Devotions

Have Mercy On Us Son of David

by  • 

Two blind men recognize the power of God working through Jesus and follow him home, into the house until he heals them. But there are others that don’t know him, yet he still reaches out to heal at the pool of Bethesda. The religious condemn him because he has healed on the Sabbath so he defends himself in the temple during the feast. This would have been in front of all the the children of Israel, in front of all who were following the law of Moses. But if they knew what Moses wrote, they would also have known Jesus. His testimony before them is complete. 

Have Mercy On Us, Son of David!

Matthew 9:27–34
Jesus was finished in Matthew 9:27 “and going away from there” when “two blind men followed him” but he continued on and in Matthew 9:28 “he came into the house”. And it is there that “the blind men approached him”. And now he asks them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”. Jesus didn’t always respond immediately to people. He didn’t do everything on their terms as we see here. He was finished and he went home. But they persisted and followed and “Presumably the house is that of 9:10, at Capernaum. It seems that Jesus did not respond to their first request. Cf. 15:23 for a similar lack of response, which eventually resulted in a striking illustration of persistent faith (and cf. on 8:7, above). Here too faith is tested … throughout these two chapters, faith is shown to be a practical confidence in the power of Jesus”.1

Now, in Matthew 9:29 “he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be done for you.”” and in Matthew 9:30 “their eyes were opened”. This record includes “The two regular elements of touch and healing word … and their effect, like that of the parallel declaration of 5:22, is to emphasize faith as the one essential condition of Jesus’ healing ministry”.1

Jesus is Rejected in His Home Town

Mark 6:1-6
Matthew 13:53-58

He Came To His Hometown

Mark 6:1–6
As was his custom, in Mark 6:2 “when the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed, saying, “Where did this man get these things? And what is this wisdom that has been granted to this man, and the miracles such as these performed through his hands?” Their first response was they “were amazed”, “wisdom”, “miracles”. But then in Mark 6:3 they connected him with his family as “the carpenter”, “the son of Mary”, “brother of”, and “his sisters”. By doing this they set him back on a human level as if to say, “he is nothing special, he isn’t even at our level, he is just the carpenter”. Then in

Mark 6:6 (LEB) And he was astonished because of their unbelief.

Because of Their Unbelief

Matthew 13:53–58
Matthews account is very much like Marks. He begins teaching them in the synagogue and they are amazed at the wisdom and miracles. But then some in the assembly question, saying something like, “isn’t he one of us?”, and in Matthew 13:57 “they were offended by him”. So in

Matthew 13:58 (LEB) And he did not perform many miracles in that place because of their unbelief.

But that is not who we are. Our response is in

Ephesians 1:17–18 (LEB) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⌊the glorious Father⌋,* may give you a spirit of wisdom* and revelation in the knowledge of him 18 (the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,”

 

Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda

John 5:1–13
Jesus has been rejected in his home town, but it was their loss. They could nor receive healing from him because the could not believe who he was. He goes on to Jerusalem in John 5:1. As he enters the city, by way of the sheep gate in John 5:2 he passes the pool of Bethzatha which we call Bethesda. And in

John 5:3 (LEB) In these were lying a large number of those who were sick, blind, lame, paralyzed.

But we have read of the crowds of people where he healed them all. What is happening here? Jesus talks to this man and asks him, “Do you want to become well?”. The man answers in John 5:7 “Sir, I do not have anyone …”. This man doesn’t know who Jesus is, calling him “Sir”, and he doesn’t have any expectation that he can ever be healed because he doesn’t have anyone to help him. So, in

John 5:8 (LEB) Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!”

It was “The very thing the man was unable to do, Jesus commanded him to do. With the command went forth the healing power: At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked”.2

My Father is Working and I Am Working

John 5:14–18
In John 5:14 “Jesus found him at the temple”. This man knew that men were to be at the temple for the feast and that is where he went. Jesus cautioned him “sin no longer”. And in John 5:16 “the Jews began to persecute Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath”. So, in

John 5:17 (LEB) But he answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

What He Sees the Father Doing

John 5:19–30
Jesus declares the authority of his actions. It is in John 5:19 “what he sees the Father doing” that he does. Then he says in John 5:22 “he has given all judgement to the son”. And he is making it clear to them in John 5:23 that “The one who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him”. Then Jesus says, “Truly, truly” and gives them the key to eternal life in John 5:24 “the one who hears my word and who believes the one who sent me has eternal life”. If they discount the words of Jesus, they are also rejecting God, the Father who sent him.

There is Another Who Testifies About Me

John 5:31–38
But Jesus doesn’t leave the proof of his authority at his own word. He goes on in John 5:31-35 to describe the testimony of John the Baptist. And then he goes on to another testimony in

John 5:36 (LEB) “But I have a testimony greater than John’s, for the works which the Father has given to me that I should complete them—the very works which I am doing—these testify about me, that the Father has sent me.

 

Come To Me So That You May Have Life

John 5:39–47
Jesus makes one final plea in

John 5:39–40 (LEB) You search the scriptures because you think that you have eternal life in them, and it is these that testify about me. 40 And you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

He has said to them, “come to me” but they won’t. So he says in

John 5:45–46 (LEB) Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father! The one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have put your hope! 46 For if you had believed Moses, you would believe me, for that one wrote about me.

Study Verses

Today’s Reading

  • Mark 5:1-6
  • Matthew 9:27-34
  • Matthew 13:53-58
  • John 5:1-47

The Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ – The Gospels

This series follows the order of readings from the Tyndale One Year Chronological Bible. Covering these events chronologically as they happened, gives a much different context and helps us understand the move of God as He is introducing the Saviour, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. This series begins with Return To Me And I Will Return To You at the end of Malachi and introduces the “Witnesses” writing the Gospels.

Operation Exodus

is helping Jewish people return to their homeland. You might fund one that desires to go home. http://operationexodususa.org/Overview

References

  • 1. France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 1, p. 176). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
  • 2. Kruse, C. G. (2003). John: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 4, p. 149). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.