Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 Sermon Text: Luke 18:31-43

 Other Readings: 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and Isaiah 42:5-9

 

1. Why did the blind man call Jesus the “Son of David”?
    
2. The blind man prayed, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” How would you explain the concept of mercy to your child or grandchild?
    
3. Where in our worship service do we use the blind man’s words, “Have mercy on me”?
    
4. Should people beg God for mercy or expect it from him? Consult Luke 18:31-33.

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1. The answer is twofold. First, Jesus was the son of David because Jesus was a descendent of King David. Secondly, “Son of David” was another way of referring to the Messiah (the Christ) because the Old Testament taught that the promised Savior would be a descendant of David. So, the man knew Jesus’ lineage and he trusted in him as the Messiah.
    
2. Mercy is not getting the punishment you deserve. So, if a child breaks a lamp by roughhousing in the living room, but the parent doesn’t punish the child—that’s mercy.
    
3. We often use it in our confession of sins. We admit we are sinful and have done sinful things. Then we say, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” We also will appeal to God’s mercy in some of our prayers.
    
4. We can expect God to have mercy on us because the Old Testament predicted the Messiah would suffer and die to take away our punishment. The New Testament shows how Jesus did this. Now, we expect it in humble faith (as the blind man did), not in arrogant ordering (where one might say, “God you owe this to me.”).