14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he has seizures and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. (Matthew 17)
The Gospel of Matthew presents this picture of Jesus as the Glorious King that Israel had been waiting for. But it does not stop there. On several occasions He is traveling along, preaching and healing, when He is interrupted by this cry: "Lord, have mercy!" People plead with Him to look on them with compassion and do something to relieve their misery or that of a loved one. Sometimes Jesus seems hesitant to respond, until he points out what God is looking for: faith - for us to believe that He is the Mercy Man - He is the one with both the heart and the ability to do something - to answer our request and cure and calm our ills. The first thing we must do is be willing to say we need His mercy.
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