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Extracts of Truth & Encouragement from a Growth Journey with God
Eyes to See
A close friend and I were talking last week about eyes and how sensitive they are. She said that you can get dirt on your skin, and it doesn’t bother you. However, you get a speck of dirt in your eye, and it hurts and is annoying!…Isn’t this the truth? The eye is a complicated organ with many parts. It lets you know when light is present and changes the direction of light rays as they pass through different parts of the eye. It lets us take in what’s around us, while sending messages to the brain, interpreting what we see. It’s full of nerves that also send messages to the brain, warning us when a contaminant shows up that wants to affect how we see or hurt the eye itself.
Does anyone else get annoyed when your eyes are dilated at the ophthalmologist’s office?!? Feeling rather blinded and ultra sensitive to light doesn’t feel very helpful to me. Sometimes I wonder why I willingly allow them to do that to me!
According to “the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness’s Vision Atlas (a compilation of the very latest eye health data),…globally, there are 43 million people living with blindness and 295 million people living with moderate-to-severe visual impairment.”1 Over 76% of these people are living with avoidable blindness or impairment, because they have the inability to access the right help.
“As they were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed them. Two blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, ‘Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!’ The crowd scolded them to get them to be quiet, but they shouted even more loudly, ‘Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!’ Jesus stopped, called them, and said, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ They said to Him, ‘Lord, let our eyes be opened.’ Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Him.”
Matthew 20:29-34 NETB
There are a number of things that stand out to me about this passage.
- This account was toward the end of Jesus’ ministry; there is a very similar one listed earlier in Matthew 9:27-31, which was toward the beginning of it. Both times, Jesus responded to the cries of the blind who had faith in Him. Both times, He opened up their eyes. From beginning to end, “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” (Heb. 13:8).
- No matter what Jesus was facing at the time, He took time, heard them, and responded.
- Luke 18:35-43 gives us a few more details about this encounter (though Luke’s account only talks about one of the blind men; see this article, if you want to look into that more: https://www.gotquestions.org/one-two-blind-men.html). At least one of the men was sitting by the road, asking for handouts. He was not only blind; he was poor and in need.
- As soon as the blind men found out why there was a ruckus in the streets, they acted. They apparently knew who Jesus was…I mean, who He really was–the Messiah (shown by how they addressed Him as the Son of David) and Lord (master). It didn’t matter that people were scolding them to be quiet. They knew Who He was, believed what He was capable of, and knew He was the One Who could help them.
- Their healing propelled them to move; they followed Him. They walked the same road, in the same direction.
Are you stagnant/unable to move forward? If so, are you looking for Christ and/or calling out to Him?
Do you believe in Who He is and His ability to help you?
“The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.”
Psalm 146 8 ESV
“Blind,” here, is like a film over the eyes, physically OR in a spiritual sense. It’s referring to those who are helpless or incapable; weak or disabled; friendless; or searching (either mentally or physically) with difficulty, hesitation, or uncertainty.
Do you have a need today? It doesn’t have to be physical; it could be a film over your heart, thoughts you’re struggling with, or an emotional need.
What do you want Jesus to do for you? Have you asked Him for it, like the blind men did?
Posture is extremely important to the LORD, but I’m not talking sitting or standing up straight. It has a lot to do with humility, recognizing His ability, and accepting our inability. He has compassion for and chooses to raise up those who are stretched out on the ground, with their face down before Him, as well as those bowed down in more of an arched or curved position because of anxiety; pain; or sorrow due to loss, disappointment, unfortunate circumstance, limitation, illness, physical appearance, situation/event, or embarrassment/shame.
“Love,” in this verse, means having an affection for, which can include showing physical expressions of affection. The LORD has an affection for those who are cleansed by Jesus’ blood and who turn to and do the right thing in the eyes of God; this includes not only what one does or says, but also the attitude in which it’s done/said.
My prayer is that today, each one of us: 1) recognizes that Christ is close, and we have access to Him, 2) cries out to Him in our inabilities, weakness, pain, and sorrow, 3) recognizes Who He is and HIS abilities, 4) asks for Him to open our eyes to see things clearly, and 5) won’t be content with being still, but will move toward Him, walk with Him, and follow Him!
1“GLOBAL BLINDNESS WAS SLOWING PRIOR TO PANDEMIC STUDY REVEALS.” Orbis, https://www.orbis.org/en/news/2021/new-global-blindness-data. Accessed 22 August 2021.
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