As Jesus approached
Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the
crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth
is passing by.” He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those
who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the
more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
There is a subtle and sad reality in the text above that
still resonates in our world today. When a man of low stature called for the
attention of Jesus, the crowd essentially told him to be quiet. It’s probably
safe to assume that the crowd following Christ was of a higher stature than
this man, simply because they were not at his side begging as well. So they
told this man of little importance to basically be quiet and stop bothering
this important man that they were following. Unfortunately this same situation still
occurs today in our Christian circles. We see someone that might look different
than the rest of us…someone that might walk to church instead of drive a nice
vehicle…someone that might not fit into the “Christian mold” that we have developed
as expected within our church walls. So we self-appoint ourselves as judge of
who belongs. We cast them aside…we make it known that they don’t fit in and it’s
best that they either change to look like us or continue down the road to
another spot. We may not do this as directly as the people in the text above,
but when we fail to embrace a fellow believer that is calling out to our God…a
believer that is calling out for the very same mercy that we seek…then we are rejecting
just like the folks that rebuked the blind man in the example from Luke. We are
all equally sinful, completely condemned, and in desperate need of God’s forgiveness.
Apart from Christ, each of us stand vulnerable, exposed, and victim to the
harshness of this world. Our need and desire is not determined by the brand of
clothes we wear, our bank account, or our social status. Christ came for all…Christ
came so that all would call on him for mercy. Christ came so that all would realize
their brokenness, so that all would repent of their sins, and so that all would
put their faith in Him. May we never stand in the way of someone that is
calling out to Christ…may we never deter another that is seeking the Lord…and
may we do all that we can to encourage one another and welcome our fellow
believers into our family of common believers. To God alone be the glory!
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