• Download

Have Mercy! (Matthew 20:29-34)

First Baptist Church https://fbcbartow.org

“Have Mercy!”

(Matthew 20:29-34)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

May 3, 2020

The Passage

Matthew 20:29-34

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

33 “Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.

Introductory Comments:

Thank you, Dirck, for leading us in worship. By the way, today is Dirck’s birthday, so be sure and send him a message to let him know how much you appreciate him.

It’s a joy to worship through music. Now, let’s worship through the Word of God. 

Before we do, let’s pray together and ask God to bless us. 

(prayer)

There are two types of people in this world: those who don’t mind asking for help and those who refuse to ask for help. Some of you know what I’m talking about. There are some people who refuse to ask for help under any circumstances. They could have one leg on fire, be surrounded by rattlesnakes, while up to their chin in rising quicksand and still refuse to ask for help. Raise your hand if someone in the room with you is like that. I see a lot of hands out there (just kidding). 


Well, there are other types of people who don’t mind asking for help. In today’s passage we’re going to hear from two men who knew that they needed help and they knew that Jesus could help them. 

We’re going to see how Jesus responded to these men and how that applies to us. We’re going to discover three gifts that Jesus had for these two men and that He has for us as well. 


First, . . .

I. Jesus has mercy for you (vv. 29-31) [on screen]

Jesus and His apostles are on their way to Jerusalem, and they’ve left Jericho. As we know from our study of Matthew, where Jesus went, people gathered and followed Him. Here, there is a large crowd following Him. So, these men, although they were blind, were aware that something was going on and they were aware that Jesus was there. 

It’s important to realize that life for blind people is much different today. There are resources, organizations, and advances in today’s culture that are able to assist visually impaired people in a lot of ways. However, blind people in Jesus’ day were often unable to receive any kind of genuine help and as a result, it left them in desperate situations. 

These two men needed help and they knew that they needed help. They needed mercy from Jesus and they knew that Jesus had mercy for them. 


Let’s check out the passage. Look at verses 29-31:

29 As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30 There were two blind men sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” 31 The crowd demanded that they keep quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

These two blind men knew that Jesus was there. They couldn’t see Him, but they knew He was there from the crowds, and probably the commotion, that surrounded Him. 

In order to capture Jesus’ attention, they cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

They couldn’t see Jesus, but they knew that Jesus would see them if they could capture His attention so they yelled out for Him. 

As they are yelling Him, they are declaring Him “Son of David.” This title, Son of David, is used to indicate that they know that Jesus is the Messiah. The Messiah would be the Son of David. They knew that the Messiah would be able to help people, so they cried out to Him. They were saying, “We know you are there; we know that you are the Messiah; we know that you can help us; have mercy on us!”

Notice in verse 31 that the crowd told the men to stop crying out after Jesus. 

We’re not exactly sure why the crowd wanted them to stop. Perhaps they didn’t want the blind men to get involved; they were always asking for help, and now wasn’t the time. Perhaps they didn’t want them to slow Jesus down because they wanted Jesus to get to Jerusalem so they could see Him institute His kingdom. 

It didn’t matter. The crowd did not deter the blind men. They cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!”

These men were determined to cry out to Jesus because they knew that they couldn’t help themselves, but Jesus could help them and heal them. They knew that Jesus had mercy for them. 

Listen, church: Jesus has mercy for you! Have you cried out to Jesus lately? 

Jesus has mercy available for you just as He had mercy available for these blind men. The question is, do you know that He can help you? Do you know that He can heal you? Do you know that He is Messiah?

Jude verse 21 says, “keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.”[on screen]

Hebrews 4:14-16 says, “14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”[on screen]

Cry out to Jesus and ask Him for mercy! Jesus has mercy for you!

Next, . . .

II. Jesus has time for you (v. 32) [on screen]

Many might have expected Jesus to take the same attitude of the crowd. Many might have expected Him to say that He didn’t have time for them. They might have expected Jesus to say something like, “Don’t bother me right now, I’ve got Messiah stuff to do. I’m on my way to Jerusalem!”

Have you ever had someone act like they don’t have time for you? I go to a lot of meetings and talk to other pastors and leaders at times. Sometimes you can tell that those people don’t have time for you. They’re looking at their phones or looking around the room to see if there is someone more important to talk to than you. It’s not a good feeling when that happens. Conversely, it makes you feel good when you’re talking to someone and they look you in the eye and give you attention because they do have time for you. 

Jesus had time for these men. Check out verse 32:

32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus heard their cry for mercy. Think about all that Jesus had coming up with His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. Yet, He had time to stop everything that He was doing and focus on these two men.

You gotta catch this: Jesus has time for you. He hears you when you cry to Him for mercy and He is there for you. 

Jesus asks them, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Jesus doesn’t ask them this because He doesn’t know that they are blind. He obviously can see that and He knows all things anyways. 

I believe Jesus is asking them what He can do for them because He wants them to submit their request to Him. I believe He wants to heal them, but He first wants them to specifically ask for the healing. 

Did you know that you can get specific with God when you submit your requests to Him?

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” [on screen]

First Peter 5:6-7 says, “6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you.” [on screen]

You can come to God with anything and everything, trusting Him to meet your requests according to His great will and wisdom!

Our Father in heaven cares about us and He hears our requests. Likewise, our Lord Jesus has mercy for us and He has time for us!


What is it that you need to bring to Jesus? Perhaps you have a sin that you’ve been battling; bring it to Jesus! Perhaps you’re living in fear or doubt; bring it to Jesus! Perhaps you’re filled with anger or hate; bring it to Jesus! Perhaps you’re living in laziness or apathy; bring it to Jesus! Perhaps you’re still lost in your sins and you’ve never been made new; come to Jesus! He has mercy for you and He has time for you. 

Well, what will happen when you come to Jesus? I’m glad that you asked. That takes us to our final point:

III. Jesus has transformation for you (vv. 33-34) [on screen]

These men cried out to Jesus for mercy, Jesus had time to hear their request, and Jesus showed them mercy, which led to transformation in their lives, both physically and spiritually.

Look at verse 33:

33 “Lord,” they said to him, “open our eyes.” 34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they could see, and they followed him.

Jesus was moved with compassion for them. He was moved to show them mercy and He touched their eyes. 

Imagine the progression of their emotions during this encounter: desperation as they cried out to Jesus, hoping that He would hear them amongst the crowd; hope as Jesus stopped for them, knowing that He was paying attention; and exhilaration as Jesus touched their eyes and they could all of a sudden see. 


Jesus brought transformation for these men. They were blind, but now they could see. 

As a result of the transformation that Jesus brought to them, the followed Him. 


Jesus changed them and they were now Jesus followers. 

How many of you all have been changed by Jesus? Now, you are followers of Jesus. Listen, church: Jesus has transformation for you and that transformation is life-changing. That transformation leads to devotion to Jesus. That transformation not only transforms your life, it also transforms you into a Jesus follower.

Concluding Thoughts:

Jesus is a life changer. Not only your life on this earth but your life for all eternity. 

If you’ve not been changed by Jesus you can today.

That takes us to our bottom line:

Bottom Line: Cry out to Jesus and experience His transforming mercy. [on screen]

(repeat)

If you’ve not been transformed by the power of Jesus come to Him for transformation. He has mercy for you, He has time for you, and He has transformation for you. 


Call out to Jesus and ask Him to change you. He will. He’ll transform you into a new person!

If you’ve been changed by Jesus, follow Him; follow Him faithfully!

Let’s challenge ourselves to live out this passage in the following ways:

Weekly Challenge: [on screen]

1. Cry out to Jesus for mercy. [on screen]

Whether you’re a follower of Jesus or not, call out to Jesus this week. 

Ask Him to increase your faith. Ask Him to make you holier. Ask Him to help you with a spiritual struggle. Ask Him to heal you of a physical problem. Ask Him to give you peace. Ask Him to help you be patient with everyone cooped up in your house. Ask Him to help you to be fearless in the midst of uncertainty. Ask Him to give you wisdom to know how to lead your family. Ask Him for hope when you feel hopeless. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Ask Him to help you follow Him more faithfully. 


Cry out to Jesus for mercy this week!

If you don’t think that you need the mercy of Jesus this week you either don’t know Jesus or you don’t know yourself. 


We need the mercy of Jesus all of the time! Let us all call out to Him this week!

2. Evaluate your transformation. [on screen]

Have you experienced the mercy of Jesus? Well, have you changed? How have you been transformed?

Take some time this week to consider and evaluate how you are doing in your new Jesus-transformed life. 

If you’ve not seen much change, perhaps it’s time for you to go back to Jesus and cry out for repentance and live a changed life. 

Closing:

Let us continue to seek the mercy and transformation of Jesus. If you need someone to pray for you as you seek Jesus, contact any of our staff or email us at prayer@fbcbartow.org. 


If you’ve never been transformed by Jesus at all, He can change you forever. Call out to Him. 

(Gospel presentation)

(closing prayer)

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.