“Kyrie Eleison” 2-22-23
Overview
Kyrie Eleison: Lord, Have Mercy
Ash Wednesday begins the church's forty-day journey toward Holy Week. The Alleluia is set aside, the liturgy grows quieter, and our hearts are turned toward repentance as we follow our Lord's footsteps to the cross, the tomb, and the empty grave of Easter morning. In that posture, the church takes up an ancient cry: Kyrie eleison—"Lord, have mercy." Though some in the ancient world used this phrase as a shout of acclamation for military leaders, the church transformed it into the language of the broken and contrite heart. We hear it on David's lips in Psalm 51:1 after Nathan confronts his sin, on the lips of blind Bartimaeus in Luke 18:38, and in the desperate plea of the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:22.
Jesus' parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18:9-14 shows two men at prayer with very different hearts. The Pharisee's words were not really a prayer but self-congratulation—measuring himself against thieves, adulterers, and especially "this tax collector," and boasting of fasting twice a week and tithing. Jesus' warning in Matthew 6:5 lands directly: beware of practicing piety to be seen. The tax collector, by contrast, stood far off, would not lift his eyes, and beat his breast. Strikingly, the only other place Scripture records people beating their breasts is at Calvary in Luke 23:48—the same posture of grief over sin that confronts us at the cross.
The tax collector's plea for "mercy" uses a rare Greek word that appears only one other time in the New Testament—in Hebrews 2:17, where Jesus is named the merciful and faithful high priest who makes "a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people." This is not merely a request for pity; it is a plea for atonement, for satisfaction, for reconciliation with God. The tax collector is asking for what only Christ can supply. And as Ephesians 2:4-5 declares, God is "rich in mercy"—the one thing Scripture says God is rich in. Christ went to the cross, bore the wrath of God in our place, and shed His blood so that this cry would always be answered.
As ashes are traced in the sign of the cross on our foreheads, we are reminded of our frailty ("ashes to ashes, dust to dust"), of God's just judgment on sin, and yet also of ashes as a cleansing, renewing sign. Tonight's ashes will be washed away before sleep, but the cross marked on us in the waters of baptism cannot be washed off. The Pharisee trusted in himself; the tax collector trusted in the atoning sacrifice to come. We pray with him still: Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. He has. And He does.
Transcript
On this holy night, the church gathers. 0s
Ash Wednesday is one of the most somber of services. 4s
Good Friday, Ash Wednesday. 10s
Ash Wednesday begins that walk for the church of the 40 days 13s
leading to Holy Week. 18s
And as was sung at the beginning of the liturgy, 21s
the word of praise of Hallelujah is put away now. 24s
It is absent from the liturgy of the church. 30s
It reemerges then on Easter morning. 35s
This season is one of a special emphasis on repentance. 40s
As by God's grace our hearts are prepared 49s
to follow the footsteps of our Lord, 52s
to go to the cross to the tomb 56s
and then to hear the glorious message of Easter morning. 59s
And so the church on Ash Wednesday becomes quieter. 66s
Every Sunday is a little Easter, 73s
most definitely. 77s
But there is an understanding also in these days 80s
that this is a special time of reflection and repentance 85s
for the church. 90s
As the Alleluia is closed in the heart. 94s
Would you open your Bible's place for our study tonight 101s
to look the 18th chapter, 105s
page 70 if you're using a pure edition of God's Word? 108s
Curie. 116s
Curie is a Greek word meaning Lord. 118s
A lay is on is a Greek word meaning have mercy. 123s
Curie, a lay is on. 130s
Lord have mercy. 133s
If you notice in the beginning litany of the service, 141s
how many times that word mercy came from our lips 144s
as we cried out for that and we reflected on the very mercy of God. 148s
It is the Curie a lay is on of the church. 155s
Centuries ago that phrase was used. 162s
It was used by some as a shout of joy. 165s
Military praise as the military leaders 170s
would be paraded through the streets 174s
and the crowds would shout would joy. 176s
Curie a lay is on but the church. 179s
The church had a different cry in using the phrase. 185s
Psalm 51, when David has brought to his senses, 193s
when he comes aware of the gravity of his sin 198s
and that what he did was sinful. 202s
When it came apparent to him, a cuddled longer be hidden, 206s
nor should it. 210s
That sin had to be confessed. 212s
His sin of adultery with Bashiba, 215s
his sin of arranging for the murder of Bathsheba's husband, Yuraya. 218s
And he comes to the senses 224s
through the proclamation of the prophet as he 225s
gives the law to him. 229s
And having been brought to his senses with regard to the reality of his sin, 232s
he pends in Psalm 51, have mercy on me, 238s
O God, according to your steadfast love, 243s
Curie a lay is on. 247s
In Luke the 18th chapter, 252s
there's blind Bartameus and he cries out, 255s
Son of David have mercy on me, 258s
Curie a lay is on. 262s
The King and I, woman, in Matthew the 15th chapter, 268s
have mercy on me, Lord Son of David. 272s
My daughter is tormented by a demon, 274s
Curie a lay is on. 278s
Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy. 281s
Curie a lay is on. 289s
There were two men. 295s
One of them had the Curie a lay is on on his lips. 298s
Look when they pleased, at verse 9. 306s
He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves 310s
that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. 313s
Two men went up to the temple to pray, 318s
one of Pharisee and the other a text collector. 321s
They go up to the temple to pray. 324s
That means it's either 9 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon, 325s
with the context, it's most likely 3 in the afternoon. 329s
Verse 11, 334s
The Pharisee standing by himself was praying. 334s
Standing, of course, we see that posture used sometimes for prayer 340s
throughout Scripture. 345s
It was an acceptable posture. 346s
What was not acceptable was bringing attention to one's self. 349s
Jesus said, 355s
and whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites for they love to stand 357s
and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners 363s
so that they may be seen by others. 367s
And the content of the prayer, second part of verse 11, 373s
God, I thank you that I'm not like other people. 383s
That's not a prayer to God. 391s
That's a statement of self-congregulation to himself. 397s
He was pretty pleased with himself, pretty pleased. 403s
As you compare, 407s
and said, I'm not like thieves and robes, 409s
adulterers are even like this text collector. 411s
And the padding on the back goes on, 416s
I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of all of my income 418s
by law in Leviticus, he only had to fast one time a week. 422s
He was pretty proud. 427s
He did it twice a week, 428s
and he was pretty proud of his time, wasn't he? 430s
And Jesus had something to say about shows like this. 438s
Beware of practicing your piety for others 447s
in order to be seen by them. 450s
Two men, one of them had the curie on his lips and off the other. 455s
Text goes on, verse 13, 468s
but the text collector, standing far off 472s
would not even look up to heaven, 475s
but was beating his breast. 478s
In ancient days, Jews would take their hands and they would sometimes put it over their chest, 483s
and they would lower their eyes. 488s
It was an expression of grief. 491s
But here notice, 496s
it's not just a downward gaze in the hands over the chest. 499s
It's not just that, 503s
but what we see is that the hand forms the fist, 506s
and there is the beating of the breast. 513s
That happens one other time in the Bible. 520s
One other time, 527s
when the Bible references people beating their breasts, 529s
and when it did happen, 536s
Luke, the 23rd chapter, 538s
it was the crucifixion, 541s
and it said, 543s
after the people had seen the, 544s
quote, 546s
spectacle, 547s
they returned home, 548s
beating their breasts. 550s
The only other time, 554s
but it occurs, 555s
in Scripture, 555s
is that the cross, 556s
in the reaction to Jesus, 558s
we understand, 560s
don't we? 561s
The depth of the grief here of the text collector, 562s
over the reality of his sinfulness. 567s
He wasn't just putting his hands over his chest, 570s
and looking down, 573s
he was beating his chest. 574s
He was overcome with the awareness of his sinfulness. 579s
And saying, 588s
God be merciful to me, 592s
a sinner, 597s
and from his lips, 600s
comes to carry a, 605s
carry a, 608s
a, 613s
but here's the thing. 616s
The cry here of this text collector, 620s
it's a different cry, 623s
it's a different cry. 625s
Looked further down 629s
in the 18th chapter of Luke, 630s
to verse 35, 632s
please. 635s
Luke 18, verse 35, 637s
Scripture says, 639s
Jesus approached Jericho, 639s
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 643s
Now we know from the other gospel accounts, 646s
we know his name, 648s
that's part of my is. 648s
When he heard a crowd going by, 650s
he asked what was happening, 652s
they told him Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. 654s
Then he shouted, 658s
Jesus, 659s
have mercy on me. 661s
Those who are in front, 664s
sternly ordered him to be quiet, 666s
but he shouted even more loudly, 667s
have mercy on me. 671s
That word, they're translated, 675s
mercy, that's the normal word, 677s
you see, for mercy. 679s
That's a normal word, 682s
it's the normal expression. 683s
But the word translated, 687s
mercy in our text, 688s
that the text collector said, 690s
that's a different word. 694s
It's a different word. 696s
It only appears that word two times, 700s
and the entire New Testament, 704s
and the only other time that word 707s
that the tax collector said appears in the New Testament, 710s
is in Hebrew's the second chapter, 714s
that says, 716s
therefore, 717s
Jesus had to become like his brothers and sisters 719s
in every respect, 723s
so that he might be a merciful 726s
and faithful, 728s
high priest in the service of God, 730s
to make a sacrifice of 734s
a tonement for the sins of the people. 736s
You see, 742s
that word for mercy. 744s
That word is an appeal. 746s
It's asking for appeasement to be made, 750s
for satisfaction to be made. 753s
It's not the general term for mercy. 757s
It's not the term that Bardomay is used, 760s
and you see it in other uses of the word mercy. 764s
It's not that word, 768s
it's the different word here. 769s
The tax collector is appealing 771s
to God Almighty for divine 774s
atonement for his sin. 777s
He's appealing to God 781s
that his sins might be paid for, 783s
that he might be freed. 787s
He's appealing to God 789s
for reconciliation. 792s
It's a different word here 796s
that the only other use of the word 799s
in the New Testament is used 801s
in conjunction with Jesus, 803s
as the tax collector cries 807s
and says, 809s
Carrier, 812s
a liaison. 815s
I cry for the atonement 819s
of my sin. 823s
Paul writes in Ephesians 2, 828s
but God who is rich in mercy 834s
out of the great love with which he loved us. 836s
Even when we were dead 840s
through our trespasses, 841s
made us alive together with Christ 843s
by grace you have been saved. 846s
God who is rich in mercy. 849s
You know there's only one thing in the Bible 852s
that says, 855s
God is rich in only one thing. 857s
Mercy. 861s
That's what it said, 863s
God is rich in. 864s
Mercy. 866s
And Jesus Christ is born. 870s
He goes to the cross 873s
to pay the sin of the world 875s
to effect atonement 878s
at one meant 881s
between humanity and God. 884s
The wrath of God 889s
falling upon Jesus. 890s
Jesus standing in our place. 893s
Shading His blood so that we might be forgiven, 899s
reconciliation occurring, 903s
the great and glorious gospel. 906s
The tax collector cried out 910s
and said, 912s
God be merciful to me, 913s
a sinner, 915s
a tone for my sin. 916s
Curious. 923s
A liaison. 927s
The Pharisee trusted in himself. 933s
The tax collector trusted 941s
in the divine sacrifice of atonement 944s
that would come. 952s
And the cry of mercy 954s
was heard. 960s
Tonight as we come forward to the communion rail, 966s
before we receive the elements we will receive 971s
on our foreheads, 973s
the mark of the cross in ashes. 975s
Those ashes are an ancient symbol used in the church. 979s
It reminds us of our frailty. 983s
It reminds us of our absolute dependence of God. 985s
It reminds us of the very words that will be shared 989s
when the ashes are applied. 992s
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. 994s
It reminds us of God's just condemnation for sin. 998s
And it also reminds us 1004s
of ashes being the cleansing agent, 1009s
ashes being the renewing vehicle. 1012s
And the ashes will be in the sign of the cross. 1017s
The very symbol of the mercy of God 1022s
placed on our forehead. 1026s
Before we go to sleep tonight, 1032s
before we lay our head on the pillow, 1036s
we'll wash the ashes off. 1038s
But what cannot be washed off 1041s
is the indelible mark of grace on our forehead. 1043s
From the washing of the waters of baptism, 1049s
where we were washed in the very promises 1054s
and victory of the Lord Jesus Christ, 1056s
His cross and His empty tomb. 1058s
What cannot be washed away 1063s
is the cross that was made on our forehead 1065s
at our baptisms. 1070s
Kiri A. 1078s
In lay is on. 1080s
Lord have mercy. 1084s
Lord have mercy. 1086s
He has. 1091s
And He does. 1097s