Jump Start # 1580

Matthew 20:29-30 “As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. And two blind men sitting by the road, hearing that Jesus was passing by, cried out, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’”

  This is a remarkable story of two blind men who were healed by Jesus. It is easy for us to read this story, quickly, see the miracle and not think too much more about this. Look deeply. Lower your nets. Peel the layers of the onion. Put yourself in that story.

It begins as Jesus is leaving Jericho. He’s heading toward Jerusalem. He has an appointment with the cross. There is a large crowd following Jesus. It is here that one must skip ahead to the book of Luke. It is because of this large crowd that we find someone up in a tree. That’s right! Zacchaeus’ story takes place at this time.

A large crowd. Have you ever been in a large crowd? This wasn’t the first time for Jesus. He taught in a house that was so crowded that four guys tore up a roof to lower their crippled friend down to Jesus. Another time there was a crowd of 4,000. Before that, there was 5,000 and that was just counting the men. The woman with the issue of blood, came up behind Jesus in a crowd and touch His garment. The Lord said, “who touched me?” The disciples were amazed He would say that. There was a crowd and everyone was bumping each other. Jesus was often in large crowds.

After a ballgame, after a concert, at a parade or fair, crowds are generally loud and noisy. Remember, the two men in our story are blind. They can’t see Jesus. They hear that He is passing by. What do they hear? Probably, they hear people shouting out to Jesus and waving. They hear the name of Jesus. In the darkness of their disease they cry out. They call Jesus, “Lord,” and “Son of David.” Those are terms of prophecy, authority and pointing to the Messiahship. They beg for mercy. “Have mercy on us,” is what they ask.

The shouting of these blind men must have been intense and loud. The text tells us that the crowd tells the blind men to be quiet. “Hush,” is what we would say. They didn’t listen to the crowd. They cried out more. Jesus stops. Jesus asks what they want. He knows, but He asks. They want to see. The text tells us that Jesus was moved with “compassion.” He cared. His caring led Him to do something. He touched their eyes and immediately they saw.

The story ends with, they “followed Him.” How far did they go? All the way to Jerusalem? All the way to the cross? Instead of running home to tell family and friends, they followed. Remarkable faith and remarkable dedication.

Some come to Jesus to fix their marriage. It stinks. They haven’t been talking to each other. They have shouted, ignored, and been silent for a long time. Divorce has crossed both of their minds. They turn to God for help. They sit down and go through some passages about compassion, forgiveness and responsibilities. They see where each has not been doing their part. They see what they need to do. Soon things start turning. He’s helping out around the house. She’s less demanding. He’s talking. They are sharing. The ship has changed course. Things are looking better. Friends and family notice. Once the marriage is where they want it to be, they stop with Jesus. They don’t worship like they should. They don’t consider other areas of their lives. They don’t follow Jesus. They got what they needed and then they were done with Jesus. Our two blind men were not like this. They got their sight. But they weren’t through with Jesus. They followed Him.

The same could be said about parenting. A family has trouble. Teenagers are on the warpath. Communication has broken down. Doors slam at night. People eat their meals alone in their rooms. Things are not well. The family invites someone from church to come over and talk with them. Through some Bible studies, the roles of mom, dad and the kids are understood. Assignments are given and followed up. Things change. Meals are eaten together. There is more trust. Honesty returns. Things look good. Love fills the home. The ship has changed course. But the family is now finished with Jesus. They got what they needed. Do they follow up with the Lord? Nope. Not back to church to worship. Not doing the other steps that would help them grow with the Lord. They got what they wanted. Their family was fixed and now they are off on their way. Not our two blind men. They got their sight. That’s what they wanted. But they stayed with Jesus. They followed the Lord.

The same could be said of prayer. We pray when there is a need. When the need is taken care of, we don’t pray anymore. The same could be said of reading the Bible. A controversy stirs at the church house. The Bible is studied carefully. Notes are taken. Much thought is given into what the Lord says. The controversy passes, and the Bible is closed.

There is an old saying that the only time folks want a preacher is when a person is hatched, matched and dispatched. I am seeing that true. A family member passes and they call the preacher. Out of the wood work comes all these people. Never seen them before. Never been to church services. They want prayers. They want Bible. They want hope. The funeral ends, and those people are never seen again. Got what they needed and now they were done with all things religious.

We can learn a lot from these two blind men. They stuck with it and cried and cried when others told them to hush. They were plain speaking when Jesus asked them what they wanted. They knew exactly. Then, when they got what they wanted, they complimented and thank Jesus the most by following Him.

That’s what the Lord wants from you. Follow Him. Don’t just get what you want and then leave Him. Don’t stay in Jericho. Follow Him to Jerusalem. Follow Him to the cross. Follow Him to the tomb. Follow Him to the resurrection and ascension. Follow Him to Heaven.

Roger