Thy Word:

Jesus Heals The Blind

“After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”

They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”

“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”

Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.

When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.

But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.”

The Need For Workers

Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:27-38 NLT

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My Thoughts: Is it just me or at this point in our study of Matthew are you starting to feel the tension from the Sadducees and the Pharisees about Jesus? One thing for sure, we know it is one-sided. Jesus knows full well what the religious leaders are up to and what they are planning, but he never attempts to stop them from following him and witnessing his miracles and healings.

Although Jesus wants to heal the people’s sicknesses, he also wants to change their hearts and change their propensity for sin. However, the crowds are clamoring for physical healing over anything else and Jesus has such compassion for the people coming to him, he heals out of mercy.

We see this mercy in action when two blind men follow Jesus all the way to the house where he is staying. When they call him Son of David they are professing faith that they believe he is the Messiah. This emphasized to Jesus the depth of their faith and how much they really wanted his help.

In spite of Jesus continually asking for confidence about what He has done to heal, those who are healed do just the opposite, which causes more and more to bring their sick to him.

As a Mother, I have mixed feelings about whether or not I could keep quiet! I know if I had a sick loved one I would be relentless in my pursuit of Jesus for help. If He healed them, how would I respond when people asked me how they were healed? I would want to shout it from the rooftops! I can’t help but think in the excitement of the moment one of the biggest questions they didn’t ask was how to honor the request of Jesus when asked.

Overall, I believe it shows us Jesus wanted to be known as more than just a miracle healer. Yes, he had compassion to heal (save) them from their illness, but Jesus wanted to redeem them and give them eternal salvation.

Then a demon possessed man is brought to Jesus. This demon was causing the man to be mute. The moment the demon is gone the man can speak and everyone is amazed…, except the Pharisees who proclaim Jesus can do it because he is empowered by the prince of demons.

That makes me have an interesting “hmm” thought…., raise your hand if you think that demon jumped right out of that mute man and right into that Pharisees dark heart! (Yeah, me too!)

In spite of the religious leader’s opposition and accusations, Jesus continues to travel from town to town teaching the Good News about the Kingdom. ”He healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

Finally, he gathers his disciples and leaves them (us) with a very important responsibility:

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew 9:37-38 NLT

Jesus didn’t just want to heal these people and have it end it there, he wanted committed disciples! Make no mistake about it, this is what he wants from us too. Our actions, our words, and certainly our lives should reflect the good news of Jesus, and we should bring others to Christ by using our specific gifts. We may not always get it right, but we just need to keep learning and never stop working the harvest, which are the lost who are in need of Jesus.

God didn’t gift me with a beautiful voice so I could bring people to Jesus by singing, he never gave me the ability to preach from the stage like Billy Graham, and there are lots of other ways I’m no good at sharing the gospel.

But the #1 way I pray to work the harvest is either one-on-one with someone who wants to know more about Jesus, or through these blogs. In fact, that is the primary goal of my blog and my act of obedience to the call of Jesus.

And, if you tell me you are broken and Jesus can’t love you or use you, I will stand toe-to-toe with you and tell you that is a lie from the pit of hell! Then I will show you from the word of God how He wants to use your mistakes for your benefit and His glory, just like he did with me and so many others.

And if you still don’t/won’t believe…, well, that’s on you…, because God is calling people who are willing to work the harvest and time after time in the Bible, and in real life, we see him call imperfect people to do great things.

There is only One who is perfect and that is Jesus. We have to quit making excuses and get busy working the harvest.

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Closing Prayer: Father God, I believe we all need to be taught to broaden our horizon and look beyond what is just in front of us for the harvest. Yes, we need to volunteer in our churches, but I have a feeling You have a harvest that needs some special workers which may be a little beyond our scope, so may we fully rely on You to help us. Open the eyes of our hearts so we can see where you want us to go, and use the special gifts you have given each of us. Lord I know I have been guilty of complacency and distractions, and I pray that I banish that from my life and move forward with the task you have called me to do, which is to finish my book and honor You through this blog. In the mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.