Sight to the Blind

And as they went out of Jericho, a great crowd followed him. 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!” The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him. (Matt.20:29-34 ESV)

Isn't it interesting that these men who were physically blind, could still see the truth?  They recognized, as Jesus was passing by, that this was the Son of David, the Messiah.  There were so very many others who, though seeing, were blind to Jesus' identity and though hearing, were deaf to his message.  In the Matthew passage we are told that Jesus took pity on their physical blindness and healed them, restoring their sight. The passage ends with the statement that the men followed Jesus. it appears that, based on their recognition and acknowledgement of Jesus as Messiah, they had already begun to follow Jesus.


We, as believers, had to take that first step from blindness to sight. We had to recognize, see, Jesus for who he truly is - our savior, our deliverer. Once our eyes were opened to the truth, the decision was made to follow. Our blindness had been healed. I wonder, is it possible for someone to see Jesus as he really is, and choose to walk away, to remain in darkness? How sad to think that one could see the great light of the world and turn away! Great hardness of heart, sin, surely takes its toll. Jesus lovingly gives us a choice. He never forces us; but how compelling is that love and forgiveness!


Jesus asks questions of us just as he did those in the Gospel accounts. To his disciples - and us - he asks, "Who do you say that I am?" To the lame man waiting years by the pool, he asks, "Do you want to be healed?" The man had waited 38 years for his healing! There are those who know the agony of years of suffering, of waiting to be healed. The answer to that question seems obvious. But, is it? Do we understand the depth of that question - what new life in Jesus is like? Are we ready to receive what Jesus is offering?


Who do we say that Jesus is? Who is he to us, right now? Are we blind, deaf or lame - unable to see Truth, hear Truth or walk in the path of Truth? Or are we responding, even in our blindness to Jesus' voice calling us to see him, hear and respond to his word and follow him?

[Jesus said,] “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” [The blind man replied,] “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:39; 9:25 (NLT)