Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.

Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

- Luke 18:31-43

Yesterday we read that infants were brought to Jesus that He might touch them; but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.  But Jesus called them to Him and said, "Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.  Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it."  Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"  So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good?  No one is good but One, that is, God.  You know the commandments:  'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honor your father and your mother.'"   And he said, "All these things I have kept from my youth."   So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "You still lack one thing.  Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."  But when he hard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, "How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  And those who heard it said, 'Who then can be saved?"  But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."  Then Peter said, "See, we have left all and followed You."  So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life."

Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."  But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.  Jesus gives yet another explicit warning to the disciples about what is to happen at Jerusalem.  As we can read, this is an explicit and detailed account of what is to come, but the disciples understood none of these things.  My study bible says that this saying was hidden not by God, but because the disciples could not comprehend its meaning until the events of the Passion had taken place.

 Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging.  And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant.  So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.  And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  The fact that Jesus was coming near Jericho is confirmation that His approach to Jerusalem is truly near.  Jericho was a place commonly associated with sin, as for example, in the story of the Good Samaritan (see this reading).  Blindness is commonly associated with sin, as a kind of illustration of how sin keeps us from fullness of sight or perception.  Son of David is a title deeply associated with the Messiah.  Have mercy on me! is an important refrain here in Luke's Gospel.  It parallels the prayer of the tax collector in the parable Jesus has recently given (see Saturday's reading).

Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him.  And when he had come near, He asked him, saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  My study bible comments that although Jesus knows what we want before we ask, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  This question also forces the one making the request to directly dialogue with Christ Himself, and to consider the question -- and the One of whom we ask -- seriously.

He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight."  Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well."  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.  And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.  There is a spiritual interpretation also traditionally made of this miracle.  The blind man (in the case of Matthew's Gospel, this story is told of two blind men) symbolizes future generations who will come to faith solely through hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).   Those who tried to silence the one crying out to Christ are persecutors and tyrants who, in every generation, try to silence the Church.  But nevertheless, under persecution, my study bible adds, the Church all the more confesses Christ.  It is also worth noting the gratitude, in this notorious place of sin.  The text tells us that all the people gave praise to God.

Let us consider this prayer that the blind man repeats:  "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Much has been written and considered throughout the history of the Church about this phrase, "Have mercy on me."  In Matthew's version of this story, the two blind men shout, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Lord is the title appropriate to the God of the Old Testament.  Therefore the refrain so often heard in Christian worship throughout the centuries comes to us:  Lord have mercy or Κύριε ἐλέησον/kyrie eleison in the original Greek of the New Testament.  As a prayer, this phrase is found everywhere.  It is truly a universal plea for all of us and for any of us, at any time.  It suits all circumstances and situations.  Whether we are praying for ourselves or others, for circumstances beyond our reach or control, or situations we need help with, this prayer always fits.  In varied languages and traditions, this simple prayer, Lord have mercy, is used as repetitive plea for deepening and strengthening our communion with Christ.  It is used in the Jesus Prayer practice, also called Prayer of the Heart, as a way of internalizing a depth of prayer, and for fulfilling St. Paul's injunction to pray without ceasing.  This simple prayer has for us all the benefits touted by modern popular psychology (and medicine, for that matter) of meditation.  But it has an added advantage above and beyond the power of meditation:  it is also prayer.  It is not simply a mantra or repeated phrase for concentration.  In it, we call upon the Lord for God's grace and help -- and it applies for all things and in all ways.  It is an active way of taking time in our lives, in any moment -- while we are commuting, washing dishes, waiting for an appointment, through all things -- interjecting prayer into our lives and asking for Christ to be present with us and for whomever else we may be praying.  It is a way of understanding that Christ is present at all times, invoking God's grace at work in the world wherever we are or wherever our thoughts may be directed.  It opens a window and reminds us that this Kingdom intersects our lives and our world; it has no limitation of time or space, and we can pray anywhere.  In John's Gospel, Jesus teaches that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  There is no better way to pray with such an understanding than the practice of this short prayer, repeated any time and any place.  One may read about the history of the Jesus Prayer and its practice, but it is important -- even essential -- to understand that it is based on this prayer, this short plea.  It need not be more fancy or specific, but it can also be embroidered and made more distinct if such prayer works better for us.  Let us remember the insistence of this blind man, especially when there are times in our lives when we can't see, for which we need God's help -- which is true, at least in some great spiritual sense, at all times.  Like the people of Jericho, let us also remember to give praise to God.