Seeing Is Believing
Opening Prayer
Lord, I want to know Your heart. I want to see Your face. Open my eyes, that I may know You.
Read Matthew 20:29-34
[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. Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What do you want from Jesus?Thanks to modern medical science, eye diseases which would have caused blindness are now curable. In today’s passage, we don’t know why the two men are blind. They obviously are well known in Jericho (31), maybe because they have their own regular spot for begging (30). Many people who beg today say they feel invisible to most passers-by. These two men, on the other hand, were determined they wouldn’t be invisible to Jesus (30,31).They address Jesus as “Son of David” (30,31), a royal title. They may have been seeking Jesus’ attention by flattery or perhaps suspected that he was God’s Messiah who would give sight to blind people (Isa. 35:5, 42:7; Matt. 11:4,5). Maybe Jesus’ question took them by surprise (32), but they were clear about their answer (33). Jesus’ response was also clear (34). The result was that the crowd walking with Jesus from Jericho to Jerusalem gained two extra people (34). This passage invites us to consider this: Who is Jesus? Are we clear about what we need Jesus to do for us? Are we ready to give up our familiar old lives to follow Jesus wherever he leads us?
Apply
Consider Jesus’ question. Go to him with it, speak to him and listen for him to answer.
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