Desperately Seeing Jesus
“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!’”
Today’s Text: Matthew 20:29-34 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
One of the most helpful questions we can ask ourselves when we read the Bible is, “Why did the author choose to include this account?” We have already read a lot about Jesus’s power over infirmities and demons and even over nature. What is it about this event that makes it important enough to include in the Gospel narrative?
The significance of the episode has to do with sight. In the Bible, physical sight is symbolic for spiritual insight and understanding. And so, the point of the episode is that all of us ought to be persistent in seeking to see Jesus fully. We need to persistently ask Jesus Himself to help us to see Him as He truly is.
And that is why one of my persistent prayers is that, as I read and study the word, God would fill me up with His truth and transform me with His truth—to equip, enable, and empower me to live out His word in my life and to share His gospel in this world.
But of course, in any given prayer, words are meaningless unless we desperately want those words to be meaningful. Just as with the two brothers, the two blind beggars at least knew that Jesus is the Son of David, which is a messianic title. But unlike the two “sons of thunder,” the two blind beggars were desperate and, therefore, persistent in asking for sight. And when they received it, they followed Him to Jerusalem.
When I pray my prayer, I may be persistent in asking for spiritual insight, but am I really desperate to see and to know Jesus as He truly and fully is? And in seeing Him, am I then willing to follow Him as a witness to the cross?
At our weekly prayer breakfast for the Long Beach Harbor Southern Baptist Association, this one elder at a church was talking about how the Sunday attendance had dwindled to about a handful of people, including himself and the preacher. And so we got to talking about vision, and how the mission of God should be the vision of every church. But to execute on that vision requires a “holy unction.” The people have to desperately want to see Christ with us, but Christ is only with us when we are following Him!
And so this one pastor shared a story about an elementary school that is right across the street from their church. And he was desperately wanting to reach out to the students of the school somehow, but he didn’t know how. So he said he applied “PBJ.”
First “Prayer.” He prayed with a holy unction for God to open a way to engage with that school. And then he said we have to “Believe” that God would answer those prayers that are in line with His mission when we pray with a holy unction. And then the next day, the principal of the school came to him and asked if the school could use their parking lot. Whoa! “Jesus” showed up. He could clearly see Jesus at work in that situation. And so, now what?
If we are desperate to see Jesus, we ought pray, and He will reveal Himself. But then, we have to be willing to follow His path to the cross—not necessarily for us to become literal martyrs ourselves, but to be witnesses of the grace given to us through His sacrifice for our sins on the cross.
Father, You are mercy, and You are love. You have shown mercy to me, a blind sinner, and allowed me to see Christ and Him crucified, resurrected, and returning. But let me not take my sight for granted. I can only see by the power of Your Spirit. So today, Lord, have mercy on me and give me sight to see Jesus. But then, give me courage to follow Him wherever He may go. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
