TO CHEW ON: "But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.
Then it happened as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging." Luke 18:34-35
This morning, as I read this passage, I noticed something I have never seen before: the juxtaposition of two blindnesses. Do you see it?
The disciples didn't understand what Jesus was saying about how He was going to die — they were blind: "this saying was hidden from them." Then right in the next verse, Jesus and the disciples ran across a physically blind man.
When the blind beggar heard Jesus was nearby he cried out. "Jesus, Son of David," and kept shouting, despite everyone around him telling him to shut up. It seemed he knew who Jesus was better than the disciples did.
When Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?" the man answered, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." That's a request the disciples needed to make too. They didn't know it, of course, as many of us don't when our eyes aren't acute to the wavelength of spiritual reality. For we can as be blind about spiritual things as they were.
It takes spiritual sight to make right spiritual decisions. When we come to God, we need to understand our sinful, lost state, who Jesus is, and how He can redeem us. Then we need sight about the spiritual aspects of all the segments of our lives.
Henry Blackaby in the "Experiencing God" workbook makes this comment about the everyday life and work of the Christian :
"...throughout your life you will have times when you want to respond to situations based on your own experiences or your own wisdom. Such an approach will get you in trouble. This should be your guideline: always go to the Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of your situation to you. Look to see what God says and how He works in the Scriptures" Henry Blackaby, Experiencing God, p. 14 (emphasis mine).
Jesus gives the beggar his sight in a physical miracle. "Your faith has made you well," He says.
I wonder, is faith our key to receiving spiritual sight as well? Faith to take the teachings of the Bible at face value. Faith to let them be the reality we live by even when what they say doesn't jive with what popular culture tells us.
PRAYER: Dear God, please show me my blind spots, in work, in relationships, in ministry. Then open my eyes to spiritual truth as I search Your word about them. Help me to have the faith to respond to what I see with obedience. Amen.
Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.
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