Read
Jesus Heals Two Blind Men
(Mark 10.46-52; Luke 18.35-43)
29Jesus was followed by a large crowd as he and his disciples were leaving Jericho. 30Two blind men were sitting beside the road. And when they heard that Jesus was coming their way, they shouted, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!”
31The crowd told them to be quiet, but they shouted even louder, “Lord and Son of David, have pity on us!”
32When Jesus heard them, he stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
33They answered, “Lord, we want to see!”
34Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. At once they could see, and they became his followers.
Reflect
Do you have days when you would just love to let loose with a rant? Yell randomly about stuff that you don’t think anybody but you cares about? I do.
Most of the time I do it inside my head. Sometimes it’s the way that I pray.
It may be because of the crowd’s reaction that the two blind beggars spent their days hassling whoever was walking by. I don’t know for sure, but isn’t that the pastime of beggars?
Today, they heard that Jesus was coming. They cut and pasted his name into their plea for pity. Yikes! He actually stopped.
“The question,” on the surface, seems dumb. Wasn’t it obvious what they wanted him to do?
Not long ago I was in quite a funk about stuff – so much so that I skipped work and went hiking. Solitude in nature works for me. I sat on a stump – silent and sulking.
This doesn’t happen often, but it turned into one of those experiences when I especially sensed God’s presence. “The question” formed in my head this way: “What exactly is your beef?”
Some could say that I was just talking to myself. I knew God was calling me out. And so I told him … and I told him repeatedly until I didn’t need to say it again. I stayed there. Stuff got sorted out. Stuff got written down. The need to rant went away.
The temptation to go on and on with internal, random complaint is common. You know what I mean? Perhaps it’s where you’re at today. A hint …
Sooner or later, God’s going to call you out with “the question.” Do you have any idea what you’re going to say? He prefers a clear answer. BTW, he often follows up with “Why”.
Respond
Keith Elford
Keith Elford serves as the bishop of The Free Methodist Church in Canada. His mandate is to oversee a diverse group of godly, competent leaders who, using a variety of approaches, work together to see healthy churches developed within Canada and beyond. Prior to being elected as bishop in 1997, Keith was a pastor for 24 years, serving congregations in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan. He regularly writes for The Mosaic, a Free Methodist publication.