Mercy: On the Road to Calvary
As we near the end of Lent and anticipate Palm Sunday, I have been meditating on an encounter that took place between Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, and Jesus just outside of Jericho. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.
The road to Jerusalem is especially foreboding for Jesus because it leads to Golgotha—the place of the cross. We know this because three different times Jesus warns his disciples in no uncertain terms about his impending death—the prophecies about the Son of Man were about to be fulfilled.
The Son of Man will be delivered over to the Gentiles … The Son of Man will be mocked shamefully treated and spit upon …
The Son of Man will be flogged and killed …
But they understood none of these things (Matthew 20:17–19; Mark 10:32–34; Luke 18:31–34)
His disciples, his closest companions and friends, somehow completely missed the point of his urgency.
But Bartimaeus, known as “the blind beggar" and the son of Timaeus, was seated by the roadside outside of Jericho. He was surrounded by the hubbub and the footfalls of the great crowd. He could hear the rising, excited urgency from the voices in the crowd and inquired what this meant.
Jesus of Nazareth is passing by …
Bartimaeus, the unclean, unnoticed, unimportant blind beggar began to cry out,
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
The road outside of Jericho, a major trade route at the time, would have been clamorous and crowded with Jews, Samaritans, Greeks, and Romans engaging in commerce. The sheer volume of the crowd required Bartimaeus to raise his voice above the commotion and to cry out all the louder …
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!
Bartimaeus, from the bottom-of-the-edge of the crowd, recognizes (with his ears no less) Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of David—the Messiah—God’s promised deliverer. Despite being rebuked and told to shut up, he persisted …
Jesus Son of David, have mercy on me!
Jesus stopped. He heard his cries and orders them to call him. So they called to the blind man, “Take heart. Get up: he is calling you.” Bartimaeus, with a burst of anticipation and abandon, throws off his cloak, springs up, and finds his way to Jesus who immediately restores his sight.
Imagine—the very first thing Bartemaeus sees is the face of Jesus, the Son of David.
Jesus just outside of Jericho and on the road to Calvary is ushering in God’s kingdom. He has demonstrated time and again that God’s kingdom, unlike the ruling powers of the day, welcomes the ostracized and overlooked, broken and banished, unclean and unwanted.
Practicing Lent reminds us that God extends love and mercy to the poor, the war-torn, the ravaged, the hungry, the homeless, the anxious, the diseased, and the dying, to you, and to me. He hears our cries for mercy.
This week, stop like Jesus did. Cup your ears and listen intently and keep your eyes peeled for those along the edge, be ready to receive and extend God’s mercy. Remember, this week we join the no-longer-blind-Bartimaeus and follow Jesus on the way … to Calvary.
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us
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