"Have Mercy on Me!" - Luke 18:38-39

"Have mercy on me!" ("Mercy me!") is an old phrase my grandparents often used. They would say this expression when they were surprised. Perhaps it came from a request for God to have mercy on the one saying it. Whether as a need for forgiveness, or for strength. Old phrase or not, we all need mercy.

When I speak about Luke 18 (the blind man who was healed), the more I reflect on this chapter, the more questions I have. Questions such as, "what kind of mercy was this beggar asking for?" This was his request: ""Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!", and "Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:38-39)

A Greek dictionary says that the word here is, 'eleeo', which means "to pity, have mercy; to have compassion on someone, to show kindness and keep mercy; to receive pardon and forgiveness". This gives us some indication of the meaning of the word, but how did first-century Israelites understand this mercy? Perhaps a clue is found in the beggar's words that call Jesus, "Son of David". He (the beggar) was an Israelite who saw 'mercy' through the historical experience of Israel.

The book of Deuteronomy records the Lord's mercy to Israel.

"For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not abandon or destroy you, and He will not forget the covenant He swore to your fathers." (Deuteronomy 4:31). The Lord never left or destroyed them from age to age, despite their weakness, sin, and rebellion. His mercy toward them was an expression of His 'hesed' (kindness), which made Him patient and protective.

Perhaps this blind man had the thoughts above in mind, and added to them the character of the promised "Son of David": the coming Messiah. Verses like this may have been in his memory, "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted, and to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release from prison to those who are bound," (Isaiah 61:1) And perhaps he had heard how Jesus applied this passage to himself while speaking in the synagogue at Nazareth, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to bring good news to the poor; and He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives, and recovery of sight for the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor has come." (Luke 4:18-19)

Could He be God's healing ('hesed') for me?"

Could it be that when the crowd told the beggar, "They said to him: "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by" (Luke 18:37), Something crossed his mind. "This is the one I have heard about who will fulfill Isaiah's promise. Could He be God's healing ('hesed') for me?" By asking for 'mercy' the blind man was asking for something deeper than a simple act of compassion. He hoped that this Jesus of Nazareth was the one who fulfilled Isaiah's promise. If he was right, his request for 'mercy' was a plea for God to touch him, and heal him - in every way! Restoring him to the fellowship of the community, wholeness of body, and I think, soul and mind. What comes to mind when you hear the beggar's cry?

Malcolm Cox