Mercy
Read Luke 18:35-43.
Jericho proudly proclaims itself as the oldest city in the world. A relatively new mosaic says that the city is 10,000 years old. Certainly, there have been people living here a long, long time. It's a place where there is water in the desert. It's an oasis of sorts. Today, it's in Palestinian territory and depends on the tourist trade for economic survival. I know we did our part to help when we were there!
In Jesus' day, Jericho was "on the way" to Jerusalem. It was part of the pilgrim's route, a brief respite on the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem for the religious festivals. So, naturally, if someone was begging or needed something, the road to Jericho, especially near its entrance, would be a place where one might camp out, where one could be seen. You might compare it today to the entrance to Wal-Mart, where folks who are seeking financial handouts are often found seeking support.
This day, as Jesus is passing through Jericho, preparing to go up to Jerusalem for the last time, a blind beggar is in one of the prime spots near the gate. The beggar is hoping for handouts, help, assistance of any kind, but when he learns that Jesus, the famous healer from Galilee, is coming through, he begins to beg for something different. He asks—pleads, even—for mercy.
When we hear the word "mercy," we tend of think of feeling sorry for someone else, or of pitying, feeling compassion for the other. And those meanings are tucked into the language used here, but the word the beggar uses also means "pardon or forgiveness." Which was he asking Jesus for? Perhaps he was asking for more than he knew. Certainly, when Jesus asks him what he wants, he asks for his sight. (Who among us wouldn't?) But when he leaves Jesus, there is a sense that he has lost more than his blindness. Something about the mercy Jesus extended not only healed his body, it also healed his soul. He doesn't just praise God for getting his sight back. He praises God because he has been made whole—in every sense of the word. He has received mercy—just what he asked for, perhaps more than he hoped for.
What we think we want or need is often not all or not even the most important thing we actually want or need. What we all stand in need of is mercy—healing, compassion and, on a deeper level, pardon and forgiveness. The blind man is, perhaps, asking for more than he knows and Jesus willingly gives it to him—and to us. Christ loves and longs to give mercy to all his children. Have you asked him?
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| Gates of Ancient Jericho, as seen from above, 2017 |
Jericho proudly proclaims itself as the oldest city in the world. A relatively new mosaic says that the city is 10,000 years old. Certainly, there have been people living here a long, long time. It's a place where there is water in the desert. It's an oasis of sorts. Today, it's in Palestinian territory and depends on the tourist trade for economic survival. I know we did our part to help when we were there!
In Jesus' day, Jericho was "on the way" to Jerusalem. It was part of the pilgrim's route, a brief respite on the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem for the religious festivals. So, naturally, if someone was begging or needed something, the road to Jericho, especially near its entrance, would be a place where one might camp out, where one could be seen. You might compare it today to the entrance to Wal-Mart, where folks who are seeking financial handouts are often found seeking support.
This day, as Jesus is passing through Jericho, preparing to go up to Jerusalem for the last time, a blind beggar is in one of the prime spots near the gate. The beggar is hoping for handouts, help, assistance of any kind, but when he learns that Jesus, the famous healer from Galilee, is coming through, he begins to beg for something different. He asks—pleads, even—for mercy.
When we hear the word "mercy," we tend of think of feeling sorry for someone else, or of pitying, feeling compassion for the other. And those meanings are tucked into the language used here, but the word the beggar uses also means "pardon or forgiveness." Which was he asking Jesus for? Perhaps he was asking for more than he knew. Certainly, when Jesus asks him what he wants, he asks for his sight. (Who among us wouldn't?) But when he leaves Jesus, there is a sense that he has lost more than his blindness. Something about the mercy Jesus extended not only healed his body, it also healed his soul. He doesn't just praise God for getting his sight back. He praises God because he has been made whole—in every sense of the word. He has received mercy—just what he asked for, perhaps more than he hoped for.
What we think we want or need is often not all or not even the most important thing we actually want or need. What we all stand in need of is mercy—healing, compassion and, on a deeper level, pardon and forgiveness. The blind man is, perhaps, asking for more than he knows and Jesus willingly gives it to him—and to us. Christ loves and longs to give mercy to all his children. Have you asked him?
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