistent in a mark of a Christian

We are not to cease when the crowds around us tell us to quiet down, in fact we ought to cry out even more

We are, by nature, people-pleasers. We like when other people approve of us and our work, but we should seek to be more like the Apostles Peter and John when opposition comes and declare: “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

We must remember that Christ cares for the marginalized

There is nobody whom Christ is unable to be merciful, to open the eyes of, and to rescue

So, who are the marginalized in our society? Who is that that we instinctively want to marginalize and tell to shut up? Because those are the ones to whom Christ calls. Social rejects, outcasts, poor, punished, and aching souls everyone else deems worthless. Christ sees their worth, and gives them mercy.

I’m not calling you to go end hunger or give money to every homeless person you meet, but I am calling you to remember the mercy of the Savior. I’m calling you to be persistent in your troubles like Bartimaeus and his friend, and to remember that He calls to those to whom our bodies recoil at the sight of.

He is warm and loving where we are often cold and hateful.