We are as blind men, waiting on a response to know we were
heard. Matthew tells a story of just such
men in the time of Christ. Their
blindness was physical, so their abyss was the blackness of the world around
them. They must wait to hear sounds of
acknowledgement to know they were heard, or noticed, or cared about. Because they could not see, their options for
employment were highly limited. There
was no tech in their day to compensate for their condition. Most of the time, the blind became full time
beggars. It does not take poverty long
to drive one into this profession. And
it is the last profession anyone would ever want or would ever choose. But when choices are taken from you, and
options with them, begging beats dying.
So two blind men, likely companions, given the empathy they would share
for each other in a world of complete blackness they both understood – found
themselves just outside of Jericho. They
sat on the side of the road, hoping that travelers going to or from the city,
would have just an ounce of mercy, and part with something to keep them alive.
But desperation is not attractive. Check out any “desperate” post on the
internet, and the attention it gets just seems to decrease even further. “Desperate” cries for attention are
criticized for what they are, and their authors shunned and ridiculed even more
for the state they have “allowed” themselves to become. In any social situation, the boyfriend, or
girlfriend who wreaks of desperation is usually avoided even more than originally
planned by the other party. To put your
“need” on display, is to force others to see your humanity, your vulnerability,
and your desire to be loved. No one wants
to love someone they have not chosen to love.
So the sight of your “need” only drives people away, to mask their own
lack of feelings. They wish you gone, so
not to address how they truly feel, or rather how they totally do not care,
about another human being. When you go,
so does the mirror your “need” holds up to another’s soul. The begging these blinded men performed, was
no exception to this phenomenon. Those
who felt less empathy, were less inclined to even tolerate their presence very
long. Get them away, and we will feel
less guilty about holding on to our coin.
This was the setting of Matthew’s story in his gospel to the Hebrews in
chapter 20.
He begins in verse 29 saying … “And as they departed from
Jericho, a great multitude followed him.”
This simple beginning hides something we must look deeper to
examine. When we see the context of this
story described above, our immediate thought, is that the people who will shun
the blind, shun those in need, are not Christians but people of the world. Those who do not understand the love of
Jesus, are more apt to push away those in need, than those who have tasted that
Love. But this story begins by
establishing that a great multitude was following Christ. You did not do that without a keen
interest. You did not do that and learn
nothing, or see nothing. Jesus was a
24x7 wellspring of love in action. He
could not move 2 steps without personally demonstrating a level of care and
love for people they had never witnessed before. Jesus was something different. Not just His words, but His deeds, and His
eyes. His eyes could pierce you to your
very soul. You knew He knew, who you
were, what you struggled with, and how He could free you from it. Transformation in Judea was running
rampant. And a great multitude following
Jesus was a wonderful field to develop a harvest of His love within. This was the earliest church.
Matthew continues in verse 30 saying … “And, behold, two
blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried
out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.” The blind companions have heard the stories
of Jesus, of His fame, of His love. They
sense He must be nearby, as this kind of a crowd traveling at this time, is
just unheard of. So their hopes begin to
rise. And they begin to cry out into the
abyss, looking for One who will hear what they have posted there. And they begin to think, it does not matter
what others hear, it only matters what the One hears. It only matters if their voices are able to
reach Him, while He is near. So instead
of meekly asking for alms, they begin boldly asking for mercy. Surely a God of mercy, will be willing to
grant them Mercy. But their cries wreak
of desperation. And the crowds are quick
to respond.
Matthew continues in verse 31 saying … “And the multitude
rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more,
saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.” This is perhaps one of the saddest texts in
all of scripture. And perhaps the most
relatable to our generation. It is the
church, the followers of Jesus, who rebuke the men for asking for mercy. Forget what the common belief was, that if
you had a physical ailment, it was because you were a sinner. Even if that lie were true. These men were asking for mercy. They were declaring their intent to change,
to repent, to leave behind who they were, and pursue a path of mercy granted,
and transformation offered. But the
church told them in an angry voice, with an angry tone, to keep silent, to go
away, to shut up. How often do your
posts on the internet that uplift our God, or requests for prayer, meet with
criticism, ridicule, and demands to keep silent? How often are affirmations on spiritual
topics as dry as tumbleweeds in the desert.
No one seems to hear. And the few
that do, would rather you kept your mouth shut, and your pen still. And sadly, often those who wish you silent,
wear church robes, or carry church titles – knowing doctrine well, and love
nearly not at all.
But these men were not deterred by the angry voices of the
crowd. They yelled all the louder. They were determined to drown out the voices
misguided in discouraging them. Not with
insults of equal voracity, but with deeper felt cries for mercy. This was not hate speech vs. hate
speech. This was a request for mercy,
and transformation to really see who Love is – against a crowd unwilling to see
desperation, or tolerate it. The crowd
was angry, the men were not. The crowd
were mean to the men. The men had only
interest in catching the ears of Christ.
And so when you are tortured by the technical abyss you put too much
faith into, do not respond with hate of your own, to equal the hate that has
been shown to you. Recognize your pleas
are heard by the only One who truly matters.
You have His ear, and His gratitude for your love, for your restraint in
the face of evil. Conversion does not
happen at the point of a sword, but in the arms of Love reflected through any
servant of His who is willing to share.
The blind companions would not be deterred, but sought Christ all the
more. So should we.
Matthew continues in verse 32 saying … “And Jesus stood
still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?” Jesus heard.
Jesus acted. Jesus never misses
the pleas of one who seeks Him, even if His physical presence is not there, His
Spirit is. But then Jesus asks a very
poignant question. What do you want me
to do for you? The men were blind. It is kind of a no-brainer what they would
want. So why ask that question? We all have needs. Sometimes our needs are so self-evident, we
think what we want God to do for them should be a no-brainer. But what if there are greater needs that we
have, that we do not see? Our sin, can
sometimes make us blind, to what we really need, masquerading some other idea
as mission critical, when in reality, it is a root cause that needs to be addressed. These men could have asked for faith, or for
wisdom, or for certainty of inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven. They could have ignored their physical
condition, and sought after something more spiritual. Not long ago, Jesus asked the mother of James
and John, what did she want from Him? She
squandered her request on something as trivial as power, she did not even
understand.
Yes, those of us with physical ailment, and sickness, all
want to be cured, to be fixed, to end our pain, and avoid our death for as long
as possible. We want that as much as the
blind men crying out for mercy did. But
those men are long dead now. Did they
live transformed lives, changed by the power of the Love of Jesus? Did the time they had after they were healed,
get spent in self-sacrifice, or self-aggrandizement? They are dead none the less. So I ask you what is more important, the
state of your faith, or the state of your health. You are going to die. It is only a matter of time. What you do with that time, has more to do
with your faith, than it will with your health.
Do not let your “blindness” or your health, become so overriding a
concern, that you would pursue its remedy, and discard your faith instead. Fully healthy people commit a great deal of
sin, on purpose, by choice, with premeditation.
Sometimes they are able to sin greater, because their ability to sin is
greater, not restricted by ailing bodies that will not cooperate. Sometimes the sick sin as well. But what Jesus is asking you is what do you
want? This question forces you to think
about what is really most important to you.
It is a way of letting Jesus work in you what He sees fit to transform,
not just what you think is a four-alarm fire.
Jesus is looking out for your eternal condition, not just the one in the
here and now.
Matthew concludes the story picking up in verse 33 saying …
“They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. [verse 34] So Jesus had
compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received
sight, and they followed him.” The story
ends very well. The men were heard. And through the compassion of the Lord upon
them (as He has for you as well), they were healed. But way more important than that, was that
they followed Him immediately. They did
not consider what they could now finally do.
They did not consider all the beautiful women they might see, but
instead wondered after the beautiful Love they had encountered, that would hear
them through the abyss, and bring love right to their doorstep. Even if that was on some dusty road outside
of Jericho. Jesus did not push beggars
away. He stopped, and heard their
cries. He listened. Because Jesus has no apathy for us, His
creations. He has passion for us. The mirror of our need, finds only
fulfillment the soul of Jesus. He
cares. He hears you through any abyss
you perceive.
And when the content you make available, is intended for the
glory of God, then it does not matter if anyone else ever discovers it. It only matters that you were willing to
serve. For it is God who deserves all
the glory, we need none of it. We can
know that He hears, He sees, He reads, He listens, to everything we post. And He looks with a passion to you, that even
you will hardly ever understand. He
offers a transformation to you, that is meant just for you, custom tailored to
what He knows you really need, not just what you think you do. So you can trust Him. No matter what it looks like the answers to
your prayers are, know that He is answering the needs you really have. If those things are not the same, then better
He answer the ones He knows, than the ones you think you know. For Jesus has eternal plans for you, and this
short life, is only a beginning. There
will never be any abyss between you and Jesus, unless you force one there. His goal is full reconciliation. You are seen.
You are heard. And you are loved.
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