May 17-23, 2020: Matthew 9:27-31
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God's character to be revealed.
Read: Matthew 9:27-31
Reflect: When I first became a stepmom, many times my cooking abilities were questioned. Likes and dislikes started out as what something did or did not look like, or how it smelled, and minds were made up that the kids would have none of it. But they learned quickly that what something looked like or smelled like was not always the basis for an opinion of whether it was good or bad. They each had to at least try it, and that meant having at least a couple bites of whatever it happened to be. In many instances they discovered things they did actually like and went back for more!
Once more, we find Jesus healing two blind men. Jesus has just healed Jairus’ daughter and is now leaving the home. There are two blind men following him, calling out to him, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” Blindness is quite common for some reason in Bible times, and where there is blindness, there is also the thought of punishment from God. But blindness is also symbolic of spiritual blindness, as sight is to understanding.
Why are these men calling Jesus, “Son of David?” It is possible that after hearing about all the miracles Jesus has performed, that perhaps He is the Messiah they have been waiting for. The faith of these two men is stressed in this story in a couple ways. They have formed an opinion of this Man and in order to do that they had to believe that Jesus could heal them. Then of course, they are following Him at some distance and calling out to Him as He is leaving the crowd of people behind. Third, is their answer to Jesus’ question, “Do you believe that I can make you see?” Jesus was not trying to make it difficult for them, He wanted to draw from them a statement of their faith and to see the earnestness of that faith. When the men answered Jesus, “Yes, Lord, we do believe,” Jesus touched their eyes and told them that it was because of their faith, that they could see. These men had come to the point of faith based on what they knew of the Scriptures and what they themselves had heard about Jesus. They had caught the vision of what their futures could be if only they could see!
In Living God’s Love, Alex Bryan states, “Belief is the mother of behavior. What I am convicted of will drive what I am committed to. The attitude I bring to a situation will determine my capacity to affect change. What you think and dream either limits what you can do or opens up boundless possibilities… [Jesus] invites us to think about and focus on hope, change, transformation, healing, and love.”
Recalibrate: Is the vision of your day, week, year, or future negative or positive? What can you do to change your attitude so that your behavior becomes reflective of Christ?
Research: Steps to Christ, pp. 105-113, What to Do with Doubt
Listen: He Will Carry You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh3WuenttBM and
Open the Eyes of My Heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wutmEjdbedE