Tag Archives: have mercy

LUKE’S GOSPEL…”PASSING BY” – 48

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“As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 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!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Lord, I want to see,” he replied. Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭35‬-‭43‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Another ”Sunday School” story with a treasure hidden deep in its details!

We know the story of this blind man well. In fact, although he is not even named in Luke’s version, he was just another blind man whom Jesus healed…or was he? A hidden jewel in the story sets him apart. 

Let’s unpick the story. 

Jesus was on His way to Jericho. Thronged by crowds, hemmed in by an excited mob, the noise around Him must have been ear-splitting. Middle Eastern people are excitable and vocal! Despite the noise, Jesus heard something…the urgent cry of a man in need. 

A blind man heard the crowd approaching from a distance. As they came near, he learned from people in the crowd that Jesus of Nazareth was “passing by”. 

“When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 

Jesus of Nazareth! The blind man could not believe his good fortune.  Here in Jericho! Miles from Jesus’ stamping ground in the precincts of Jerusalem! What an opportunity! The blind man began to yell! Despite the din, he needed to get the attention of the man who was “passing by”. 

Jesus of Nazareth was ”passing by”. What did this mean? Was He just on His way to somewhere?

This phrase appears more than once in Scripture, not just a random expression but with a specific purpose. Let’s examine a few examples. 

Moses interceding for Israel…

“And he (the Lord) passed (by) in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,”

Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Elijah at the end of his tether…

“The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to “pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.”

‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The disciples in peril on the lake…

“He (Jesus) saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to “pass by” them,”…

‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭48‬ ‭NIV‬

Bartimaeus blind and helpless… 

“When he (Bartimaeus) heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is “passing by.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭36‬-‭37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A strange expression! What does it mean?

In each of these circumstances, Jesus, (who was God manifested on earth), was about to show up…to reveal something about Himself to the person or people concerned. To Moses, He would reveal His name, mercy… to Elijah, His purpose for the depressed prophet, a new assignment…to His disciples, His presence and power over the storm…and to Bartimaeus, His power to heal. 

In each of these circumstances, God’s people were in need of revelation about Himself that would perfectly meet their need. In their distress, He came to them and, in His “passing by”, He revealed His nature and His ability to be to them what they needed at that moment.  

Passing ”by” (Greek…parerchomai) can have the meaning of “coming near” or “making an appearance”. This mans that Jesus “showed up” to meet a need in a specific circumstance. 

What a difference the presence of Jesus makes in an impossible situation! We know that He is always with us although we cannot see Him. However, when we cultivate an awareness of His presence wherever we are, whatever is happening, the most impossible situation becomes “a piece of cake”. 

To Bartimaeus, Jesus’ “appearance” was the beginning of a new life. Gone his blindness, his dependence on others, his hopeless state, even his beggar’s cloak…his badge of office…and life, for him, began again. 

No matter what, Jesus is always “passing by”. He is “making an appearance” in our distress, and turning an impossible situation into a revelation of Himself that will change despair into hope. 

To be continued…

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

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WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

“He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for hand-outs. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, ‘Jesus the Nazarene is going by.’

“He yelled, ‘Jesus! Son of David!  Mercy, have mercy on me!’

“Those ahead told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, ‘Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!’

“Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, ‘What do you want from me?’

“He said, ‘Master, I want to see again.’

Jesus said, ‘Go ahead – see again! Your faith has saved and healed you.’ The healing was instant. He looked up, seeing – and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.” Luke 18:35-43.

This story is a wonderful illustration of how faith interacts with the power of God. Luke has not identified this insignificant blind beggar, but we know from the other gospels that his name was Bartimeus. From God’s point of view, he had a name; he had an identity; he was a person of value who had a disability which made him an outcast of society, but not of God. He was worthless to people, a parasite, but not to Jesus.

To the untrained ear, the sound of his voice begging for hand-outs mingled with the shouts of the rest of the crowd and was lost in the din, but not to Jesus. He always hears the cry of the needy, raised in hope and expectation.

Bartimeus was tiresome; he refused to be put off by the heartless people around him who ordered him to shut up. Why should he? He had a sudden hope and he wasn’t about to let the opportunity to be freed from his blindness be lost because of other people. Instead of keeping quiet, he yelled all the louder. It’s no wonder Jesus heard him! He didn’t hear his voice as much as He heard his heart.

Isn’t that just like Jesus! The gospels record many similar incidents – Jesus responding to a heart cry. The outer covering of the crying heart didn’t matter to Him – lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, blind, lame, sick, deaf, rich, poor, Pharisee or sinner; He heard and responded to them all.

The interaction between the blind man and Jesus was very simple – no long prayers, no beating about the bush, no reasoning or explanations, just a simple question, ‘What do you want from me?’ and an equally simple response, ‘Master, I want to see again.’ Interaction over, transaction done! ‘Go ahead – see again!’

How tragic that we, in the tradition of those who have gone before us, are perpetuating the terrible distortion of the gospel, which we call Christianity. We have turned this simple exchange between Jesus and us into a rigmarole, with religious paraphernalia, elaborate rituals, and teachings that twist and distort the simplicity of a partnership with Jesus in submission to Him and in the company of His redeemed people.

When I watch some of the goings-on on so-called Christian TV, sadly, I ask myself, ‘Is this why Jesus came?’ and my heart bleeds for the people who are sucked into the deception and who are missing out on the beauty and simplicity of a union and communion with Jesus that shifts all the weight of living onto His shoulders.

Jesus sternly rebuked the disciples for getting between Him and the little children whom mothers had brought to Him for His blessing. Being drowned with a millstone around their necks was a better option than hindering anyone from coming to Him, He said. What about the leaders who mindlessly perpetuate all the nonsensical practices that take ordinary people’s attention away from Jesus? He came to set us free, not to tie us up in endless deviations from His pure and simple truth.

My plea to the people of God is this: Don’t let people shut you up and keep you away from getting close to Jesus. All that matters is that you and He keep interacting so that you can walk close to Him in the confidence that you are hearing and listening to each other.

He will do the rest! 

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE – IT PAYS TO BE GRATEFUL

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IT PAYS TO BE GRATEFUL

“It happened that as He made His way toward Jerusalem, He crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As He entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met Him. They…raised their voices, calling out, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’

“Taking a good look at them He said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’

“They went, and while still on their way, they became clean. One of them…turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God…and he was a Samaritan.

“Jesus said, ‘Were not ten healed? …Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?’ Then He said to him, ‘Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.'” Luke 17:11-19.

We live in a world of indescribable beauty and lavish abundance, provided for us by a great big loving God. He does not even discriminate between those who love Him and those who don’t. “‘…He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked,'” said Jesus – Luke 6:16b (NIV).

And yet we live in a world of abominably ungrateful people. Ingratitude is not only the ‘thank you’ people never say, but also the careless and thoughtless destruction of our planet that goes on all over the world every day; the exploitation of our resources, the scattering of litter, the pollution of our soil, our water and our skies, and the decimation of our flora and fauna, all in the name of ‘progress’.

And what about the gifts, skills and talents people exploit with not a thought for the Giver? Any glossy magazine you can pick up is full of the glaring absence of the gratitude and acknowledgement that God deserves for every good and perfect gift. “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever! Amen.” Romans 11:36 (NIV).

There is a price to pay for ingratitude. It sets off a chain reaction in people’s lives that has an unthinkable end. “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened…they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles…Therefore God gave them over…to a depraved mind…They have become filled with every kind of wickedness…Although they knew God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practise them.” Romans 1:21-32 (NIV).

However, there is a reward for those who acknowledge God as the source of the goodness and favour they experience every day. Nine lepers in our story experienced physical healing but nothing more. They did not find it necessary to express gratitude to God for what He had done for them, but the Samaritan who returned to say thank you and give glory to God, got much more than he anticipated. Not only did he have a healed body but also a renewed life.

Jesus spoke of ‘salvation’ as the added outcome of his grateful heart. What did that mean? Salvation is much more than the narrow idea of escaping hell and going to heaven when we die. To be ‘saved’ means to become whole again by being rescued from the futility of a selfish and self-absorbed life into a life which is being refashioned into the image of God who is “gracious, compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love and faithfulness.” Exodus 34:6 (NIV).

Such a life is useful, fruitful and fulfilled, resembling the Creator who intended for us to be like Him by giving ourselves away in loving service to our fellow men. This cannot happen without the radical heart transformation which happens when we recognise the futility of running our own lives and we turn over the reins to Him.

Gratitude to God and acknowledging that He is God and we are not, is the first step in our journey towards wholeness. God graciously responds by doing the miracle of giving us a new heart and a new disposition of love and faith in Him.