When Jesus heard [the blind men shouting to him], he stopped and called, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord," they said, "we want to see!" Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.
—Matthew 20:32-34 NLT
There are all sorts of things we leave behind to follow Jesus. We can leave our nets like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. We can leave our tax collector's booth like Levi. We can leave our high ranking position in the religious establishment like Saul of Tarsus. We can leave our profession as a physician like Luke. We can also leave behind our blindness!
While the apostles had left everything to follow Jesus, they had not yet recognized their blindness. They still wanted to look at things the way men do instead of God's way. To follow Jesus, they had to leave behind their blindness and accept that the cross was the key ingredient in Jesus' Messiahship and their discipleship. Just as Jesus opened the eyes of the blind men on his way to Jerusalem and they followed, Jesus would also go to Jerusalem and face his crucifixion and open the eyes of his disciples. They would follow and the world would be changed!
Almighty God, please remove the blindness from my eyes and help me see what keeps me from fully recognizing Jesus as my Lord and what I need to do to live fully for him. In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen.
Ⓒ 1996-2021 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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"Lord," they said, "we want to see!" Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him.
—Matthew 20:32-34 NLT
Key Thought
There are all sorts of things we leave behind to follow Jesus. We can leave our nets like Peter, Andrew, James, and John. We can leave our tax collector's booth like Levi. We can leave our high ranking position in the religious establishment like Saul of Tarsus. We can leave our profession as a physician like Luke. We can also leave behind our blindness!
While the apostles had left everything to follow Jesus, they had not yet recognized their blindness. They still wanted to look at things the way men do instead of God's way. To follow Jesus, they had to leave behind their blindness and accept that the cross was the key ingredient in Jesus' Messiahship and their discipleship. Just as Jesus opened the eyes of the blind men on his way to Jerusalem and they followed, Jesus would also go to Jerusalem and face his crucifixion and open the eyes of his disciples. They would follow and the world would be changed!
Today's Prayer
Almighty God, please remove the blindness from my eyes and help me see what keeps me from fully recognizing Jesus as my Lord and what I need to do to live fully for him. In Jesus' holy name, I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
Ⓒ 1996-2021 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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