Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.

 

- Matthew 20:29-34 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify.  And the third day He will rise again."  (This was the second prophesy of His Passion that Jesus has given to the disciples.)  Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him.  And He said to her, "What do you wish?"  She said to Him, "Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one of Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom."  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask.  Are you able to drink the cup that I am about the drink, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?"  They said to Him, "We are able."  So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."  And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers.  But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know  that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.  And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave -- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

 

 Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him.  And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, "Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!"  So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  They said to Him, "Lord, that our eyes may be opened."  So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes.  And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.  My study Bible comments that these two blind men greet Jesus as Lord, the common title for God, and Son of David, which is a title which was deeply associated with the Messiah.  Although Christ knows what we want before we ask, it notes, He calls us to ask freely so that we might learn of His mercy.  There is also a spiritual interpretation of this miracle in patristic commentary, in which the two blind men symbolize future generations who would come to faith only through hearing, without the benefit of seeing Christ in person (see John 20:29).  In this interpretation, my study Bible notes, those who tried to silence the blind men are persecutors and tyrants who, in each generation, try to silence the Church.  But nonetheless, under persecution, the Church all the more confesses Jesus Christ.

 

 Today's reading asks us to consider for ourselves where our own blindness may be, and how it might be remedied and healed.  These two men understand their circumstances, and they pray to Christ -- as Messiah and Lord -- for their healing, which is His mercy.   They are asked by Christ, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  This invites us to consider not just what we want or would like God to do for us, but whether or not we understand our own blindness, and therefore what help we need to see.  The people who call for them to be quiet can be compared to our own voices, or to the voices of those around us, who don't want us to recognize our blindness nor what we need.  The blindness in today's reading can be compared to the blindness of denial to the truths that are around us and even within us, and especially denial of our need for Christ and the ways in which He can heal us.  In the Bible, Jericho is often considered a city symbolic of sin; in the parable of the Good Samaritan, the attack on the man needing help occurred on this road between Jerusalem and Jericho which Jesus now travels.  If we take today's reading symbolically, we might get great insight by considering how often circumstances would ask us to remain blind when we seek to be healed of the falsehoods we tell ourselves in order to "keep the peace," when in fact we need to face the reality of our circumstances.  Christ, as the way, the truth, and the life, is the One who brings the healing light to us that exposes the falsehoods we tell ourselves, or the lies that keep a bad circumstance from being opened up and cleansed for the good of all parties involved.  In this allegorical sense, it is these two blind men on the side of the road who are the ones who truly see, while the rest demand silence.  It is these two blind men who, in fact, recognize their Healer and Savior, and call to Him, who are the ones doing as He would desire.  And it is these two with whom Jesus will engage with a heart-to-heart question, "What do you want Me to do for you?"  As an allegorical story, we might ask ourselves why they are the only ones who seem to honestly want what Christ has to offer -- and in His truth and insight into the heart of human beings, He engages with them.  We human beings have a remarkable capacity for denial, for keeping ourselves blind so that we don't "rock the boat," as the expression goes, so that we can live with things we really should be doing something about to heal rather than leaving them as they are in neglect.  We might turn a blind eye to unpleasant facts we'd rather not face, or to problems -- for whatever reason -- we don't really want to solve.  But let us note:  this is not to suggest that radical solutions are necessary for everybody, or that we need to tear our world down in order to heal it.  Such theoretical abstractions are misguided.  What we need to do is what these two blind men do:  we need to appeal to Christ the true light for our healing, to help to show us what's in our hearts, and what is the truth we need to embrace and accept.  For this is the way of mercy and true justice, not destruction or hate, but love.  Let us remember that when we seek Christ's mercy, we seek His light and compassion, and we should be prepared to follow Him out of our own Jerichos, as these blind men do -- not heeding the voices that tell us to keep quiet or stop seeking our Lord.  Let us always remember that when we pray, "Lord have mercy," we ask for healing and light, the truth that saves.

 

 

Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs

 From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.  But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.

Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.  Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

- Mark 7:24-37

On Saturday, we read that the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.  Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.  For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.   When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash.  And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.  Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, "Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?"  He answered and said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'  For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men -- the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do."  He said to them, "All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.  For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.'  But you say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is Corban" -- ' (that is, a gift to God), "then you no longer let him do anything for his father or his mother, making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.  And many such things you do."   When He had called all the multitude to Himself, He said to them, "Hear Me, everyone, and understand.  There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.  If anyone has ears to hear; let him hear!"  When  He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable.  So He said to them, "Are you thus without understanding also?  Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?"  And He said, "What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

  From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon.  And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden.  For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet.  The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.   Jesus is once again in Gentile territory.  These are cities on the coast of Palestine, to the west and north of Galilee.  My study bible says, "That the mother kept asking Him for her daughter's deliverance teaches perseverance in prayer.  Jesus resists her, not to make her persuade Him, but to test her faith.  Such persistence the Lord seeks from all."

But Jesus said to her, "Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs."  And she answered and said to Him, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children's crumbs."  Then He said to her, "For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter."  And when she had come to her house, she found the demon gone out and her daughter lying on the bed.   In the biblical Greek, that the woman kept "asking" can also be interpreted as "begging" according to some dictionaries (and my study bible) -- it is, in this context, someone who is imploring another in a superior position.  In that sort of picture, Jesus addresses her as a kind of puppy at the table, one that keeps pestering.  What we notice most here is Jesus' favorable attitude to her persistence, and especially her witty and engaging response to Him, one that is full of zeal for what He offers. 

 Again, departing from the region of Tyre and Sidon, He came through the midst of the region of Decapolis to the Sea of Galilee.  Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him.  And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened."  Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly.   My study bible tells us that "looking up to heaven is a sign of intimacy with the Father in prayer.  He sighed out of deep compassion for the man's pitiful condition."  It also notes, "Jesus heals in various ways.  Sometimes He speaks a word, sometimes He commands people to act (take up a bed, 2:10-12; wash in a pool, John 9:7), sometimes He touches people (1:40-42).  Here He takes a man aside for a private and unusual act of healing.  The ways of God at times do not make sense to us, not because He is illogical, but because His nature transcends our capacity to understand."

Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.  And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well.  He makes both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."  A note tells us that "here Jesus' attempt to keep His messianic identity secret is foiled by the people's enthusiasm.  The gospel is so powerful that it simply cannot be contained."

Today's reading bears signs of the parable of the Mustard Seed, and the many other parables Jesus taught to describe this Kingdom and its work in the world.  There is just so much more to this than meets the eye, so much more to what Christ Himself plants -- even in His very presence (for example, hiding Himself inside a house in Gentile territory) -- that everything that results from His presence, from this seed planted into the world, is surprising:  beyond our concepts, outside of every box we know, and simply cannot be hidden.  This mustard seed (appropriately golden yellow!), this Man (the Sower) who goes from one place to the next, planting His seeds -- well, this Kingdom just springing up all over, bearing fruit and flowers and branches and twigs and roots, giving shade to the birds:  it simply can't be contained.  The Sower Himself seems to be pleasantly delighted with the exuberance of growth and root:  in the smart and clever reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman who wants a healing for her daughter, for example.  Her alacrity and creativity -- and persistence -- are part of the springing up of the growth of this mustard seed.  Her very persistence and character magnify the effects of this seed, this Kingdom, this leaven that is planted to change the whole mixture.  The creativity of her response to Him is another way in which the Kingdom energizes, gives zeal and direction.  And persistence itself is like a hidden gem, a seed, a kind of mystery that becomes "hidden in plain sight" in today's reading.  We see Jesus' persistence in His mission, going from here to there, surprised by this Gentile woman and her faith and intelligence, delighted with her witty reply to Him -- and back to Galilee, to the Decapolis, and healing in so many unique ways, a way to address each ailment or illness that comes before Him.  In this sense, creativity and persistence are linked, as we see both in Jesus and His ministry, and mirrored in the reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman.  Jesus is tireless and His ministry keeps expanding, but perhaps the greatest blossoming of all is His surprise and occasional "marveling" at the way things go in response to Him (even in occasions in which the outcome seems negative).  Jesus' secret can't be hidden.  Even in the "opening" of this man's ears and tongue in today's reading, we can read a kind of blossoming, a branching out, a sprouting forth of leaves, a true spring.  And I think it's important that we take a look at these metaphors, these articles of Jesus' parables, for our own lives and how His Kingdom works in us.  It's not easy to be out of the box.  It's not easy not to fit easily and comfortably into prescribed forms or types or alternatives the world will present us with for identity.  But I find that Christ will call us into totally unique places; as each one of us is created uniquely, a walk with Christ, a life steeped in prayer, will often lead to choices where we feel totally alone with God, where we can't rely on circumstances to tell us easily what is what, and what choice we should make -- especially who we are.  The uniqueness in the assertive reply of the Syro-Phoenician woman, the amazing mystery in the way Jesus goes aside in private to heal the blind and deaf man, these are just examples of the great creativity and uniqueness that springs up everywhere Jesus goes.  And let us never forget that His ministry and its great creativity and flowering also includes the negative; it makes its own seeds in the midst of evil, of those who turn away, of those who betray Him -- and even crucify and kill Him.  And this is the way that we must look at our own lives in the light of Christ.  There is nothing in which God's hidden seed does not exist.  There is no place into which we are not called to find "His way," no matter how negative or limited the circumstances, no matter how circumscribed it may seem our choices are.  Everywhere there is God's way, but we need the courage and the persistence to find that out-of-the-box answer, to defy the "ruler of this world" by setting our sights on the Resurrection, by carrying the cross we're given, even if it seems there is nobody with us, and we're lost in the dark.  A unique path will often feel that way, even as we're called, just as He was.  He will set the example.  Let us remember the golden brightness of the mustard seed.  It is there, even when it is "hidden in plain sight" -- just not in a form we already expect.  It is His unique Way we seek through all things, no matter what the world presents us with.  But we must have eyes to see and ears to hear beyond the worldly obvious, and we must remain persistent in our zeal, creativity, and courage.