They were on their way to the cross. Within a week or so, Jesus would be dead and yet He continued to train His apostles as He allowed all kinds of ministry opportunities to invade His last days. These proved to be important lessons for the leaders of the Early Church to understand. This tutorial was all about mercy.
 
Blind people had no rights in those days; they were not protected from social abuse, nor was any medical help available for them. The blind were not given jobs which took account of their disability, and they were considered to be specifically cursed by God for their sins. Jesus did not accept that popular view (John 9:1-4) and yet knew that every person is a sinner and would need mercy.
 
That is what this blind man craved. All he wanted was to be released from the curse so that he could see again. He desired God's mercy more than anything else. His story was embedded in the minds to help them to understand the dreadful events in the coming week. Jesus died to accept the curse which falls on every sinner (Galatians 3:13), so that He might have mercy and bring 'blind' people into the light (2 Corinthians 4:4).
 
In the face of a major problem, only proud people refuse to appeal for mercy. Wise people understand that they need God's mercy and are not embarrassed to desire it and cry to God for it. Mercy is not just being nice or kind; it is the deliberate choice not to punish somebody who deserves it. The punishment which Jesus received on the cross satisfied God's justice and enabled Him to be merciful and righteous at the same time. In calling for mercy, the blind man was setting the scene for millions of acts of mercy to those who appeal to God. Don't just assume that sins will be forgiven, confess them and deliberately appeal to God to release you through His mercy.