When was the last time you asked why? There are some serious mysteries in the universe that we take for granted. For example:

Why does ibuprofen work? Have you ever looked at two of those brown little pills and wondered, "How do you guys work? How do you know where my pain is?" Ibuprofen is a deep mystery.

Why is Kenny G so popular? This is a profound mystery that I don't believe will ever be explained. Perhaps a Kenny G fan would care to comment.

Why are baby clothes so expensive? This one baffles me. I was recently at the shoe store and saw a pair of baby shoes that were approximately two inches long. Yet somehow they managed to cost as much as the shoes I was buying.

Why are the Rolling Stones still doing concerts? The combined age of Mick Jaegger and Keith Richards is 432. You do the math. Why are they still on tour?

These are stupid questions. There is one question however, that is a true and profound mystery. Why did Christ show mercy to me? Why am I the recipient of God's mercy? Why would God choose to show mercy to me, and not my next door neighbor? Why would Christ come looking for me, and not one of my close friends? This is a mystery of divine proportions.

Titus 3:3-5 says, "For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit..."

We were foolish, disobedient, slaves to sin. We hated God, and we despised one another. We weren't looking for God, we were running from Him. We didn't deserve mercy, we deserved wrath.

But then the goodness and kindness of God appeared. Do you remember the sweet day when God showed his mercy to you? Do you remember when Christ came looking for you? Do you remember when God began drawing you to Himself, winning your heart with His mercy? Why would God do this? Why would He show you mercy? This is a glorious, beautiful, wonderful mystery.

We are surrounded by those who have not yet received mercy. Many of our close friends have not experienced the mercy of God. Why have we received it? Today, let your heart be filled with gratitude for the mercy of God. Let your heart overflow with deep affection for God, the One who poured out His mercy upon you. Today, take some time to ask, "Why?"

Blackness has been your constant companion. For years you have sat by the road, wallowing in your poverty, wallowing in your blackness. You haven't seen the sun, or a cloud, or a tree, or another human face in years. The blindness has robbed you of your dignity, forcing you into a life of roadside begging and humiliating poverty. Everyday you stumble down to the road and ask for the charity of others, begging for coins from those passing by. A few stop and press a coin into your hand, others curse you as they pass by, nobody likes you. And why should they? You have nothing to offer them. You can't offer friendship, or money, or even a pleasant smile. You're a filthy, dirty, helpless, hopeless beggar. All your days blend together into one, endless, miserable night.

That is until the day The Light comes looking for you. You're sitting by the roadside, pleading for alms, when you hear many voices. A crowd is passing by. Who is it? A king, a dignitary? You call out, "What's happening? Please someone tell me what's happening!"

"It's Jesus of Nazareth," says a voice. "He's coming this way." Jesus of Nazareth! You've heard of this man. He casts out demons, and raises dead people, and even heals the blind. But will he stop for one so lowly as you? Will he take notice of a dirty, blind beggar who has nothing to offer? You can't offer him money, nor can you offer him service. You must throw yourself on his mercy.

"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me," you scream at the top of your lungs. Over and over you cry out, pleading for the mercy of Jesus. Those in the crowd tell you to shut your mouth, that Jesus isn't interested in beggars, that Jesus has more important things on his mind. Maybe they're right, but your desperation forces you to continue your earsplitting plea for mercy.

Then the crowd is silenced, and you sense a change in the light, as if someone is standing in front of you. Sweet mercy, Jesus has stopped! You hear him say, "What do you want me to do for you?"

With a passion born from years of darkness, you cry out, "Lord, let me recover my sight." Jesus speaks, light floods into your eyes, and you find yourself gazing into the face of mercy itself. Oh what joy fills your heart! After years of darkness, you can see! The King stopped for you, and poured out his mercy on you. Gratefulness, love, and thanksgiving overflow out of your heart. You must follow Jesus, no matter where he goes. He stopped for you, and so you will follow Him. [Taken from Luke 18:35-43]

***

Do you remember when the Savior stopped for you? Do you remember when Jesus first opened your blind eyes to the glories of the gospel? O what sweet mercy we have received from Jesus. Let us be like this blind beggar, and joyfully follow the one who gave us our sight. Let us rejoice today that The Light came looking for us.

You can break chains but you're not free. You're a slave. A miserable, demon infested, self-mutilating slave of Satan. How long has it been since you tasted joy? How long has it been since you laughed? You spend your days wandering among the dead, screaming out in agony, and slashing your body with stones. Occasionally a glimmer of sanity returns and you realize what a monster you've become, but the sanity is soon swallowed up by the demons. It's in these brief moments of sanity that you realize how desperate you are. Oh what you would give to be free! To see your family again, to laugh with friends again, to live a normal life. But you're a hopeless slave, unable to conquer the vast legion of blackness within you.

But on one particular day something extraordinary happens: someone comes looking for you. No one has ever come looking for you. You are a terror to those around you, a horror to be avoided at all costs. People don't look for you, they run from you. But this man is different. He has come across the sea, looking for you.

As he steps from the boat, your insides begin to rip apart. The legion of demons within you is making every effort to flee, yet you feel yourself irresistibly drawn to the stranger from across the sea. A power greater than Satan himself is drawing you down to the shoreline.

You stumble down to the shoreline and fall at the feet of the stranger. The stranger speaks to you, or rather to the demons within you, saying, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" The words carry absolute, world-making, spirit-commanding authority. The demons within you are in an absolute panic. They have no choice but to obey this man.

Like whimpering children, the demons plead with this man, this Jesus, not to torment them, but to send them into a herd of pigs. Jesus agrees, and in a mighty rush you feel the blackness leave your body. Your mind clears, your eyes focus, and you find yourself kneeling at the feet of Jesus, the mighty demon conqueror. Your tormentors have been vanquished and you have been set free. You're no longer a slave to the powers of darkness. When you were helpless, Jesus came looking for you. The mercy of Jesus overwhelms you.

You're willing to do anything for this man who delivered you from darkness, and you beg Jesus to let you follow him. But Jesus has other plans for you. He says, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." And so for the rest of your days you passionately tell the story of Jesus the savior, your savior. You tell them of the mercy that Jesus showed to you, a demon infested tomb wanderer. [Taken from Mark 5:1-20]

***

Do you remember when Jesus came looking for you? Do you remember the mercy that He showed you when you were a helpless slave of Satan? Let us thank our Savior today for the mercy that we've received.

You feel shame. Burning, hot shame. The shame of cheating on your husband, and the shame of being caught. The shame of being dragged by the Pharisees into the temple and having your wickedness exposed for all to see. The Pharisees encircle you, like ravenous wolves surrounding a wounded animal. They stab their fingers at you and level accusation after shameful accusation. They don't want your repentance, they want your blood. They have brought you before a teacher named Jesus, and they are requesting your execution.

You will die, you feel quite certain of that. You have broken the sacred laws of God, and the penalty for such a transgression is death by stoning. Your death will not be a noble one. It will be a shameful, brutal, excruciating death, as the life is slowly beaten out of your body one stone at a time. Your case is hopeless. You're an adulterer, and adulterers die by the rock. You're getting what you deserve.

But then the unexpected happens. Instead of demanding your immediate death, as he should have, Jesus bends down and begins to write in the dirt. You're perplexed, the Pharisees are perplexed, no one knows what is happening.

The Pharisees raise their voices once again, asking Jesus to order your execution. Jesus stands up, and the Pharisees get a glimpse of the writing on the ground. Their eyes widen, their jaws drop. Then Jesus speaks: "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." Jesus resumes writing on the ground. The Pharisees begin to look at the ground and shuffle their feet nervously. All accusations have stopped and silence reigns supreme.

Then, to your astonishment, the crowd begins to disperse. The older Pharisees leave first, each with a look of guilt on his face. The rest of the Pharisees follow suit, and soon you are left alone with the man called Jesus. Yet you are still afraid. This man is not like the rest. He is without sin, he has the right to pick up the first stone. But then he looks at you, and in his glance you see not fierce anger, but tender mercy.

He asks you a question: "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

"No one Lord," you reply.

"Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more." Your heart bursts with joy! You are not condemned. You have been given mercy, you have been spared from the terrible punishment that you deserve. How merciful is this man Jesus! At that moment you resolve to follow this man for the rest of your days. You've received much mercy from God, and so you will love God deeply. And you'll always give thanks to God for the day you met Jesus, the King of Mercy. [Taken from John 8:1-8]

***

You and I are no different from the adulterous woman. We deserve to be condemned for our sins, yet we've received the extravagant mercy of Jesus. We must lift our voices in praise to this merciful savior! Today let your heart be filled with gratefulness to God for the mercy you've received.

Imagine yourself in a world where contact with other humans is forbidden. In this world you are not allowed to embrace your father in a hug or gently kiss your mother on the cheek. You can't hold the hand of your wife or kiss the forehead of your daughter. There are no hearty back slaps, no firm hand shakes, not even the slightest touch from person. In fact, you are completely and totally isolated. You haven't seen your family in years, haven't been able to tell your wife how much you love her, haven't been able to laugh with your children. You are alone and you are so lonely that it hurts. You are a leper.

The leprosy is slowly destroying your body. It's a death by inches, as your flesh slowly, and painfully rots away. You have no hope of recovery. Death is certain. No one will come near you, both out of fear and revulsion. You understand the feeling, because when you see your own reflection you feel the same revulsion.

But then you hear of man who does the incredible: he heals lepers. You feel that you must meet this man, the one they call Jesus, and for the first time in years you feel the slightest glimmer of hope. And so with all the desperation of a dying man, you set out to find this Jesus, the leper healer.

Finding Jesus isn't difficult, you simply follow the massive crowd. Yet you are afraid to approach him. How will he respond when he sees a filthy, wretched leper in front of him? Will he cast you away, as all others have done? You have no choice but to approach him.

You run towards Jesus and fall at his feet, crying out, "If you will, you can make me clean!" You hear cries of alarm from those surrounding Jesus and you see the crowd begin to move away from you in fear. But Jesus doesn't move away from you, he moves closer. You look into his eyes, and you don't see fear, or revulsion, or hatred, but deep compassion. And then Jesus does something that utterly shocks you. He stretches out his hand and places it on your leprosy infested shoulder. In that touch there is overwhelming love and supernatural power. Your rotting flesh begins to heal, open sores close over, and your once diseased skin begins to take on the pink hue of health. With tears in your eyes, you look up at Jesus and manage to utter, "Thank you."

For the remainder of your life, you make every effort to tell people of the mercy you received. You tell them of the man Jesus, and how he showed mercy to you, a dying leper. [Taken from Mark 1:40-45]

We were spiritual lepers, without hope and without God in this world. But Christ, the Holy One, reached out and touched us, healing our souls and reconciling us to God. What sweet mercy. Let's rejoice in the mercy of Christ today.