Mark 10:46-52
46 Then
they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large
crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son
of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”
So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.
The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
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Here
we see that the blind man properly identifies Jesus as the Son of
David, the promised king/messiah of Israel. And in keeping with this
proper knowledge he calls out for mercy.
I
find it interesting that the blind called for mercy instead of yelling
“Jesus, son of David, heal me.” No, he called for mercy which shows that
he understood the implication of Jesus being the true ‘sin of David’ or
rather the Messiah of God.
Tozer
says that mercy is what happens when God confronts sin in Jesus Christ.
I think here of the thief on the cross adjacent Jesus in Luke 23).
God, through Jesus, was confronting sin head-on. The one thief properly
identified Him when he proclaimed “...But this man has done nothing
wrong.” (Lk. 23:41) And then, just as the blind man had done the thief
called to Jesus for mercy; “Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom.” (Lk. 23:42)
How
about you? Have you properly identified Jesus as the King
of Kings and Lord of Lords; Immanuel (God with us-Matt. 1:23) Do you
recognize in Him who He really is and require mercy? Call out to Him
and he will hear and draw near. Call to Him and He will answer you.
Jesus is the only one who can confront the sin in your life: He healed
the blind man and he assured the criminal on the cross.
Do you have issues? What’s your demon?
The drink? God has and will confront it.
Illicit drugs? God has and will confront it.
Pride? God has and will confront it.
Women?
(Oh we men love us some women don’t we?) God has and will confront that too
and heal our sin; by His Spirit He draws us to honor Him in even in the
sin of our sexuality.
The
list can continue but no matter what’s on your list God has already
been to the Cross and the Satan has been defeated. Now we stand at the
tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil like Adam & Eve before us,
will we eat of the fruit the Satan tempts us with? Quick, turn and run
to the Tree of Life: run (don’t walk) to Jesus who will heal us and
assure us even though we feel the excruciating pain of hanging on a
cross. Cry out to Him with the audacity of the blind man and the
indignation of the thief on the cross. For God confronts sin with mercy
only through Jesus, God’s true Messiah!
“There was a written notice above him [on the cross], which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (Luke 23:38)
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