Matthew 20:29-34 Two Blind Men Receive Their Sight
“Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
Then the multitude warned them that they should be quiet; but they cried out all the more, saying, “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
So Jesus stood still and called them, and said, “What do you want Me to do for you?”
They said to Him, “Lord, that our eyes may be opened.” So Jesus had compassion and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed Him.”
It has been one of those crazy days where the crowds have been more insistent than usual. The disciples are exhausted from having to protect Jesus from being crushed. Now they are leaving Jericho after Jesus has ministered to all kinds of people. Jesus is tired, and the disciples are sweating and longing for rest. Just as the disciples think they are about to get a little break, they hear two men screaming from the roadside. “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!”
Those in the crowd are trying to hush these men. After all, these guys have been blind all their lives, so haven’t they adjusted by now? The disciples are fretting. Why didn’t these men come to Jericho when Jesus was healing there? Don’t these men realize that the time for Jesus to heal is over and that they are on their way somewhere else with a schedule to keep? But these men are desperate, and they make an appeal that Jesus cannot refuse; they appeal to him as the Son of David, the Messiah. Most of the crowd really has no idea who Jesus is; all they know is that Jesus can heal people and doesn’t turn anybody away. It’s these blind men sitting at the roadside who have actually realized Jesus’ true divinity.
Jesus stops, calls the men, and asks what they want. The men hustle to Jesus as fast as they can, perhaps being assisted by some of the members of the crowd. When the men make their specific request, Jesus grants it and restores their sight. This entire encounter may have only taken two minutes; yet, for these men, it is life-changing. Now these men can see, they can enter the synagogue, they can reunite with their families, and they don’t have to beg anymore.
You must sympathize with the disciples, for they are concerned for Jesus and are trying to protect him. But the disciples are feeling sorry for themselves as well. The incessant demands of the crowds seem overwhelming. Why can’t Jesus minister on some kind of regular schedule? Jesus can hear the disciples grumbling among themselves and he only smiles, for he already knows what they have been thinking. But Jesus is healing by the power of the Holy Spirit and at the direction of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit works on his own schedule and not on anyone else’s.
Being a disciple is tough and demanding. True discipleship means that you must work on God’s schedule and not on yours. And God is amazingly tolerant of last-minute requests. Just when we are tired, just when we want to go eat, have something to drink, or lie down and rest, God brings one more person and orders us to help them.
True story from my residency years: I had signed out and was home relaxing when I got a call from a female ward at the hospital across the street from my apartment house. A lady whom we had already discharged was complaining of stomach pain, and the nurses wanted me to do something about it. The last thing I wanted to do was to go back over there. I wanted to dump the problem on whoever was on call; however, the Holy Spirit insisted that I dress up and return to the hospital. My exact words to the Lord were, “OK, I’ll go over there. But if you don’t give me something to say, I’m going to keep my mouth shut.”
Don’t challenge God. When I returned to see this patient, I learned that her underlying problems were spiritual and not physical. Before I could even realize it, I was telling this lady about Jesus and asking if she wanted to become a Jesus follower as well. The lady eagerly prayed with me, and her stomach pain immediately disappeared. We hugged, and I returned home. Five minutes after I left this lady, the people coming to pick her from the hospital arrived. God kept those people from coming sooner so that this lady could hear about Jesus.
Jesus once told a story about two brothers whose father asked them to go work in his vineyard. One brother gruffly refused, but later thought better of it and went and worked. The other brother blithely agreed to work, but skipped out and never entered the vineyard at all. Even if our obedience is grudging to begin with, God still wants our obedience and is pleased when we do obey.
Being a disciple means working according to God’s time table and not our own. While obedience can be frustrating, it can also be incredibly rewarding. Romans 10:14-16 says, “But how can people call for help if they don’t know who to trust? And how can they know who to trust if they haven’t heard of the One who can be trusted? And how can they hear if nobody tells them? And how is anyone going to tell them, unless someone is sent to do it?” ) The Message)
As disciples, we must allow God to send us wherever He wants. Only God knows the hearts prepared to receive His Word and His Salvation. So the next time God asks you to do something when you’d rather not, remember those two blind men on the Jericho Road. Even though Jesus was probably hot and tired, he took time to heal those men, and God has preserved that story for eternity. It probably only took Jesus two minutes to heal those men. Only God knows what He can do if you will give Him two minutes.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to give You everything, including our time. Help us to be obedient, even when it’s costly or inconvenient, realizing that other disciples throughout the world are doing far more than we are. Help us to work for love of You, Jesus. In Your mighty and precious Name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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