Matthew 17
When you go to an emergency room you
expect to be treated with compassion and care because you wouldn’t be there if you
didn’t need help. You can imagine my surprise and subsequent anger, then, that
when my son broke his arm we were treated both rudely and were basically told to
leave.
My son had been swinging and jumped from
the highest point. He landed awkwardly and broke his arm. Seeing the odd bend in
his forearm made me feel sick to my stomach. I took him to urgent care where a
doctor put a splint on him and told us to see our doctor the next day. They did
nothing, however, for his pain or to reset the bone. As his pain grew, my I
decided that a trip to the E.R. was necessary. Having explained the situation
to the receptionist, I was told I should listen to the previous doctor and go
home. As my son turned green from the pain, my anger burned as I insisted on
seeing a supervisor.
I could do nothing to help my son
physically. I couldn’t make the pain go away. I couldn’t set the broken bones.
All I could do was advocate, argue, and beg for help. There are few times when
a parent feels more helpless than when his child is hurt.
The father of the epileptic boy in
Matthew 17 was at the end of his rope. He had brought his child to Jesus’
disciples to heal him, and they couldn’t. At Jesus’ return the father turned to
Him speaking words that are a deep and meaningful prayer: “Lord, have mercy….”
What a simple, yet deeply meaningful
prayer that is; “Lord, have mercy.” It fits so many situations. A sick child, a
victim of violence, one who has lost everything, one who has just been laid
off, the broken, and the one who prays for the broken, all of these can
rightfully pray, “Lord, have mercy.”
The good news is that the Lord has had
mercy. Jesus again spoke of His death and resurrection (twice) in Matthew 17,
and this is the ultimate act of mercy whereby God rescued us from sin and the
pain it brings into our lives. But the Lord is not done having mercy. Through
the church and by His Word, God still pours mercy out on us, so we can
confidently pray and know that God, in His love, answers our call …
Lord, have mercy. Amen.
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