St Matthew 20: 29 – 34
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 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!” The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
Reflection
Seeing is believing” means that you have to see something before you can accept that it is true. In today’s story, believing led to seeing. These men were anxious to get close to Jesus and attract his attention. We can only speculate about where they had got this information from and who had helped them to get into position. Perhaps family or friends who cared for them?
So, a plan was hatched. When they heard the bustle and noise of the crowd approaching, they seized their opportunity. Their shouting upset the local crowd who wanted Jesus to be welcomed and his passage through their village to be free from any disturbance. They told the men to be quiet but they persisted with their cry at the top of their voices.
They were well informed about Jesus and his life especially his lineage. They addressed him as Son of David understanding him to be a leader, a successor of David, the Messiah. How many others in the crowd had realised that? They were unafraid to make that view public. Jesus heard their cries and asked them what they wanted. Not surprisingly, they answered; “Give us our sight”. Jesus reacted to their request with compassion and love by touching their eyes.
The response was immediate; they were able to see and followed Jesus on his final journey to Jerusalem. In almost all of Jesus’ healing miracles, the cured returned to their local communities but these two men immediately became disciples and followers. They now had the insight and aptitude to be disciples and saw clearly what Jesus wanted of them and where the journey was leading. This was in contrast to some of the “regular” disciples who had been told many times what would happen in Jerusalem but didn’t want to see that. How many times do we hold a picture in our minds of how we want things to turn out that is not the vision of what God wants?
Prayer
Divine Healer,
we ask you to bless and comfort
all those who are blind or suffering from deteriorating eyesight,
and those who work in clinics and homes
to help and care for them.
We ask that you give us the insight
to see your vision of what you want from us,
and prevent us from distorting or blurring
that vision to suit our own convenience.
Amen