Word of Salvation – Vol. 18 No.02 - January 1972

 

Jesus Answers A Cry For Help

 

Sermon by Rev. C. Moerman, Th.Grad. on Luke 18:35-43

Scripture Reading: Luke 4: 16-30

Psalter Hymnal: No. 287:1 & 3; 431:6 (law); 425; 293:1,2,3,4; 360:3

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus,

When you drive in your car or walk through the beauty of God's nature, when you climb the high tops of the mountains or pass through the valleys, when you observe the thousands of different colours God used to beautify and give life to His nature, do you ever think about the people who cannot see this?  People living in a world of darkness and loneliness because their eyes are closed?  Can there really be any worse disability than blindness?

You and I, we can see the wonders of creation, we can discern and appreciate the great works of art, we rejoice in the small things of everyday life, we can see the first smile on our little children's faces.  Yes, we do, and we thank God that He gave us sight.

But what about the many who are not so fortunate?  Missing out on these things.  As poor and wretched people, they are helpless, dependent on others.

Do we have compassion on them?

Our Lord Jesus Christ did!

In the Bible passage we read we met such a pitiable and miserable creature.  A blind man, who, through his blindness was forced to live in the lowest class of society.  Depending on whatever others gave to him.  A beggar, having no work, no pleasure in the things around him.  An outcast.

But this man was a very lucky man.  He was one of those few people who see their chance in life, their golden opportunity.  He cashed in on this opportunity, was delivered from his misery and out of thankfulness followed Him who wrought such a good work on him.  We will hear how "Jesus answers a cry for help" and we must keep these three points in mind:

            How this man knew his misery;

            How he pleaded for deliverance;

            How he thanked God for this wondrous act.

Jesus answers a cry for help; misery, deliverance, and gratitude.

This miracle happened when Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem.  Jesus was on His way to the cross, and He knew it.  In verse 31 of the same chapter we read that Jesus said, "We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written of the Son of man will be accomplished".  But the disciples understood none of these things.  Not yet.

On this last journey which brought Him to Jericho, our Lord was surrounded by a big crowd.  Were they people on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, or were they just following Him because of the miracles and the wonderful words He spoke?  We do not know.  But they were there!  And Jesus, the great Rabbi, was the centre of their attention.  And they drew near to Jericho.

But look!   Who is that bundle of human misery sitting by the roadside, begging?  It is a blind man.  He cannot see the countless number of people coming his way.  But he can hear them.  There must be something special, so many people coming his way.  But what...?  He cannot see a thing.

He is one of those poor fellows with not much joy in his life.  He has carried his burden of blindness for a long time already, maybe from his birth.  He cannot work with his hands to support his family – if he has one – He can only stretch out his hand and ask for money so that he may continue to live in his world of darkness.

This man knew his misery and his dependence on other people.  He also knew that he could not be cured.  There was no ointment to open his eyes.

We may learn one thing from the fact that the blind man sat by the roadside.  He did not sit lazily at home and wait for relief to come to him.  He placed himself by the roadside, in order that travellers might see him and give him help.  If he had not been active, had not sat by the roadside on that day, he might have remained blind to the hour of his death.

We may remember the conduct of this blind man!   He who is seeking for salvation must attend diligently to the means of grace.  He must be found there where Jesus is especially present.  Here in His house, where His word is preached.  If not, he might miss his golden opportunity.

The blind man inquired what was happening, with so many people coming his way.  They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."  He must have realized that this could be his great day.  Now or never...!  The only great chance of his life to get rid of his misery and become a man like the ones passing by, who could see what happened, who could see the great Physician.

But he cannot see the Lord, not yet!   Therefore he cannot go to Him and show his pitiable circumstances.  But God has given him a voice and he is going to use that.  He cries out for mercy, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me."

Do you hear this?  "Jesus, Son of David", he cried.  And the people had said to him "Jesus of Nazareth".  He must have known Him, he must have heard about Him before, and... believed that He was the long expected Messiah, David's royal son and heir to the throne.

And he is shouting it out, "Son of David, have mercy on me, a poor wretched man."  He knew his misery and realized that deliverance was only possible through Him who was passing by, the Messiah.  Do you know that our Catechism says that it is necessary to know how great our misery and sins are before we can be delivered, and that only then we can be thankful?

The blind man called out for mercy.  Disturbing the peace.  In the eyes of the people, he was making a nuisance of himself.  The master was too busy, he could not be bothered with the problems of such a poor and unimportant member of society.  They are trying to stop him.  They probably made nasty remarks and did not think him worthwhile enough to mention him to Jesus.

But the blind man is not going to be stopped.  He is not going to let this golden opportunity slip by, because a few angry voices are trying to stop him.  He knows too well his misery and wretchedness.  He knows that if the Saviour of the world passes by this time, there is no future for him, no bright outlook, but only dimness.

And this time at the top of his voice, he cries out, he keeps on crying out: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.  Why do you not hear me?  Please listen to such a poor creature as I am".

This shout was a prayer for help.  It may have seemed to him as if the heaven was closed and of brass, but he kept on, till his prayer was heard.

We pray too, don't we?  Three times a day, before and after meals.  And then we have our personal prayer, our talk with God.  But do we have that same urge in our prayer, "God, I am a sinner and I know that only You can cleanse me from all unrighteousness.  Please do!"

Or has our prayer become a string of meaningless words, uttered in traditional forms, maybe with the idea in the back of our mind that we can appease God and turn away mischief and evil.  O, what dangers there are in prayer!   But do not forget, congregation, prayer is to have an audience, a formal interview with our God, the King of Kings.

And we must not despair or be put off easily if we think that our prayer is not heard, but persist and continue, believing and knowing that God is the hearer of prayer, always, even if we think that He does not hear us.

Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem and with weighty matters on His mind.  Would He stop and find time to pay attention to this cry for help?

Of course, He stopped and listened and helped.

That was the very purpose for which He came to this world.  Not to help the ones who are whole and not in need of a physician, but the sick ones, the ones who know their misery.  They are the ones for whom He came.

Jesus came to Jericho to heal this blind man.  To pull him out of grief and sorrow.  To give him back light and life.

He commanded the people to bring him before Him.  Maybe the crowd did not like this very much.  They had rebuked him at first for yelling out.  But now, they cannot refuse, they have to bring him before the Master.

What a marvellous response of Jesus, on His way to the cross.  Filled with compassion for a blind man, seeking His help.  Jesus cannot pass by with that cry ringing even faintly in His ears.

And so it is in our days.

Jesus does not go marching on when you cry to Him from the depth of your heart, knowing your misery and helplessness.  Cry then, congregation, for your redemption, for your deliverance from sin.  And He shall stop and listen to it and come to your help.

As they brought him before Jesus, we hear a strange question.  "What do you want me to do for you?"  "What do you want me to do for you?!?"  Don't you know THAT, Jesus?  You Who are the Son of God, the Almighty One, who knows everything?  Can you not see what is wrong with me?  Everyone can see that I am in need of help.

What do you think?  Jesus knew, of course.  He knows your need, and mine too.  Nevertheless, He wants us to tell Him what is wrong.  We may never say, we have no need to pray, for He knows.  He knows, but tell Him that you need Him and when He comes to us with His gracious offer, "What do you want me to do for you", then we must tell Him and ask Him to attend to our needs.

And then follows that cry which must have come from deep down, a cry from the depth of his soul, "Lord, let me receive my sight.  Please Lord, let me see the beauty of your nature, the flowers which are growing in the fields, the trees which You have decked with so many different colours, the smiles on the faces of people, who are happy.  Lord, please help me, I need You to be able to see these things.  I need You Lord, to confirm what I now believe, that all power in Heaven and on earth is yours, also the power over my eye-sight."

And then our Lord, Who had compassion on that bundle of poor human misery in front of Him, grants his wish.  "Receive your sight!"  Oh, we will never be able to tell in words what that must have meant for that man.  A revelation!   He can now see!   And I like to think, that the first things he saw were the smiling eyes of His physician, His Master, His Saviour, who had made him whole.  And now with his eyes wide open, he listens to what the Master says in addition, "Your faith has made you well".

Not his crying and shouting, but his faith, was the basis for his healing.  The man had believed in the power of Jesus, accepted Him as his Saviour, and therefore... and only therefore, Jesus heard his cry for help.

Brothers and sisters, boys and girls, in our day Jesus is still the same.  He has not changed.  The times have, but He has not.  The condition for answered prayer is still the same: your faith.

That faith of the blind man, and yours too, may be weak and imperfect, but if it makes you cry to Jesus, and go on crying in spite of rebukes, then He will in no wise cast you out.  But He will restore the dimness of your soul.

And now we notice a radical change in the blind man, who is no longer blind.  From the most pitiable man of the crowd, he became the most happy one.  He found Him, the Light of the World, who had given him light in his eyes.  He found his Redeemer on his way to the cross, to die for his sins also.

And now he wants to follow Him, he wants to be one of His disciples.  And this is not the normal reaction because Jesus had cleansed and healed him.  No, we only have to remember how our Lord cleansed ten lepers, and nine of them were too busy with themselves to return and to say "thank you, Lord for what you have done for me".  We have only to remember our own ungratefulness.  Sometimes we have been praying and when the Lord answers our prayers we are too busy to thank Him.

But that is a definite unchristian attitude.  When we have seen our misery, and the Lord in His grace has delivered us, then we must praise Him, and show our gratitude.  That is what the blind man did.  That is what you must do, too.  And then follow after Him, attach yourself to Him and His group of disciples, become one with Him and them.

And that is not an easy road.  Remember Jesus was on His way to be crucified.  And although you cannot bear His cross, He wants you to become a cross-bearer too.  He, Who has delivered you from misery, has laid another cross on your shoulder.  But a light one, because you can carry your cross, glorifying God, for His marvellous deeds bestowed upon you.

Yes, glorifying.  There is no such person as a moaning and groaning Christian.  A Christian ought to be a person with a smile on his face, a smile of thankfulness and gladness because he knows that his redemption is a fact.

And now the crowd!  The people who saw it happen, they were stunned.  How is it possible that that man, only a few minutes before, a poor miserable blind beggar, not even worthwhile to look at, nor to stop for: how is it possible that he now has such a wide smile on his face?  That he is looking around and about him, to absorb the beauty of his surroundings as if he can make up for what he had missed for such a long time.  And he is glorifying his Master too.

The crowd cannot understand all this, but they too praise God for such a wonderful act.  For such a Redeemer, for such a mighty deed.  Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah, as the Redeemer of those in need.  And the people saw it, and praised God for this.  He revealed His majesty that they might know and recognize Him, as the long expected One.

A few more days and the same crowd would cry it out, "Blessed is the King Who comes in the name of the Lord.  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest."

A few days after that, they would reject Him, and yell out, "Crucify Him!"

But now the crowd must see it and acknowledge Him as the Messiah.

Have you seen Him, too, today?  No, not have you heard that nice story about the blind man who was healed?  But have you seen HIM, who healed the blind man, who delivers from misery and gives reason for gratitude?

Have you seen HIM, who revealed His power and majesty?  Have you seen HIM, who still today, wants to deliver all those, who in their misery cry out to Him for deliverance?

And He will deliver, if they come to Him, in faith.

If you did see Him, and if you know that your Redeemer lives, go home then and glorify God, every day of this new week, every day of your life.

But If you did not see Him.  Go, and sit by the roadside and wait till He is passing by – and He is passing by quite often – cry out then as loud as you can, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

Amen.