Matthew 20:29-34 (NASBStr)
Sight for the Blind
As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly told them to be quiet, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” And Jesus stopped and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They *said to Him, “Lord, we want our eyes to be opened.” Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
The above passage is one of those, "you get one wish ... what would you like it to be?" stories. As Jesus was leaving town these two blind men were sitting where blind men sit: At a high traffic zone. Being blind, they only way they could make a living to pay for the needs of life would be to beg. There were probably sitting at the entrance/exit of Jericho. Although the crowd (embarrassed by them? annoyed?) told them to be quiet, but they kept up their cries. No doubt they were used to others to tell them to move, be quiet, go away. Needs are always ugly and always inconvenient. Their cry, however, was not for money, for clothing, for position, or for pride. It was for mercy. They realized that their blight was only going to be changed of the God of the Universe had mercy on them. Jesus hears them and asks what they would like Him to do for them. Here is the real moment of truth. The God who hung the stars in the universe is asking them what they would like Him to do for them. Their immediate need was the most important thing on their mind at the time. They assumed if they could only see, all of their issues would be solved. It is note worthy that Jesus did not rebuke them and tell them they should have asked for spiritual sight, rather than mere physical sight (like the man who hung with Jesus on the cross ... he knew he needed mercy and didn't ask for a reprieve from the cross but, rather, salvation). Jesus touches their eyes and the immediately regain their sight. But, the story doesn't end there. They don't start seeing and begin living for themselves. They could have. It would have been a normal human response. But, rather than think of ways they could use their new skill set for their own glory, in praise and adoration they begin to follow Jesus. Like the other disciples, they will scatter just a few chapters from now as Jesus is hung on the cross, but for now, they follow. Perhaps when we read about some of the "miscellaneous" disciples in Acts and the Epistles, these two men are named. We don't know. We discover from the story that these two men might have been short-sighted by thinking healing of their eyes was what was needed. Never-the-less they were willing to use that sight to follow Jesus and become His disciples. Sometimes God provides healing for us and that should encourage us to follow Him. When God takes care of one the problems we have (shows us mercy) we ought to seek Him more and follow Him in deeper admiration.
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