Painting by James Tissot - Waiting For JesusMatthew 20:29-34
And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 30 And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
31 The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, "Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!"
32 And stopping, Jesus called them and said, "What do you want me to do for you?"
33 They said to him, "Lord, let our eyes be opened."
34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.
Christians love to say following Jesus isn't religion - it's relationship. You have to love this passage - it is what people are today. God in a neat little Tupperware box labelled "What I Think God is Capable of." The label continues with ..... " And I am Right."
I know this is true because we All have this in our lives. It shows up the most when someone goes out of their way to ask us to pray for them. And it diminishes when we truly care for that person and want the best for them.
Why is the crowd out there waiting for Jesus. If you lived during the days of the LORD, wouldn't you have gone to see Him? The Sanhedrin Council records still exist of the Pharisees and Sadducees leaving official gossip about Jesus and his mother. And Joseph. Jesus created a Whole Lot of Speculation.
The crowd wants these men to Shut Up. Why? Remember the Scriptures telling us about the 4 men willing to rip the roof off of Jesus' home in Capernaum? They wanted their paralyzed friend to have the possibility of Jesus. The crowd is looking for dazzling Jesus to entertain them.
Instead Jesus gives them " I am not a religion - I am a relationship." Religion is an image. Jesus ignored the fans and, in relationship, asked these men for conversation. Plainly, Jesus could see. He knew they were blind. He wanted to talk to them. He wanted them to give Him their desires, their prayers.
Isaiah - his response to GOD, The Almighty - was to proclaim "I am a man of unclean lips!" Peter...
Luke 5:8
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
How do the three blind men react? "We Wanna See!!!!" No. "Lord, let our eyes be opened." Milk Toast. Namby Pamby. Weak Willie. Wow. Very careful prayer. They even might have added "Thy Will Be Done." This way, Jesus might think they are happy with deeper wisdom. And they wouldn't be so noticed in the crowd.
Maybe they said it very earnestly.
Jesus doesn't look down from His Higher Authority in Judgement. Jesus is moved. He reaches out to touch them back. And lives are changed.
Jesus. Grace and truth. Choosing to dwell with us. Today.
Because the news is dire. Because situations are out of our control. We can be sure prayer is a good and needed aspect in our lives. When the Assyrian Empire threatened Judah, the people diligently prayed and God answered in a mighty way. Every 500 years, Father God's Holy Spirit does something amazing. We are in this time frame today and prayer is a very good thing.
We can't point personally to all of the good of our lives. We cannot point to our leadership and the economic instability of 30 or even 60 years to own a house and have what the Amish would consider to be entirely ridiculous. But we can always ask Him in Father God's goodness for His help and mercy. God has 12 open Heaven gates and an open policy on prayer.
Father God, even on Thanksgiving, our best prayer to you is, "Thanks." with gratitude and "Help Lord Jesus" when we need that help.
Please bless the two people who asked me for prayer for the desire of their heart, they are very worthy like Cornelius.
Bless our Nation, we need Your help, earnestly. Bless the families who gather to give thanks and have prayer. We have an excellent idea, You will. Thank You, Father, when You see faithful souls through out the Nation, who look to You. In Jesus. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves †
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