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.
The Arnold Journey 