The Cry Of A Christian: "Lord Have Mercy!"
Text: Luke 17:11-19
In the
name of Jesus. Amen.
“Jesus, Master, have mercy on
us.”
This
was the cry of the ten lepers to Jesus – ten lepers who stood at a distance and
lifted their voices to Jesus.
Now, in
case you haven’t noticed, this is not the first time someone has cried out in
mercy to Jesus. Consider for a moment
all of the accounts in the New Testament.
In the New Testament, we hear people like blind Bartimaeus, the father
of the epileptic son, the Canaanite woman, the ten lepers, a tax collector, and
so forth, crying out for mercy. From
their inward gut and tightened heart, they cried out for pity, help, mercy,
compassion, and grace to Jesus. And
Jesus? Well, he certainly gave mercy to
the weak and the afflicted. He gave
mercy to those who had nothing to give and were spiritually bankrupt. Jesus gave mercy to lepers, demoniacs, the
hungry, the blind, the dead, and so forth.
It is
interesting, though, Jesus does not give mercy to people such as the Pharisees. The reason why? The Pharisees believed that
they were not in need. You see, the
Pharisee, Sadducees, and Scribes – that big bunch of religious leaders of the
first-century – believed that they had it all together. They crossed all the T’s and dotted all the
I’s. They were squeaky clean, or so they
thought. As a result, they didn’t cry
out for mercy like all the other ragamuffins did. And Jesus?
Well, he didn’t give them mercy, but more often than not, He met them
with a stern eye and judgment.
Dear
friends, that is how it works with mercy. Those who seek mercy, have nothing to
give. Those who cry out for mercy, surely cannot buy or trade for mercy. And
Christ, well… He never sells mercy. Christ never allows His mercy to be
purchased, for that would negate the very essence of what mercy is.
To the
point: moved by compassion, Christ shows and gives mercy to those who are at
the end of their rope. Indeed, it is for
those who have lost everything that is most dear to them. Mercy is for those
who cry over their own failures and sins. Mercy is for those who know that they
cannot overcome sin, death, and the devil. Mercy is for those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness - those who know that they are never going to meet up
to the standards of the world and especially God’s holy Law.
And so, it is starting to make sense, is it not? We cry out for mercy each and every week right here in our liturgical church services when we sing the “Kyrie.” Just like those lepers of our reading from the Gospel of Luke, we cry out and sing:
“Lord have mercy; Christ have
mercy; Lord have mercy on us!”
But
wait a minute. You and I do not have
leprosy, so why do we cry out for mercy in our church services? The answer, our cry for mercy to the Lord is a
cry for salvation. It is our cry seeking
help, aid, and mercy upon us – not as lepers – but as sinners.
Dear
friends, think about the implications of crying out for mercy in our church
services. When we cry out for mercy in
the Kyrie, does this cry mean that we are weak? Yes, it does. Does our singing
of the Kyrie mean that we are in need? Yes, it does. Does it mean that we need
help outside of ourselves? Yes, it
does. Does it communicate that we have a
problem? Yes, it does. As poor miserable sinners - in thought word
and deed - the only thing that we can say before God is:
“Lord have mercy, Christ have
mercy, Lord have mercy on us.”
Only
sinners in need of mercy can properly cry out the Kyrie, “Lord have mercy! “
Many
years ago, I had a conversation with an agnostic. (An agnostic is very similar
to an atheist – they don’t believe in God.)
In an attempt to criticize Christianity, this agnostic said that
Christianity is just a crutch for the weak, unintelligent, and scared. He went on to say that Christianity offers comfort
to losers in life. Now, before we get too
defensive, was he right? Brush aside any
offense, and ask yourself, was he right?
In
spite of our defensiveness to this agnostic’s so-called criticisms upon
Christianity, this agnostic was actually closer to understanding the Kingdom of
God than the self-righteous Pharisees of the New Testament were. That is right; this agnostic was closer to
understanding the Kingdom of God than many self-righteous religious people in
our modern-day and age. The reason being,
Christianity is about Christ being merciful to those who actually need mercy.
Those who cry out for mercy know that they cannot buy it, earn it, or
accomplish it. To cry out for mercy is
to plead for mercy that comes to us as a way of gift. And Christ? Well, He gives mercy to repentant sinners -
sinners who beat their chest and cry out for mercy with open hands. To paraphrase Psalm 51, “Perfect performance pins do not impress God; however, heart-shattered
lives and broken pride do not escape God’s notice.”
Dear
friends, this is why the Kyrie is so important to our church services. It is the cry of Christ’s Church. It is not a dead liturgical song but the
church’s cry and prayer before God. Perhaps
nothing else defines us greater than this simple cry for mercy because
Christianity is not merely weak people looking for a crutch but dead sinners
crying out and receiving forgiveness, life, and salvation. That is right; even though that agnostic was
close to understanding Christianity, he had not gone far enough. Christianity is not just a crutch for the
weak; it is merciful life for the spiritually dead.
You
see when you sing the Kyrie or say, “Lord have mercy,” you are acknowledging
two things. First, you are acknowledging
that you cannot pull yourselves up by your bootstraps. You are acknowledging your sinful
condition. You are acknowledging your
powerlessness in this sin-sick world in the face of sin, death, and the
devil. Secondly, the cry for mercy is an
acknowledgment – by faith – that the Lord is the one who is sovereign over all
things and all situations. The cry for
mercy to the Lord acknowledges that the Lord has compassion on sinners like you
and me, that He does not turn a blind eye to a broken cry for mercy.
Dear
friends, this is why pagans do not and cannot cry for mercy. They don’t want to acknowledge their
weakness, their sins, and their powerlessness.
And they don’t want to acknowledge that there is something great than
them – someone, who stands above them.
But
that is not who you are. You are not a
pagan. You are a Christian. You are the baptized! And so, you and I know that this Christian life
is a life of dependence. You and I know
that we are never able to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. You and I know that we are never called to go
at this life alone but are instead called to remain in Christ. You and I know that we are called not to the
delusion of self-sufficiency but to the role of a beggar - to be receivers of
good gifts.
You,
who have ears, hear! You and I never
stop crying for mercy, for you and I are always in need of the Lord’s mercy in
everything. So, when you sing the Kyrie
every Sunday, sing it with faith. Sing
it with confidence. And don’t just sing
it on Sundays, sing it every day, knowing that you belong to the Master – Jesus
– who has overcome sin, death, and the devil for you. Sing the Kyrie with faith, knowing that
whatever unthinkable thing you are going through that absolutely nothing –
nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low,
thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between you and God’s
love because of the way that Jesus your Master has embraced you in your baptism.
Baptized
Saints, Christ Jesus, did not cast those poor lepers off to the side who lifted
their voices for mercy. And He does not
cast you aside either when you cry for mercy.
He has already given you mercy by His nailed scarred hands and longs to
give you mercy continually in His Words of Absolution and His body and blood
from His Holy Table.
Take
comfort, He will not regard your cries of mercy with contempt. He will not despise your cry of mercy for He does
not forsake His own. Your cry for mercy
is not a nuisance, but the voice of faith to the Lord – a Lord who merciful to
those in need of mercy.
Lord
have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy… and He does.
In the
name of Jesus. Amen.
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