Mercy by Gerald Van Horn
Text. Luke 18:41. “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee.?”
Read Luke 18:35-43
This is one of the many acts of mercy of our Lord. The question is very personal and recorded here for our benefit. What it is saying is “What do you want me to do for you?” What a great picture of Jesus when He was here on earth! He was always looking for an opportunity to help suffering humanity. If the church could exhibit just half the compassion of Jesus what a wonderful place this world would be.
Three things come to mind:
1. It was personal. Notice how Jesus’ attention is focused on this individual.
2. It was full of mercy. “What can I do for you?”
3. It was a powerful encounter. Consider the condition of this blind man.
There was only one thing that he wanted. To receive his sight. Jesus gave him what he asked for. His sight. Some would say but that happened 2000 years ago and what does it have to do with me? Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still in the business of meeting people’s needs. "The Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting." Psalms 100:5. "Far as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is the mercy toward them that fear him." Psalms 103:11
Jesus still asks us today: “What can I do for you?’ He asks the sick and afflicted. He asks the sinner. He asks the saint. He asks the church. He asks us as individuals. He asks you right now.
I. There are many things we need that we are incapable of doing for ourselves.
A. Things we can do for ourselves:
1. Get a good education.
2. Be a good citizen.
3. Attend worship.
4. Love others.
B. What we cannot do for ourselves:
1. We cannot do a thing about our spiritual condition.
2. We cannot rid ourselves of our sins.
3. We cannot cleanse our ways.
4. We cannot find real peace.
5. We cannot earn our way to heaven.
We are utterly helpless. Only Jesus can do these things for us. What seems impossible with man is possible with the Lord.
II. Jesus is well able and perfectly willing to do these things for us.
A. To meet every need that we ourselves are quite incapable of doing for ourselves.
1. It’s one things to say we have a need and to be able to do something about it.
2. The blind man could not open his eyes and see.
3. Jesus opened his eyes and healed him.
B. Jesus’ desire.
1. He desired to heal the blind man.
2. He took time to minister to him.
3. He met his need.
This makes Jesus’ unique. No human could do this. No government could do this. No religion could do this. No one in the whole universe could do this. Only Jesus could.
III. We must be willing to receive.
A. It all depends on our willingness to receive
1. Jesus is waiting to:
a. Forgive you. He will say, “Thy sins are forgiven.” Matthew 9:2.
b. Cleanse you. “I will be thou clean.” Mark 1:41.
c. He will give you peace. “My peace I give to you...” John 14:27.
d. Victory over sin. “Go and sin no more.” John 8:11
e. Guidance. “I will guide thee with my eyes.” Psalms 32:8.
f. Comfort. “Be not afraid.” Matthew 14:27.
When you receive what the Lord wants to give you,you too will rejoice. Luke 18:41. “He glorified God.”
