Open my eyes that I may see the wonder of your word. I pray
in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Amen.
This is a heartfelt story. It depicts a man who has lost his
independence due to his blindness, who appears to have lost any family he may
have had (otherwise, they would have cared for him and he would not have needed
to beg), and who is so desperate for a solution to his problems that he breaks
every rule of good manners, much to the chagrin of his neighbors.
Jesus isn't solely interested in nice people. He notices the
man's distress and summons him. Rather than presuming he knows what's best for
him, he respects him by asking, 'What do you want me to do for you?' (GNB,
verse 51)
There are a lot of broken, desperate folks who aren't easy
to reach out to with the gospel. They don't fit into our clean theologies or
neat categories. They can be annoying and upsetting, but they all need Jesus.
And here, Jesus exemplifies what we all want in a friend or a pastor: rather
than presuming what's best for us is apparent, we want someone to listen
without prejudging what we're going to say.
Deep hearing leads to profound comprehension, which leads to
profound ministry.
Dear Lord, thank you for your word on this day.