When we call upon the mercy of Jesus from our darkness, He hears us and gives us reason to praise Him forever.
Luke 18:35-43
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’
38 He called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
‘Lord, I want to see,’ he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Imagine being blind and surrounded by constant night. You rely on your ears to tell you what is going on, but they cannot always tell you the whole picture. We read of this blind man on the road to Jericho. The Jericho that was the scene of a famous wall-tumbling battle, but instead of walls brought low, this man is reduced to sitting by the road and begging.
Day by day, many people would have passed him, perhaps some stopped to make a donation, probably many ignored him. Then this day came. A crowd gathers on the road, jostling the blind man as they hurry for a glimpse of what he cannot see, Jesus of Nazareth passing by.
Once he hears Who is near, the blind man’s words show that he actually sees what many others do not. He recognises Jesus as the Son of David, a king who can show him mercy, a Messiah to put faith in.
And so, he bellows over the noise of the crowd, a heartfelt plea for mercy, and declaration of who Jesus is. Despite the attempts of those around to shush him, he cranks up the volume, imploring with even more insistence, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
And the Lord hears him, and grants him his prayer, “I want to see”.
Such is the case for all who call out to the Lord for mercy, He gives us eyes to see as we have never seen before. This man may have been physically blind, but the moment faith in Jesus kindled in his heart, his spiritual eyes could see the promised One. In his heart, he lifted his eyes to the hills from whence his help came, and help came from the Lord.
The response of this man is wonderful, he follows Jesus, praising God. And when the crowd sees with their eyes what has happened, they are also moved to praise God.
This is the evidence in the lives of those who truly see Jesus, we cannot help but follow Him and call out his praises, we cannot help but declare who He is.
Our mission is now, by declaring Jesus and praising Him, to move others to praise God too.
Head: “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” take a moment to unpack this phrase and think of what a profound revelation the blind man had of Jesus. It is like Peter’s inspired, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. Does this re-inspire your understanding of who Jesus is?
Heart: Can you remember when you first received sight from Jesus, how exciting it was, and how you couldn’t help telling others about it? Has some of that fervour waned over time? Ask the Lord to rekindle His praises in your heart so that they can flow out to others.
Hands: Do we ever find ourselves shushing or ignoring those who are crying out for mercy? We still have beggars on the streets, and we are also surrounded by those who are spiritually destitute and blind. Think of some practical ways that you can bring them to meet Jesus.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for shining your light in my darkness, for listening to my cry to you for mercy. Thank you that mercies never come to an end but will follow me all the days of my life. May this remind me to praise you all the days of my life, to declare your goodness by my words and deeds to those around me. Amen.
A song to listen to: What Love, My God
Nicole Davenport
Living Church – Creek Road
