By: Maggie Morrison
As I read about Jesus' life on earth, I can’t help but notice the huge crowds that followed Him everywhere he went. People were drawn to Him and intrigued by His words. It’s interesting that although He was able to draw crowds thousands deep, only a few were healed and only a few understood His message. In our culture today, almost everyone has heard about Jesus, and yet very few have experienced Him. I believe if we truly take hold of the Gospel message that Jesus preached, our lives would be radically different. In Luke 18:35-42, Jesus healed a blind man after he recklessly pursued Him. If we could all see how we too are blind beggars, maybe we could learn to draw near to the throne of God with the same boldness.
God desires to restore our spiritual sight in the same way he did for this man’s physical sight, but we must change the way we approach Jesus. This man was not afraid to get loud!
He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Luke 18:38-39 NIV
I am reminded of the times in my life when I pray for something, but the busyness of life, my own unbelief, or simply my lack of consistency quiets my prayers and hinders me from continuing to pursue Jesus. We all need to remember that hardships should make us louder, not quieter. Do not allow the enemy to silence you, but continue to yell out to Jesus and ask for your sight to be restored! The blind beggar teaches us that we must not conform to the unbelieving crowd.
Before the blind man ever asked Jesus to restore his eyesight, he said, “Have mercy on me!” (vs. 38). This man recognized his need for grace was greater than anything else Jesus could offer him. This is a great reminder to be humble before God while confessing our greatest need: the reign of Christ in us. When we approach God with this heart posture, we can rest in Matthew 6:33 (NKJV), “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Before we can receive anything else, we must first receive mercy.
Something we see here and repeatedly in the Gospels is Jesus healing people and proclaiming, “Your faith has healed you.” I love this because it reminds us that other people’s successes are to be an encouragement and faith builder in us. If this man had never heard the great things Jesus had done for others, he would never have grown in the faith that Jesus could do the same for him! In our culture, we too often view each other as competition. The Kingdom of God doesn’t work this way, and we need to remember what God does for one, He will do for all. We will receive through faith, and our faith will grow through testimony.
I can imagine the blind beggar had heard many stories of Jesus healing others. Living a life on the roadside begging for money must have left much time for him to dream, What if Jesus walks by me? This man was blind. He was desperate for his sight, and he knew nothing on the earth could give it to him. Jesus offered hope. Jesus offered him something nobody else could, and he would not let anyone get in the way of that desire. This man got loud, he got humble, and he believed.
I pray over the situations that feel desperate. I pray we humble ourselves before God and, in doing so, receive mercy. As women, let us not be afraid to use our voices. I pray we silence the crowds by being louder than the culture and lead others to believe.
