Prayer

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” (Mark 10:47).

Christ Healing the Blind Man (Eustache Le Sueur)

There is a line in the Gospel that is my favourite line of Scripture…

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” (Mark 10:47).

It is the line called out by Bartimaeus who was the blind beggar on the side of the road as Christ passed by.

There are so many reason why I love this line of Scripture.  The first is because it is such a simple prayer and is so easy to remember!  It is a prayer that acknowledges the GLORY of GOD, because addressing Christ as the “Son of David” was a way of acknowledging Him as the Messiah – and thus God the Son come to save the world.  It is a prayer that speaks to God’s Divine Mercy, because the beggar is asking God to be merciful and not just.  He knows – and I know when I pray this prayer – that I deserve nothing and yet receive EVERYTHING through the MERCY of God.  And finally, I love this prayer for its context.  Bartimaeus is blind.  He is poor.  He is in the lowest part of society in a world that is moving too fast around him.  And despite all of this, despite the people around him trying to silence him and delegate him back to a quiet corner to be unheard and unseen and no inconvenience to anyone, Bartimaeus continues to call out…

“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging.  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’   Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’   Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’  So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’  Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.  ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him.  The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’  ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:46–52).

Christ’s response to this prayer is just so beautiful.  He hears the blind beggar – despite the noise of all the other people around – He hears the need of he who needed Him most – and He calls to Him.  He beckons Bartimaeus forward and people around assist him.  The same people who tried to silence Bartimaeus are now – at the direction of Our Lord – assisting him to stand up and walk forward.  And then Christ asks the most beautiful question that God has ever asked of a soul…

“What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51).

And it occurs to me as I pray that my Infinitely merciful God is laying Himself at my MERCY asking me, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51).

And Christ humbles Himself by allowing me the time to tell Him what I want.  He already knows the answer, but He insists on allowing me to have my turn.  He insists on allowing me to say what I want to say.  And just as Bartimaeus had desires in his heart, “Rabbi, I want to see.” (Mark 10:51), so too do I…

My trials have called me into relationship with Christ.  God is turning the difficult into an opportunity for me to speak with Him, to lean on Him, and to ask Him for whatever I need – no matter how lowly my state…

And He is waiting, with Infinite Patience and Humility, to answer my prayer with the words He used for Bartimaeus twenty centuries ago…  “‘Go … your faith has healed you.’” (Mark 10:52).

And it is for this beautiful healing that this is my favourite line in Scripture…

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” (Mark 10:47).

For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.