August 23, 2026 – A Study of Matthew – The Power of God’s

The Power of God’s Mercy

Psalm 51:1-10 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

What does David ask God to do according to His “unfailing love” (verse 1)?

What does he ask to be cleansed from (verse 2)?

Where is David’s sin (verse 3)?

Who has David sinned against (verse 4)?

When did David’s sinfulness begin (verse 5)?

What did God desire from David (verse 6)?

When will David be clean (verse 7)?

What does David ask to let rejoice (verse 8)?

How does he want God to treat his iniquity (verse 9)?

What does David want God to “create in” him (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

Matthew 20:29-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. ³⁰ Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³¹ The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

³² Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked.

³³ “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

³⁴ Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

Who did the “large crowd” follow (verse 29)?

Where were the “two blind men” (verse 30)?

What did they shout (verse 30)?

How did they respond when the crowd told the “to be quiet” (verse 31)?

What did Jesus call out to them (verse 32)?

How did they respond to Jesus (verse 33)?

What happened when Jesus compassionately touched their eyes (verse 34)?

How did they react when they could see (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how is the mercy that David is asking for in Psalm 51:1-10 different from the mercy that the two blind men are asking for in Matthew 20:29-34?

Acts 9:10-19 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Where did Ananias live (verse 10)?

What was Saul doing (verse 11)?

What did Saul see in a vision (verse 12)?

What reports had Ananias heard (verse 13)?

Whose authority was Saul operating under (verse 14)?

How did God describe Saul’s duties (verse 15)?

What was God going to show Saul (verse 16)?

Why had Jesus sent Ananias to Saul (verse 17)?

What did Saul do when he could see again (verse 18)?

When did Saul regain his strength (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how do you think Saul’s thoughts while he was blind in Acts 9:10-19 were similar to David’s thoughts expressed in Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how would Saul’s prayers while he was blind in Acts 9:10-19 have been different from the cries for mercy by the two blind men in Matthew 20:29-34?

Romans 5:1-11 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

What do we have “since we have been justified through faith” (verse 1)?

What do we “boast in” (verse 2)?

What do we “glory in” (verse 3)?

How is “God’s love” poured into our hearts (verse 5)?

Who did Christ die for (verse 6)?

What might someone “dare to” do for a “good person” (verse 7)?

How does God demonstrate “his own love for us” (verse 8)?

How have we been justified (verse 9)?

How are we saved (verse 10)?

How do we “boast in God” (verse 11)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what does this passage teach us about the power of God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how are Paul’s words in Romans 5:1-11 the answer to David’s pleas in Psalm 51:1-10?

In your opinion, how is the response of the blind men to Jesus after receiving His mercy in Matthew 20:29-34 a foretaste of the spiritual foundation that Paul is establishing in Romans 5:1-11?

In your opinion, how does Romans 5:1-11 help us understand what Paul understood about the transformation that happened to him when Ananias laid hands on him and baptized him in Acts 9:10-19?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Psalms, Matthew, Acts, and Romans teach us about what we need to do to receive God’s mercy?

In your opinion, how do we respond to God’s mercy today?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)