What did the blind men see?

What did the blind men see? Matthew 20.29-34 

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, but along the way, some encounters. “God, what would you have us see from these two blind men who apparently saw quite a lot even before Jesus gave them sight? Open our eyes to see, open our minds to new truth, and open our hearts to be stirred to want more of you! Amen.” 

“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.” Matthew 20.29-34 

Picture it, Jesus with his disciples flanking him, and a large crowd following behind not wanting to miss something Jesus would say or do. The whole flock would create a stir. Nonetheless, two men call out to Jesus for mercy; they address him as ‘Son of David,’ which meant two things: they believed Jesus to be the Messiah, and that like David, he would set up an earthly kingdom. 

Jesus calls them to get up and come to him. If in a movie, there would be a drum roll – as the tension mounted. Perhaps someone assisted them, or perhaps they just fumbled their way into an audience with Jesus, as Jesus patiently waited, and the crowd looked on. 

Notice the transaction: 
“What do you want me to do for you?” 

We want to see. 

Jesus had compassion on them. 

Did you see it? The same thing God would say to us today. ‘Come to me, ask of me, for I am compassionate, and I am moved by your faith.’ 

Often, when I am asked to pray for someone, I ask a similar question, ‘what is it you would like God to do for you today?’ 

Every once in a while, we do not know what we need from God, we just know we need him. We do not know if we should turn to the right or the left, we need his direction. We do not know what would ‘make us whole’ but we know that he knows ~ and we need his peace in our imperfection. Like the woman in the marketplace who knew Jesus could make her whole and desperately lunged out just to somehow touch him. ‘Just one touch of Jesus would change everything,’ she thought . . . and it did.1 Mark’s gospel says she was healed ‘straightway’ – immediately. 

My mind is reminded, my heart is encouraged that when we do not know what to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us. He helps us in our weakness.2 Our God is not just great, but he is good. He is a good, good Father. 

The blind men had never seen Jesus, but they had heard about him, and they believed that he was from God. That was enough for them to act, enough for them to take the risk with the amount of faith they had. Remember the desperate father who came to Jesus to set his son free? “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” 
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”3 

O yes, God, in a harsh, unbelieving, fear-filled world, “Increase our faith!” we plead. We come to God with the faith we have, reach out for him, but also ask him to increase the amount of faith we have. Oh, that is so good, this captured agreement between God and man. 

Christine

PastorWoman.com

1 - Matthew 9.18-26; Luke 8.40-56; Mark 5.21-43 
2 – Romans 8.26-27 
3 – Mark 9.23-25