And what is it that WE want and need? We are all in need of the mercy of God, and I wish that we all knew that and longed for it – like these men. There are major things in our lives, and things somewhat minor – needs – which cannot be met outside of the mercy and grace of the Almighty. There are so many who are not well, and even though they are under medical care, it is the mercy of God that we need – “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David!” On the other side of our lives there are so many who have spiritual things – especially salvation – deliverance and forgiveness of sin – “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David!” Then in between there are hundreds of other physical and spiritual problems for which we can turn to only one source for solution – our Lord and Saviour.
What can these three blind men teach us about us in our needs and their cure? Let me begin with a point of trivia – the word “mercy” cannot be found anywhere in the Book of John. It’s not just that John didn’t record this event – it’s that he never used the word “mercy.” “Charis” – translated “grace” – is there, but not “mercy” – and even “grace” is found only in the first chapter. Curious. Perhaps that raises a question about the difference between “mercy” and “grace.” While the words are different and the theological applications are different, I have to wonder if the people of Jesus’ day thought of them differently? Basically, “grace” is God’s unmerited favor – in fact, the Greek word is translated “favor” once in a while. But even James Strong confuses the situation in the second definition in this concordance. First, he says that “grace” is “good will, loving-kindness, favour.” And then, it is “the MERCIFUL kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, and turns them to Christ.” He uses the word “merciful” to help define “grace.” As generally understood, grace is considered to be positive – God doing something for us which we do not deserve. Mercy then is on the other side – God mercifully refrains from doing what we deserve. “By grace are ye saved through faith (positive), and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God….” But as Lamentations 3:22 says, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.”
Did Bartemaeus have these differences in mind when he asked for “mercy” and not “grace?” When he was asked specifically, he said that the kind of mercy which he sought was the return of his sight. It would seem to me that the restoration of his sight was a positive thing – an act of grace. But not necessarily, if he considered his malady as some sort of judgment from God. But again, did Bartemaeus, or anyone else in his day, consider these differences?
The variety of mercy that these blind men wanted was miraculous. They wanted something which no mere man could do for them. Their sight was not a matter of eye-drops applied twice a day. There was no surgery, no cornea transplant, no laser treatment available. They wanted a divine miracle. And aren’t WE praying for this kind of mercy today? Aren’t we still looking for God’s divine grace? God’s miraculous mercy? Aren’t we beseeching God for miracles of healing? Aren’t we praying for the salvation of our lost friends and loved ones?
We read Psalm 136 earlier this morning. Twenty-six times in as many verses we read that the Lord’s “mercy endureth for ever.” In twenty-six somewhat different contexts “His mercy endureth for ever.” “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: FOR his mercy endureth for ever.” As Creator – “To him that by wisdom made the heavens, the earth and all things that are therein: for his mercy endureth for ever.” And as our protector and sustainer – “his mercy endureth for ever:” “With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.” He remembers us “in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever: And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever. Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever. O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Verse 4 in that great psalm says, “To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.” To him who alone doeth great WONDERS…….” Just as Bartemaeus was doing, the Psalmist tied together “mercy” and “great wonders.” A “wonder” is something which is wonderful – awe-inspiring – amazing – miraculous. It takes us aback – surprises us – it makes us stare – and stare – and stare. A great many times in both testaments the Bible ties together “wonders and signs.” For example in Exodus, “the LORD shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes.” And then in Acts 5 – “Great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.” Biblically speaking, “wonders” are miracles, and often they were granted by God in order to convey some sort of divine message – that is – the “wonders” were given as “signs.” Bartemaeus and his blind associates were seeking something miraculous – wonderful. And when they received it, they became signs to the rest of their community.
They wanted a WONDER.
But from where did this idea come? As we have seen in Psalm 136, both“wonder” and “mercy” are Old Testament words. The Bible raises our expectations for wonders, and increases our faith in the miracle-working God. Doesn’t God tell Bartemaeus, and then again to us, that “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts that your thoughts”? We can think our highest thoughts, wish our highest wishes, and pray for outstanding miracles, but our God is greater than them all. Is blindness a problem for the God who created the eye with all of its essential parts, and the optic nerve to transfer that mysterious electrical impulse to the brain – which God also created? The silversmith who fashioned some beautiful work of art can apply the warmth of his hand and remake it after it has been marred just a bit – no problem.
Some reading the other day raised a question in my mind which I had never considered before. Despite Paul’s Biblical claim at the time that he was the chiefest of sinners, has the Lord yet redeemed, converted and recreated the absolute worst of all sinners? Only the Lord knows for sure if the ultimate sinner – the worst of the worst – has been saved. Keep praying, because perhaps the “worst” is yet to come – to Calvary and ultimately the throne of God.
Bartemaeus and his friends were looking for a great wonder – not just one of the ordinary wonders. Jehovah is prepared to do more than you and I have ever asked or thought. He says, “every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.” Do you honestly think that your little financial problem is too great for the One who owns the universe? He kept the oil barrel of the widow with just enough to take care of her needs. He even put a coin in the mouth of a fish, enabling Peter to pay his bill. The Lord has already displayed greater power than what you and I might ever need. Do you need a little water in the midst of your desert? Jehovah has done that before. Do you need a few quail where the only native bird is a vulture? He’s provided quail as well. Is there a sea which you need to cross? Would you like to walk across the top or to amble across the sea bottom? These blind men had seen the hand of the Lord in the lives of Elijah and Elijah in the pages of God’s Word. The dead were brought back to life. Birds were enlisted to cater to the servant of God. Clouds were formed to answer the needs and prayers of the saints. Axe heads were made to float. Bartemaeus was well aware of all these things and so much more. Devouring lions couldn’t touch David, or Samson, or Daniel. The bodies of Hananiah, Mishael, and to Azariah were made totally fire-proof at the command of God.
These men had the witness of the Word of God on which to lean. They didn’t need to be eye-witnesses to any of these things – they couldn’t be eye-witnesses. They had nothing but the testimony of the Bible. They had exactly what you and I possess, but with a few less examples.
Bartemaeus wanted a CHRIST-GIVEN WONDER.
When they cried out, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David,” it was filled with proper Biblical theology. “Mercy” suggests that they had no right to make this request – and of that they were well aware. Their friends and neighbors told them to be quiet – “Pray in secret if you like – don’t be so open and bold.” I wonder if any of these men were of the tribe of Levi. They were probably Judeans, or perhaps from the ancient tribe of Benjamin. At least that was the territory where Jericho was located. But they could have been Levites, whose cities and homes were scattered throughout Israel. Let’s just say that one of them was a Levite. As blind, that man would have lost his access to the Temple – His service of God. “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.” “Handicapped as we are, we have no right to call on your name.”
As I briefly suggested last week, when they appealed to “the son of David,” it showed unusual insight. The average Jew looked at Jesus of Nazareth as a Galilean – from one of the ten “other” tribes. Some of their foolish leaders said of Christ, “Can any GOOD thing come out of Galilee?” When these men shouted, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David,” it tells us that they knew that Jesus was a Judean, despite having lived in Galilee.. They knew that He was a descendent of King David. No – more than that – they either knew or believed that Jesus was the Christ, THE son of David. They were addressing the one whom Isaiah had said would do the work of the Messiah. Had someone told them about the Lord’s address to the people in the synagogue in Capernaum? The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
“Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.” What did they mean when they called Christ Jesus “Lord?” I know that the Greek word is “kurios,” and that it can be applied to mayors, captains, governor and kings. But I also know that 98% of the 670 times that the word is used in the New Testament it is capitalized, because it is not talking about a governor or king – it talking about the King of kings. I know that the capitalization was something that our translators did for us.. But they did it because they could see that, in the context, the word pointed to deity. The translators also added the preceding word “O Lord.”
The words “O Lord” are found more than 325 times in the Old Testament. And I believe that in every case when the preface “O” was used it was followed by the word which translated “Yahweh” – “Jehovah.” I don’t know what language those three blind men were speaking when they were calling for help. But I am confident – I am convinced – I am sure that they were calling for the mercy of GOD – Jehovah. And I am even more convinced that they were addressing Christ Jesus when they called for God’ mercy. Perhaps it was with Bartemaeus’ instruction and leadership, but all three of those blind men were asking for a miracle from Jesus – the Son of God.
And Who is it that you are addressing for the mercy and wonder that you need? Pity those poor, mis-guided souls who pray to Mary or one of the myriad of saints for their needs. Pity the man who asks God’s true saints to pray for his needs, but who is afraid to come himself before the Lord. Why pray to the janitor or even the secretary when the owner of the company has his door wide open inviting you to come on in. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities …” “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Christ’s wonders should fill us with ADORATION, PRAISE and SERVICE.
“Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.” Luke says, “And immediately he receive his sight, and followed him, glorifying God, and all the people when they saw it gave praise unto God.” They gave praise unto God for the miracle performed by Christ Jesus. “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.”
In the case of these three blind men, they were all instantly cured. Put yourselves into their sandals, if they had any shoes at all. If you had been blind for ten years, twenty years, or all of your life, but now you could see, what would be the FIRST thing you’d do? Would it be to run home to see your family and to tell them of God’s great grace? Would it be to hurry off to the theater to see the latest Hollywood movie. Would it be to buy a car so you could drive to the mountains that you’d heard so much about? I recently read of a blind woman who enjoyed attending baseball games — listening to the crack of the bat, the thump of the ball into the glove and the shout of the umpire. If she had her sight restored would she race back to the stadium to watch and see her favorite team? What would you do?
If the LORD gave you spiritual life, restoring your soul, pardoning your sins, and giving you eternal life, what would you do? If the Lord miraculously gave you spiritual sight, you should be using that gift in ”following Him.” You should be asking for baptism, church membership, and tools with which to serve and glorify His name, even if the tools were nothing more than brooms and mop buckets. You should be shouting in the temple just like another Biblical blind man, “I don’t care what the world says about Christ,” – “whereas I WAS blind, now I see.” “Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing.”
I can’t say that Christ will give sight to every blind eye which looks beseechingly into His face – He is God and He may do what He chooses. But I will say this – He has the power and the authority to heal every malady known to man. Ask the Lord – beseech the Lord – “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.” If your problem is spiritual – if you are still dead and dying in your sins – the cry should still be the same – “Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.”
And when the Lord heals you, lift up your eyes to Heaven and your voice to praise His name. “O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvelous things; his right hand, and his holy arm, hath given him the victory.” “O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.”