Passage of the Day:
As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region, Matthew 9:27-31.
Reflection:
Upon further examination of today’s passage, one key point is missing as two blind men aren’t able to directly follow behind Jesus. Subsequently, one of the three possible assumptions must be true. These two blind men possessed exceptionable hearing. One of these two men were able to see out of one eye. Or an unnamed man guided these two blind men, keeping them close to Jesus as they walked behind Him. Matthew’s story is similar to another blind man account mentioned by Luke. However, Matthew mentions two blind men whereas Luke recounts the healing of one blind man in Luke 18:35-43. Rather than waste His time, Jesus screens these two blind men to ascertain their degree of belief and faith. These 2 blind men wouldn’t have been following Jesus closely if they didn’t already think a miracle could be performed by Jesus. This is the spiritual guts the hopeless need to adopt and acquire today.
Prayerful Action:
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[e] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone, James 2:23-24.
Developing the Spiritual Guts to Press On:
When the four Gospels were written in the first century, there was a Jewish belief that if you became blind, crippled, deaf or mute, God was punishing you or your parents. Subsequently, when these 2 blind men approach Jesus, each are asking for mercy on their parents or themselves for whatever sin was committed to inflict this blindness. Of the 37 full accounts of miracles by Jesus, several of the individuals who approach Jesus seek forgiveness for their sins. Once forgiveness, grace and mercy are extended to these sinners, Jesus moves on to the actual healing. As for the 2 blind men, they stuck together like brothers until their prayer was answered. This spirit of perseverance gave birth to fortitude, providing the courage to seek out Jesus for healing.
Song of the Day:
This is one of my favorite songs from college when I attended Intervarsity Christian Fellowship on Friday nights at the University of Delaware. While many other versions have been released in the last few decades, may the lyrics inspire you to develop spiritual gifts to press on in life regardless of the trials that you may endure.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 