Key Verse:
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
(Matthew 20:34)
Central Truth:
Jesus “sees” the unseen and changes their lives. We are called to do the same.
WE JUST DON’T GET IT
I find myself repeating things, a lot. “Pick up those toys! Get your pajamas on! Stop fighting! JUST LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE!!” I often become frustrated with how often I have to repeat simple instructions,
“I asked you to pick your books up off of the floor.”
“Books?”
“Yes, your books right there. Would you please pick them up?”
“Oh, I didn’t know you meant those books.”
I want to let out a loud, “AAAARRGGGHH!” I stifle this urge. I then find myself wondering if Jesus had (or has) to stifle the urge as well?
In the chapters leading up to Matthew 20, Jesus has been teaching his disciples about reward, grace, humility, and serving. Yet, the disciples are still arguing and vying for position within the Kingdom where they know the first shall be last! How many times must he tell them?! Good grief! James and John even have their mom doing their dirty work!
Jesus and the disciples are leaving Jericho with a large crowd of people following them. As they pass, Jesus is called by two blind men, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” These men are outcasts, unseen by many, if not all who walked by them. Needy, unable to work, they sat by the road begging for help. When they called out to Jesus, the crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet. Basically, the crowd reinforced the idea that these men had no value and were not worthy to have their needs met. Jesus looked at these two needy, blind and unseen men and asked them what they wanted. When was the last time these men were asked that? Asked anything?
“Jesus had compassion on them” and touched them. Wow! Who touches beggars on the street? “Immediately they received their sight and followed him.” Now, this is what Jesus has been talking about! This is serving! Through compassion Jesus met a physical need that carried into the men’s spiritual lives. He didn’t do it because it was the “right thing," because he had the means, or because he was obligated or felt guilty. These men followed Jesus because he served them out of the compassion of his heart, and it changed their lives.
Jesus has to repeatedly show us how to do this because we don’t always get it. There are unseen needs and people in our lives everyday. Unfortunately, I am often too busy or inwardly focused to see these needs. He showed us how to serve so we could see what serving looked like and follow his lead.
Where can you meet an “unseen” need? How can you and I touch someone with compassion? It may be little like changing a tire or cleaning a sick woman’s bathroom. It can be big like filling a pantry with groceries or giving someone a car. Filling unseen needs changes people’s lives, including our own. When done with compassion and humility it can also point people to Jesus.
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
(Matthew 20:34)
Central Truth:
Jesus “sees” the unseen and changes their lives. We are called to do the same.
WE JUST DON’T GET IT
I find myself repeating things, a lot. “Pick up those toys! Get your pajamas on! Stop fighting! JUST LEAVE EACH OTHER ALONE!!” I often become frustrated with how often I have to repeat simple instructions,
“I asked you to pick your books up off of the floor.”
“Books?”
“Yes, your books right there. Would you please pick them up?”
“Oh, I didn’t know you meant those books.”
I want to let out a loud, “AAAARRGGGHH!” I stifle this urge. I then find myself wondering if Jesus had (or has) to stifle the urge as well?
In the chapters leading up to Matthew 20, Jesus has been teaching his disciples about reward, grace, humility, and serving. Yet, the disciples are still arguing and vying for position within the Kingdom where they know the first shall be last! How many times must he tell them?! Good grief! James and John even have their mom doing their dirty work!
Jesus and the disciples are leaving Jericho with a large crowd of people following them. As they pass, Jesus is called by two blind men, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” These men are outcasts, unseen by many, if not all who walked by them. Needy, unable to work, they sat by the road begging for help. When they called out to Jesus, the crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet. Basically, the crowd reinforced the idea that these men had no value and were not worthy to have their needs met. Jesus looked at these two needy, blind and unseen men and asked them what they wanted. When was the last time these men were asked that? Asked anything?
“Jesus had compassion on them” and touched them. Wow! Who touches beggars on the street? “Immediately they received their sight and followed him.” Now, this is what Jesus has been talking about! This is serving! Through compassion Jesus met a physical need that carried into the men’s spiritual lives. He didn’t do it because it was the “right thing," because he had the means, or because he was obligated or felt guilty. These men followed Jesus because he served them out of the compassion of his heart, and it changed their lives.
Jesus has to repeatedly show us how to do this because we don’t always get it. There are unseen needs and people in our lives everyday. Unfortunately, I am often too busy or inwardly focused to see these needs. He showed us how to serve so we could see what serving looked like and follow his lead.
Where can you meet an “unseen” need? How can you and I touch someone with compassion? It may be little like changing a tire or cleaning a sick woman’s bathroom. It can be big like filling a pantry with groceries or giving someone a car. Filling unseen needs changes people’s lives, including our own. When done with compassion and humility it can also point people to Jesus.
Good Stuff! My kids and I had a great discussion about helping those in need earlier this week. I forgot to tell them about the humility part. That will be tomorrow's discussion.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the hardest things to live out in our lives is the profound difference in what we THINK God's Will is and what GOD knows His Will is.....we often see Jesus try again and again to explain and make us "see" what HE wants over what the "world" wants of us or what we "want" for ourselves. It is one of the hardest areas of my life....trying to decide how to please Him in my motives instead of trying to live up to the world's standard of "goodness" around me...(sometimes its my family....sometimes its my friends,.... sometimes its my own desires). What the world sees as important for me to "be" is sometimes directly OPPOSITE of what God thinks is important for me to "be". It is a constant battle between the the "good of the world" and God's BEST, which sometimes will look like weakness, and underachievement, uselessness, and failure to the world.....(just like those blind men)...but to Jesus....they were His opportunity to show TRUTH. Such a paradox to the world.
ReplyDeleteThis week my 3 sons and I were getting haircuts. While my oldest was in the chair, the rest of us walked up the sidewalk to the grocery store to pick up 2 things needed for supper. There were 2 very unkempt homeless men sitting in the corner trying to get warm. They were bundled up and had on their bed rolls and all their personal belongings in bags. Of course they asked for money and of course I gave them a couple of dollars each. We talked for a couple of minutes about their being safe on their journey and wished them a blessed day. They shook all our hands warmly. Their hands were worn, dirty and cold. My youngest asked me if I was scared of them? I told him honestly that did not enter my mind. I just see them as someone's son, uncle, brother and a child of Jesus. I asked my boys how they felt when we walked away. Well, one asked for hand sanitizer, which we all used! But both said they had never thought of homeless people as someone's relative. My middle said it felt good to share. It was one of those moments I felt like we were Christ like and looked outside ourselves. We could have just looked the other way and walked on.......but thanks to this devotion, we made a small difference!
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