Mark 10:47-48
Immediately
after the Boston Marathon bombing the agencies involved poured over thousands
of images of the crowd that day trying to find clues about who had left the
bombs. They were looking for the one person who had planted the bombs. One face
in the crowd. And when they found it, or at least they thought they did, the
images were splashed across the media in an attempt to get more help, more
images, all in order to identify the suspects more accurately.
Sometimes there is one person in the crowd who
is just annoying. They keep interrupting the flow of an event. Like protestors
carrying signs and shouting at a news conference, some people use their voice
to get noticed. They yell until they get what they want.
But
this doesn’t always work. In New York city recently there was a pro-Palestinian
demonstration in the heart of a Jewish business district. The few dozen
protestors soon found themselves surrounded by hundreds of pro-Israel
supporters. The protestors didn’t stand a chance. They were soon overcome with
supporters shouts.
A
blind man was sitting by the roadside as Jesus and His disciples walked by,
along with a crowd. He began to shout to Jesus. He wanted mercy. Mercy is not
getting what you do deserve. He wanted Jesus’ intervention in his life. And he
wasn’t going to shut up until he got it. The crowd wanted him quiet. They didn’t
want his kind of noise erupting and disturbing their peaceful, gentle walk with
Jesus.
This
man had determination. He knew there is One who can do something about his
blindness, and he is not going to stop until he has his moment with Jesus. He
knows mercy is something that can’t be demanded, but he is desperate.
What
is interesting is that this blind man acknowledges Jesus position as the
Messiah, the promised one, the heir of David’s throne. He isn’t afraid of what
might happen to him if he declares this truth. What could the religious leaders
do to him! He was already blind. What is worse than that? He was already at the
bottom. He was already at the fringe of society. He was already dependent on
others.
Have you ever been desperate enough to cry out
for mercy? Have you ever felt the weight of your sin, or the weight of your
situation and wondered if you could ever get out from under it? You felt as if
you were being crushed, and you just wanted a little relief.
Mercy
is what you need. Perhaps it is time to request mercy for your opponents
instead of justice and punishment. The measure you use will be the measure used
on you. Start giving mercy so that you can receive mercy as well.