Good weekend to you my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever been surprised by an opportunity? What kind of an opportunity? Well maybe you’ve received a letter or phone call and been offered a job or perhaps a scholarship for one of your children who hopes to go to college?
But this weekend I especially want to urge you to be on the watch for unexpected opportunities to bless someone with kindness or hope. As we’re walking along with Jesus and His friends toward Jerusalem and that history changing Passover/Easter weekend, yesterday we were amazed because a man hiding up in a tree gave Jesus the unexpected opportunity to help a man most people hated, find his life changed by an encounter with God! That man’s name was Zacchaeus, and I think it’s safe to say Jericho was never the same after that amazing day.
We don’t know how long Jesus and His friends lingered in that famous town of Jericho, but Matthew, one of the disciples, gives us a glimpse of another unexpected opportunity Jesus had as He and those walking with Him were leaving Jericho, as they continued their hike toward Jerusalem.
Let’s join the parade again as Matthew describes what he experienced: “As Jesus and His disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed Him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by in the crowd, they shouted, ‘Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” (Matt. 20:29) Now we’ve all been pedestrians on busy streets so it should be very easy for us to put ourselves in that bustling crowd with everyone straining to hear what Jesus was saying as He walked along, and people probably shouting questions hoping to get His attention.
If you’ve spent much time in big cities anywhere in the world, you’ve seen homeless people or beggars sitting along the side of the roads with their hands out as people walk by. Perhaps you’ve even seen clusters of beggars or homeless folks sitting together hoping someone will be compassionate. Sometimes if they are bold, they might even shout at the passersby crying for help.
So, I’m sure this happened often to Jesus and His disciples in any town or city they walked through. I imagine these two blind men called out to the crowd, ‘what’s all the noise? Who’s in this crowd?’ And when someone responded it was Jesus, well suddenly those two blind men were bold, courageous and determined to get the attention of the miracle worker Jesus.
His reputation had spread far and wide and simply the name Jesus, suddenly awakened HOPE in these blind men.
But have you noticed, not everyone is compassionate toward beggars or cripples or blind folks? Look at them, these two men sitting on the ground as they have for years, arms raised, calling out for help.
Matthew tells us “The crowd rebuked them and told the blind beggars to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us! Jesus stopped and called to them, ‘What do you want me to do for you?” Suddenly everything was changing… again in Jericho. Jesus had stopped the procession, His heart drawn to those blind men the crowd was trying to silence.
Watch that friends, NO cry for help goes unnoticed by God, do you believe that? Throughout the Bible we find many stories where God heard the cries of desperate people and responded. One of my favorites is Exodus 2:23 which says: “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help went up to God. God heard their cries and God was concerned about their suffering.” And you may remember God raised up Moses and sent Moses to help them and God delivered those 1 million Hebrew slaves out of their bondage!
In this case I see Jesus has the same compassionate, tender heart. Despite the rebuke of the crowd who tries to shut up the cries of the blind men, Jesus stops the entire parade and turns aside to help them.
As you look back in your life, my friends, can you remember times you’ve cried out for God’s help and God has stopped all He’s doing to pay close attention to YOU? Do you remember how God has come to your rescue and helped you?
Suddenly the entire crowd was learning an important lesson, in fact all of Jericho was having a second opportunity to learn from Jesus. First, with Zacchaeus, the people of Jericho learned that God cares about everyone, even cheaters and liars and those who’ve hurt lots of other people. Jesus can change anyone, and Jesus sure changed Zacchaeus, and now the entire town of Jericho would be blessed by the generosity of a transformed Zacchaeus!
Now it’s like an encore performance. Jesus is showing that God cares about blind beggars, even when their fellow townspeople try to shut them up and cast them off as unimportant. But Jesus didn’t just stop, Jesus left the crowd, came over to the side of the road, and asked the beggars personally “What do you want Me to do for you?” (Matt. 20:32)
Now that may seem like a ridiculous question to you but pause a moment and really think about this. I presume these were Jewish blind beggars who probably knew the story well of a day, about 1000 years before, when God asked King Solomon the very same question! (1 Kings 3) Solomon was overwhelmed with the challenges of following his father King David as ruler over all Israel, so Solomon asked for wisdom, and God gave King Solomon more wisdom than anyone before or since!
I wonder if these two blind men had thought about that story from time to time as they sat alongside the road begging for a few coins. And now… it was happening to them, as it did to King Solomon! God was asking them what they wanted God to do for them? I wonder, my friends, what would you do if God gave you that opportunity? I doubt they had to pause and think about it very long. In unison these two blind men responded, “Lord, we want our sight!”
Matthew doesn’t tell us, but I wonder if Jesus turned to some of those who had been trying to keep the blind men quiet and asked them ‘so, what do you think I should do for these two blind men’? Or maybe if Zacchaeus was walking along with Jesus in the crowd, perhaps Jesus asked him, ‘Zacchaeus, what do you think I should do for these blind men?” Or maybe Jesus asked Peter or John or Matthew?
All we know is what Matthew writes next: “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed Jesus.” Look at them, these two old beggars wearing rags as clothes, leaping and jumping and with eyes wide open looking at the blue sky, the green trees, the people, each other and mostly … they are grabbing hold of Jesus, giving Him big bear hugs! They have no money to give Him, no words to express their thanks. Look at the tears forming rivers down the dust of their faces! Now that’s what profound gratitude to God looks like when a miracle has just happened!!
And look at the people… they can’t believe what they are seeing. First, they have seen Zacchaeus transformed from a thief, a cheater, to the most generous man any of them have ever met, now they are seeing two blind men dancing and celebrating because they, perhaps for the first time in many years, can see… they can actually SEE!!!
Now the parade is shouting and arms waving and clapping and dancing! Jericho has experienced the power of God unleashed not once but twice and these people have been eyewitnesses, and this town will never forget this day!
And look at Jesus, look at that big smile of great joy on His face. Oh, how He loves helping people! Helping people find HOPE and HELP as their lives change in ways ONLY God can change them. Let’s walk along with them as may I ask us to consider these questions as we are caught up in the celebration. . .
1. What changes have Jesus brought into your life?
When did God hear your cries for help and HOW did God answer your cries and HOW are you different now from who you were when you cried out to God, desperate for the help only Jesus could offer you?
2. As you walk along the road of your life, do you notice the people sitting by the side of your road, especially the ones others don’t seem to notice, or maybe intentionally ignore?
Who are they? What might God want to do to help them? How might God want to involve you in helping them find God’s HOPE? Are you one of those who tries to tell them to be quiet, to not bother Jesus who is certainly busy helping others who are more important than they are?
As we walk along with Jesus, leaving Jericho behind, what have we learned these past few days… about Jesus, about the compassionate heart of God, about the life changing power of Jesus? As we consider that, here’s a worship song to help us reflect that our need matters to God…
Today’s Scripture is Matthew 20:29-34.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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