September 12 I Monday

Proverbs 13-15

2 Corinthians 5

“As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, calling out, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’”      

—Matthew 9:27

In Jesus’s ministry on earth, He went around teaching and healing people. In one particular instance, two blind men followed Jesus, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When they went indoors, Jesus asked these men, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” The blind men responded, “Yes, Lord.” Then Jesus touched both their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you” and immediately, both men received their sight. Afterwards, Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this” (Matthew 9:27-30). 

       As we read this account of Jesus’s healing, it begs the question, why the secrecy? Jesus had healed the paralytic, the woman in a large crowd and raised the dead. Why did Jesus give this command? In fact, Jesus warned them sternly, where the Greek word means, “to be agitated, to rebuke harshly, to be moved.” In other words, Jesus is feeling some strong emotions as He tells these men to keep it quiet. It is interesting as we consider the Gospel accounts that Jesus heals people and sometimes He tells them to “Go and tell others, I’m sending you as a testimony to them” and other times, He tells them to “Keep it on the down low.” Why is that?

       Matthew’s placement of this account is actually drawing our attention to the fact that we can come to Jesus seeking mercy, receive it, experience His touch in our lives and still be missing it completely. These blind men were longing for mercy and had faith to be healed, but they were completely disobedient to Jesus’s command. In fact, they went and did exactly the opposite of what Jesus had commanded them to do.

       In our present day, how many people come into church seeking Jesus, desperate for Him to touch some aspect of their lives and have faith to be healed, but once they receive what they want from Him, they are not interested in walking in obedience to His commands. The sad reality is that we can be drawn to Jesus by a deep need in our lives, but once that need is met, we may actually stop there. This is a selfish faith, where it is all about us.

       Is this a pattern in our own lives? We want the mercy but not the sacrifice. We come into the church looking for Jesus to serve our needs, but pay little attention to His desires throughout the week. May we realize that Jesus is the Son of David, who came not only to save us from our hardship but to reign as King over our lives.

Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, You are the king over my life. Thank You for Your mercy upon me when I do not deserve it. Help me to walk daily with faith and obedience to Your commands.