“And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him,
crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the
house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you
believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then
he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to
you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See
that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread his fame
through all that district.” Matthew 9:27-31
What is a person’s story? Is there someone at church or your work whom you know only in context of whatever moment you find yourselves together in? Everything you know about them is limited to what you’ve seen and experienced in these surface interactions.
What is the story of the two blind men? Scripture shows us what happened when their lives intersected with Jesus. The people whom Jesus heals in the Gospels are real; no different than men or women you know in your own life. The difference here is that we can never truly know more about them, at least not in this life.
We can wonder: why were they together? Are they brothers? How did they follow Jesus into the house if they were blind? Perhaps someone was guiding them, maybe the very person who told them about Jesus in the first place. How did they live in such a world without the basic tools of sight?
One of the most powerful practices in the modern Christian church is how everyday people stand before each other and give a “testimony.” Here, the person tells a story from their life, sometimes a painful one, and how their relationship with Jesus Christ turned them, or their situation, around. Testimonies can be very inspiring for the listener.
The life of a man or woman we know in context of our limited interactions might only impact us in how it affects our life in the moment. We are not changed by them in any deep way. If, however, we hear their story, learn how they arrived in this moment with God’s help, we begin to see more of ourselves in this person and understand their relationship with Jesus better. This, in turn, enables us to love them with far greater understanding of who they are.
Jesus commands the blind men not to tell anyone of their healing. He knows they will, of course. How could they keep such a thing secret, and why would they want to? They were blind, and suddenly can see! Because of their story, others will soon seek out Jesus and be forever changed.
What about you and me? Are we the people who arrive at church, or work, but never share anything too revealing about ourselves, or where we came from? How much more inspiring could our lives be to someone we meet if one day they hear our personal testimony? Our story might be exactly what someone else needs to seek out this Jesus for themselves.
Pray
Holy Father, thank you for sharing Your story in scriptures and through Your Spirit, so we can more completely know who You are. Give us strength to use our own story to point others to You. Amen.
What is a person’s story? Is there someone at church or your work whom you know only in context of whatever moment you find yourselves together in? Everything you know about them is limited to what you’ve seen and experienced in these surface interactions.
What is the story of the two blind men? Scripture shows us what happened when their lives intersected with Jesus. The people whom Jesus heals in the Gospels are real; no different than men or women you know in your own life. The difference here is that we can never truly know more about them, at least not in this life.
We can wonder: why were they together? Are they brothers? How did they follow Jesus into the house if they were blind? Perhaps someone was guiding them, maybe the very person who told them about Jesus in the first place. How did they live in such a world without the basic tools of sight?
One of the most powerful practices in the modern Christian church is how everyday people stand before each other and give a “testimony.” Here, the person tells a story from their life, sometimes a painful one, and how their relationship with Jesus Christ turned them, or their situation, around. Testimonies can be very inspiring for the listener.
The life of a man or woman we know in context of our limited interactions might only impact us in how it affects our life in the moment. We are not changed by them in any deep way. If, however, we hear their story, learn how they arrived in this moment with God’s help, we begin to see more of ourselves in this person and understand their relationship with Jesus better. This, in turn, enables us to love them with far greater understanding of who they are.
Jesus commands the blind men not to tell anyone of their healing. He knows they will, of course. How could they keep such a thing secret, and why would they want to? They were blind, and suddenly can see! Because of their story, others will soon seek out Jesus and be forever changed.
What about you and me? Are we the people who arrive at church, or work, but never share anything too revealing about ourselves, or where we came from? How much more inspiring could our lives be to someone we meet if one day they hear our personal testimony? Our story might be exactly what someone else needs to seek out this Jesus for themselves.
Pray
Holy Father, thank you for sharing Your story in scriptures and through Your Spirit, so we can more completely know who You are. Give us strength to use our own story to point others to You. Amen.
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