“Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (NIV Matt. 9:28)
As the word spread about Jesus’ miraculous deeds, crowds of people followed him everywhere. But the Gospel accounts don’t actually describe times when Jesus healed masses of people anonymously, in large public events. Rather, the Gospel writers show Jesus making one to one connections with each individual, asking questions and trying to learn the person’s state of mind.
When Jesus healed two blind men following him in his hometown, he asked them the question at the beginning of this chapter. They replied, “Yes, Lord.” They believed. After touching their eyes, Jesus said, “According to your faith let it be done to you” (NIV Matt. 9:27-29).
Believing in a miraculous recovery isn’t easy—in Bible times or today. Matthew Henry, an English Presbyterian minister would later write, “None so blind as those that will not see.” He is, of course, referring more to the state of our minds than to the condition of our eyes.
And Jesus is clearly referring to that as well. Do we really “want to see”? How open or available are we to a change of view? When we have an illness or disability for a long time, it does narrow our vision, causing us to see our lives only in terms of its dysfunction and debility. Bodily illness gradually comes to define who we are.
Jesus Christ isn’t someone we hope to meet at a future time and in a future place. The wonder and the mystery is that the Saviour is walking and living with us and in us right now. His forgiveness and understanding are always present, ready to soothe and comfort. When we are humble enough to let go of it, the Lord compassionately and peacefully lifts the burden from our shoulders and moves it to his. It’s time to open our hearts and say, “Lord, I want to see.”
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