Touched and Changed

This morning I have been reading from Matthew's Gospel.  Sometimes I just want to reflect on Jesus, and the way His life impacted others.  Today my verses are Matthew 9:27-33 NIV:

[27] As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 

[28] When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 

[29] Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; [30] and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” [31] But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. 

[32] While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. [33] And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

There are a couple of things to note, first the blind men went to Jesus, and followed Him, and the mute man was brought to Jesus.  There is a faith movement that happens in the pursuit of, or going towards Jesus.  My conjecture is that these blind men had been searching for Jesus for a while.   This incident happened in Jesus' hometown of Capernaum, where He had moved after starting public ministry.  He had just been to the Synagogue leaders house to heal his daughter and was returning home.  The blind men must have been waiting for him, which means they had positioned themselves near where they had heard Jesus, who was a miracle worker, lived.  

Oftentimes when I read stories like these I like to reflect on the back-story, that which is not written, but can be surmised from the circumstances.  Blind men were generally beggars in Jewish society.  Just like today, beggars learned that to be more effective they needed to be in high-traffic areas, the more affluent the better.  I don't see Jesus living in a high-rent district in Capernaum.  If that is the case, then they must have been trying to locate him, following directions given to them, maybe even made a pact with each other to find this "Jesus".   This is in response to a glimmer of faith that they had in their heart, it might have been the faintest glimmer, but they believed there was a chance of them being healed if they found Him.  Even the slimmest of chances was worth pursuing, as life as a beggar was not good.  

As we know from John 9, they idea that people who were blind, deaf, or otherwise stricken were viewed with suspicion and judgment.  Either they or their parents were sinners (See John 9: 1-2). Thus, while many people might have given them money, the general opinion was they they had somehow earned this condition as punishment.  What a terrible sentence and judgment to live under...

Back to the blind-men, they finally get in front of Jesus and then He heals them!  Talk about changed lives!  Matthew says he sternly warned them to keep His healing of them secret, but instead they spread the news about him all over the region!!  

My initial desire was to reflect on how Jesus impacted the lives of those He met, and here we see a very good example!!  They couldn't stop talking about Him!  The formerly blind men went all over the region, maybe so they could see the wonders that they could now see, but in the midst of their travels, the subject of their conversation was always how Jesus had healed them.  Their lives were radically different, where before they were judged by society, now they were seen as favored by God!  They could see and interact and maybe even start a trade, rather then beg!    Their eyes were opened to the beauty all around them, and they were opening the eyes and ears of others to the wonder of God's touch through Jesus!

I love it!

Lord, I pray that I might bear witness to Your love, your touch, and in so doing that I might help people hear about you!  I pray that I might reflect the change that Your touch has brought to my life!

Amen!