Lord Jesus Christ… have mercy…
These words are from what has become known as The Jesus Prayer, originating with the Egyptian Desert Fathers and Mothers of the 4th and 5th centuries. It is rooted in the humble cries of figures in Scripture like blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52) and the tax collector praying at the Temple (Luke 18:9-14).
These twelve simple words…
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
…were found etched by those Coptic Christians centuries ago into the walls of their monastic cells in a threefold repetition alluding to emphasis and meditative reflection.
In his 2019 Lenten series entitled Listen to Him, JD Walt explained a progression he discovered in this prayer… a progression that is revealed in our walk with Jesus and is itself a revelation. As we cry out for and receive this mercy, we journey from sinner, to son/daughter, and then to saint.
Praying through this myself over the years, some nuances were added for me to each of these three phases of our journey that enriched my own understanding even further.
First, in Beholding and Being Held, we pray…
“Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
As we behold Jesus, we are held in the grasp both of His holiness and our sinfulness. And it is as the Lamb of God that He has made forgiveness full and free by the sacrifice of His life and the cleansing of His blood! (Genesis 22:7-8; John 1:29-34; Matthew 9:13, 26:28; Hebrews 4:15)
Then, in Belonging, we pray…
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, have mercy on me, a son/daughter.”
As we are born again by the Holy Spirit of Jesus, we are born into His family – receiving the adoption that makes us sons/daughters and heirs together in Jesus of the eternal hope of glory – no longer slaves but children of our God and royal heirs to His Kingdom! (Mark 1:1; Luke 5:24; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:4-7)
And finally, in Becoming, we pray…
“Lord Jesus Christ, indwelling God, have mercy on me, a saint.”
As we are filled and being continually filled with all the fullness of the Holy Spirit of Jesus – through all the glorious, continual messiness of being transformed as we are offering ourselves up to His work in us – by His very presence in us, He makes us saints – His Holy ones! (Acts 2:17, 16:7; Romans 1:7, 8:9-11, 27, 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 4:11-14; Philippians 1:19)
And as we remember that this is all birthed from our heart’s cry for mercy, we remember this promise…
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him.” The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
– Lamentations 3:22-26
Beholding and Being Held
“Lord Jesus Christ, Lamb of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Belonging
“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man, have mercy on me, a son/daughter.”
Becoming
“Lord Jesus Christ, indwelling God, have mercy on me, a saint.”