06-25-21

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
June 25, 2021
Scripture: Matthew 20:30-31
There were two blind men sitting by the roadside. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” The crowd sternly ordered them to be quiet; but they shouted even more loudly, “Have mercy on us, Lord, Son of David!”

Thought for the Day: Have you ever felt ignored? Have you ever received the old cold shoulder? In this story, we find two blind men sitting alongside the road. They were probably begging those passing by. Yet upon hearing that Jesus was coming close, they shouted, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” These words connect us to an earlier passage in Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus was having a meal with outcasts, and some of the religious leaders were bent out of shape. To them, Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’” Mercy is what the blind men wanted. The crowd quickly answered their plea with a response often spoken to those who were considered unworthy. The crowd was reinforcing what these two men had probably experienced most of their lives, but Jesus was not going to play into the game of who is worthy and who is not. He never played that game. Instead, he invited the two men to tell him what they wanted. Jesus was giving them power, something they had probably never before experienced. He did not pretend to assume (even though Jesus probably could have in this situation) what they wanted. Instead, he empowered them and then healed them. It had to have been an amazing experience to be heard, to be given an opportunity to speak for oneself, and then to be healed. They not only could see physically, but they were seeing themselves for the first time as God saw them. That’s powerful!

Prayer: We are filled with gratitude, Gracious God, for all the ways you seek to communicate our worthiness. In spite of so many other voices suggesting we have no standing before you, the life of Jesus communicates something very different. Good News! A message of empowerment! Transformation of body, mind and spirit. Amazing! Amen.

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